JULIE BUDD

Although Julie Budd is one of the shortest singers in show business, she is definitely not short on talent.  Originally billed as the mini-girl with the maxi-voice, whose professional career began at the ripe old age of twelve, having been on over one hundred TV shows for Merv Griffin before branching out to concerts, movies and world wide appearances with just about every top name performer that ever set foot in Las Vegas, or on a stage, or anywhere else for that matter.

I’ve interviewed Julie twice before, both times at my request.  Last month I received an email from her publicist, Richard Skipper.  I call him the ‘skipper’.  He wanted to know if I could interview Julie once again whereupon I told him that I have a better idea.  Instead of doing the interview for radio, I would do an in-depth Q&A type of article, which when sent out via one of our email blasts, would reach more people directly than the radio would because they wouldn’t have to turn on and tune in so as to get the message.  The ‘skipper’ concurred.  So we agreed upon a date and a time.

HI JULIE.

HI STAN.

Q.   This being the third time that I’m interviewing you, I’ll be asking you all of those questions that I thought of asking you before but never did.  We’ll start off with an easy one.  Did you always want to be a singer and at what age did you start?

A.   Wow.  I wanted to be a singer for as long as I can remember, starting out at about age five, singing for friends and relatives and later on at weddings and Bar Mitzvahs.  But my professional career didn’t begin until age twelve when I first appeared on the “Merv Griffin Show”.  That’s when I was in the eighth grade.

Q.   I’ve heard it said that for each individual role or separate appearance in show business there are perhaps a couple of thousand applicants, all of them qualified, that toil away for years and sometimes all of their lives and maybe, just maybe, they’ll get their big break.  How were you able to accomplish this, as I referred to earlier, at the ripe old age of twelve?

A.   All the talent in the world won’t cut it for you without some luck plus your being in the right place at the right time.  Herb Bernstein, a friend of the family knew Merv Griffin and schlepped me from Brooklyn all the way to Manhattan for an interview.  Merv Griffin was very polite but you could tell that he had no interest in listening to some kid that he never heard of, until our friend said that I would soon be appearing at Carnegie Hall.  Merv’s ears picked up and he started to play the piano, asking me if I knew the song and to join in.  The song was, “I’m Forever Chasing Rainbows”, which he didn’t expect me to know but I did.  Half way through the number he said, “Stop, I want you to be on my show next week.”  And that’s how it started.

Q.   Where did all of this talent come from?

A.   It must have been from my mother, who I thought was one of the greatest singers ever and whose natural talent was incredible.  But she was too shy to be in front of audiences all the time and had no desire to pursue that kind of career.  She was happy being a mom.

Q.   She may not have cared for the kind of life that you were about to lead, being on the road and living out of suitcases, but did she or your father push you in that direction or try to influence your career?

A.   No.  In fact, my parents tried to discourage me.  They were fearful that I would get mixed up with unsavory characters or become a drug addict.

Q.   Did you?

A.   Stan, you must be kidding.  I was called, “Miss Goody Two-Shoes”, by some of my friends and I have to give my parents the credit for that.  They may not have wanted me to be in show business but they supported me one hundred percent all the way.  They were the best.

Q.   You have two sisters, Jill and Susie.  Did either one of them ever have any desire to follow in your footsteps?

A.   Not in the slightest.

Q.   Did you ever attend Julliard or any other music school or take singing lessons?

A.   I never went to Julliard nor any other music school but I did take private singing lessons which, believe it or not, I still take to this day with Lydia Summers and Willard Young.  Most people have no clue that a singing voice is like an instrument, a valuable instrument, which must be treated with care and loving kindness if you want it to last.  And most voice trainers will not take you on until your voice is at a certain level.  I was about fourteen or fifteen when I first began taking voice lessons.

Q.   Julie, when I attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, Steve Lawrence, nee Sidney Leibowitz sang, “The Star Spangled Banner”, in our school auditorium.  Did you ever grace the stage in that manner at your High School?

A.   No.  I never had the opportunity because I had become a professional singer before I could enter High School.

Q.   Since you were on the road at age twelve, were you able to complete High School?

A.   Yes.  I had private tutors and so I was able to pass all of the required exams.

Q.   Back then you were known as Edie Erdman.  Why the name change?

A.   After Merv Griffin hired me, the first thing that he said was that my name had to go, pointing out that there were already too many Edies in the business; Edie Adams, who I became good friends with and Edye Gorme, as well as a few others.  So I looked at him and confessed that my real name was Edith Erdman to which his response was that Edith was ‘too old’ a name for me.  One of his writers,_____________, suggested ‘Julie Budd’ because I reminded him of something, which Merv liked and so it stuck.

Q.   Since your auspicious beginning, you’ve traveled the world appearing with symphonies, doing concerts, supper clubs, Las Vegas, the movies, making dozens of records and albums and did loads of TV shows.  During that time you’ve worked with an impressive roster of some of the biggest names in show business.  Do you have any favorites?

A.   Interesting question.  Yes.  There are two that stand out above all the others.  Frank Sinatra and Liberace.

Q.   Can you tell us about your working with them and how you got along with them?

A.   When I first met Frank Sinatra we were doing a show in Las Vegas.  I remember what he said to me.  “Kid, if you ever need anything, you call me any time of the day or night, no matter what it is.”  He was a perfect gentleman with an incredible work ethic.  Some of the others who he worked with called him by his first name but I always referred to him as Mr. Sinatra.  I didn’t have to but I wanted to.  I think he appreciated that.  After all, it wasn’t easy being Frank Sinatra and he was not anything like the newspapers made him out to be.  As to Liberace, he was a true friend and one of the nicest people in show business that I have ever met and who always offered the best career advice.  I called him Lee, as did everyone else who worked with him.  Just like in the case of  Frank Sinatra, Lee worked very hard at his craft and had an incredible work ethic, that I was fortunate enough to have them pass on to me.  I truly miss them.

Q.   For a girl from Brooklyn, I think of the saying, “You’ve come a long way, baby”.  If you had to do it all over again, would you have done anything different?

A.   No.

Q.   No regrets?

A.   Not from a show business point of view but on a personal level I could have done more.

Q.   Care to elaborate on that?

A.   Not now Stan.  Maybe when I get to know you a little better.

Q.   What is your latest album and how can your fans get a copy of it?

A.   I thought you’d never get to that question.  My latest album, “Remembering Mr. Sinatra”, was released this past September 1st,  which you can get at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or wherever records are sold.

Q.   Any personal appearances coming up between now and the end of the year?

A.   I just finished, “They Wrote The Songs – Remembering Mr. Sinatra And His Friends”, at the Metropolitan Room in New York, where I will be repeating that show on December 10.  Two days later on December 12, which is Mr. Sinatra’s birthday, I’ll be doing the same show once more at the Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts in Mahwah, NJ.

Q.   For a while now, your records, albums and performances center around Frank Sinatra or his
his music.  Is that because you admired him or because it was good business?

A.   A little bit of each.  Frank Sinatra, or Mr. Sinatra, was one of a kind and there may never be
another like him.  Besides, I adore the music that he made and the songs that he sang.

Q.   Are you planning to write your autobiography?

A.   Well Stan, I’m not into writing an autobiography because I haven’t lived long enough.  But I am writing a book.

Q.  What is it about?

A.   I’ll tell you what it is about after I get a little further along.

Q.   Fair enough.  We’e getting down to the wire.  Julie, if you didn’t have a voice and never left Brooklyn, how do you think your life would have turned out?

A.   I think I would have become a doctor or a lawyer.

Q.   And lastly, what is your favorite color?

A.   Colors to me are like notes.  Just like you can have colors that are hot or cold, so can you have notes or combinations of notes that are hot or cold, or in between.  Being a singer, I must confess that I like all colors.

OKAY JULIE.  THAT DOES IT.  SEE YOU AROUND.

SEE YOU AROUND, STAN.