Generally, I provide obituaries, here, only for artists who have recorded Christmas or Chanukah music, or otherwise made a significant contribution to the season. But there are exceptions. I saw, over the weekend, that David Frye passed away on January 24. He was such a huge presence when I was growing up, I felt it merited notice. In my house, we faithfully bought Bill Cosby albums through the 60s and played them to death. In the 70s, it was David Frye.
David Frye was born David Shapiro in Brooklyn, New York in June 1934. From an early age, he had an ear for voices and, while attending the University of Miami, Frye started performing impressions in campus productions. After a stint in the military, Frye embarked on a career doing stand-up comedy and impressions in the New York comedy clubs. But little notice was taken until the mid 60s, when he began including an impression of Robert Kennedy in his act. Unlike a lot of impressionists, Frye's impressions of the Kennedy brothers were all distinct and different. When Frye did a Kennedy, he didn't have to tell you which one he was doing. Soon, political figures, including President Lyndon Johnson and New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, became a staple of Frye's act. Frye's Kennedy soon earned him a spot on The Merv Griffin Show.
And then came Nixon.
David Frye was born David Shapiro in Brooklyn, New York in June 1934. From an early age, he had an ear for voices and, while attending the University of Miami, Frye started performing impressions in campus productions. After a stint in the military, Frye embarked on a career doing stand-up comedy and impressions in the New York comedy clubs. But little notice was taken until the mid 60s, when he began including an impression of Robert Kennedy in his act. Unlike a lot of impressionists, Frye's impressions of the Kennedy brothers were all distinct and different. When Frye did a Kennedy, he didn't have to tell you which one he was doing. Soon, political figures, including President Lyndon Johnson and New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, became a staple of Frye's act. Frye's Kennedy soon earned him a spot on The Merv Griffin Show.
And then came Nixon.
When it became clear that Nixon was gearing up for a Presidential run, Frye determined to add him to his act. As Frye told Esquire in a 1971 interview, it was a difficult impression to get, at first. "It took me a long time to get Nixon--but it took the country a long time to get Nixon.... If I hadn't had to do him, I wouldn't have tried." Frye persisted until he not only had the voice down but, according to some critics, he "became" Nixon. The television shows were lining up at his door. The Smothers Brothers, Ed Sullivan, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. And with Nixon's victory in 1968 came an album deal with Elektra records. "I Am The President", Frye's first record, reached #19 on Billboard's album charts in 1969. That album and it's follow-up, "Radio Free Nixon", are available as a two-fer through Collectors Choice. "Radio Free Nixon" failed to reach the Top 100 and Elektra dropped him, but Buddah Records was right there to pick him up. With Buddah, Frye released "Richard Nixon Superstar" and "Richard Nixon, A Fantasy". The latter followed the breaking Watergate scandal and contains some of Frye's best work ever.
Once Nixon left office, though, Frye's star quickly faded. "I knew I wouldn't get a Grammy for a Gerald Ford tape," Frye told the New York Post in 1998. Johnny Carson and The Tonight Show remained loyal, giving Frye the occasional spot, but otherwise he seemed to disappear from view. Frye independently released "The Great Debate" in 1980, as he tried to add Reagan and Carter to his cast of characters. He did both the elder and younger Bush, as time went on, and Bill Clinton in between. David Frye's final album, released in 1998, was "Clinton: An Oral History". Frye moved to Las Vegas where he died of cardiopulmonary arrest on January 24, 2011.
I was thrilled to see, in some of the articles this week, that I was not the only one who regarded David Frye as the greatest impressionist of all time, eclipsing the likes of Fred Travalena, Frank Gorshin and Rich Little. Frye's greatest success came with his impression of President Nixon, of course, but his repertoire was a lot larger than that. Among many others, Frye did a William F. Buckley impression that was, arguably, even better than his Nixon. Thanks for the memories, David. Thanks for the laughs. Rest in peace.
For those who'd like a Christmas tie-in, here's a 1967 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show's Christmas special, taken from David's own YouTube channel. It's badly out of sync, for which I apologize.
I was thrilled to see, in some of the articles this week, that I was not the only one who regarded David Frye as the greatest impressionist of all time, eclipsing the likes of Fred Travalena, Frank Gorshin and Rich Little. Frye's greatest success came with his impression of President Nixon, of course, but his repertoire was a lot larger than that. Among many others, Frye did a William F. Buckley impression that was, arguably, even better than his Nixon. Thanks for the memories, David. Thanks for the laughs. Rest in peace.
For those who'd like a Christmas tie-in, here's a 1967 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show's Christmas special, taken from David's own YouTube channel. It's badly out of sync, for which I apologize.
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