Wow. Just hearing this for the first time makes me so sad for someone I loved so much, someone I thought was the most talented person I had ever met. I knew Laura when I was working for Artie Mogull, the guy who really discovered her, while I was going to graduate school at NYU and working part time in 1966-67. We became good friends, and I "was there" when she wrote some of those first songs, "Goodbye Joe," "Flim Flam Man (Hands Off the Man)" "Stoney End," and used to come into the office on 48th Street and sit at the piano and play them. Laura and her music touched me deeply, and I will always feel priveleged that I knew her and was in her life for that brief moment fifty years ago. (Jim Taylor)
I don't envy people normally but with you I will make an exception-still my favourite singer. Just wonderful. Have you noticed how people who like her really are passionate around her work.
Oh yeah! People who were into Laura's music were a cult of rabid fans. Laura sounds stoned in this interview, and she usually was. First time I ever smoked weed was with Laura, after a Peter, Paul and Mary concert at Lincoln Center, where they performed for the first time live Laura's song, "And When I Die. After the concert, there was an after-party at the Playboy Club on 59th Street off Fifth Avenue, and Laura and I walked there from Lincoln Center through Central Park smoking a joint. We both got ripped, and that was when she came up with the idea for the song "Sweet Blindness." Great times!
I 'discovered' Laura in '78 when Rolling Stone gave the thumb's up to 'Nested'. Then I slowly accumulated the rest of her catalog. She's pretty much the epitome of what Jung described as an 'introvert', but her talent and production shown through and destroyed any boundaries. What an artist. We lost her way too young.
Love this girl. An amazing talent and I miss her...They offered her alot of money to do something in the music, but she'd have to sell out, she flat turned them down. She really believed in the music. R.I.P. Laura.
What a treasure to hear her talk. She seems so natural and down to earth and such a creative writer and singer. Her songs touched me so deeply and she is very aware of expressing thru music and poetry to give her love to the world.
@Kalani Stay/ That's such a great way of seeing Laura & there's a lot of truth & insight in it too. Ethereal is a perfect description. Spirituality certainly played a major part in her life and then bled out into the work. Laura is beyond categorization certainly. I think it was pretty obvious that here was a highly unusual woman, a highly intelligent individual and a soulship floating through the universe telegraphing images and impressions back down to Earth.
A Woolworth's bin of discounted 45 rpms yielded a single: Side (A) "Billie's Blue"; Side (B) "Goodbye Joe" . I handed over my 39 cents at the checkout kind of wondering what had I just purchased, neither songs nor artist being familiar to me. But WOW; what a treat this turned out to be. Both songs will forever be my favorite Laura Nyro songs. Soon after I bought the album, "First Songs", and from there discovered she had written so many of the popular songs of the late 60s and early 70s. As well, unlike many writer/singers she could 'actually' sing. Nothing but high praise for Laura Nyro thereafter. The news of her death from uterine cancer caught me in the middle of my morning shaving routine and as I looked into the mirror I saw a few tears stream down my face. I hate to see anything so good gone. But thank God her music is still with us, and that I get to listen to this very interesting interview -- all these years later. Thank you, nyronut. 11/2018
@@dharmaofdog7676 Yep, and Streisand does justice to Laura Nyro on her "Stoney End" album, a pivotal masterpiece for Streisand which included entries from many of the then day's top writers/composers.
Laura is a beautiful soul so sad she's gone first time hearing to talk what a beautiful voice along with woman's like her and Karen Carpenter true people that come from the soul thank you for posting
I have been a fan for years. But after hearing this, I am even proud to be a fan. Smart, articulate, patient and nice. Then, there’s her off the chart talent.
I love Laura Nyro so much. Her music takes me back to a time in my life when I was young and *beautiful*. It evokes a lot of great memories.I also love Jim Tatman’s comment. Thank you for sharing your experience with Laura Nyro. I just watched her induction to the rock and roll hall of fame. It brought me to tears. Plus it was fun seeing her son Gil.
I have a CD of Laura Nyro's greatest hits. I've had it for years and when I first heard it , I was overwhelmed with her voice and writing. What a talent that at least we had the honor to cherish for a little while.
Just found this digging around Laura Nyro material - and it's Ed Sciaky. Knew the voice within 3 seconds. Worked with Ed at WMMR and WIOQ in Philly. What a superb guy. Miss you, bud. And Laura Nyro - she definitely helped me through the late 60's and 70's . . . and now in 2018!
In my pantheon of great recording artists, there are two women who stand out. Linda Ronstadt, and right next to her, the brilliant Laura, and of course, that she wrote most of her work adds a lot to artistry. We lost her so so young, but we are blessed to have a marvelous body of work
she is an amazing artist and just finished the book "the music and passion of Laura Nyro" by Michelle Kort. I bought "its gonna take a miracle" as a young man. I assumed everyone loved her like I did, Her story is worth learning and now my respect for her is high and have begun the process of searching for her music. Thank God for TH-cam.
Thanks for listing this resource! Just bought it. I saw her in 1968/9 in concert at Alfred University. The voice, the lyrics - - she became an important part of my life and remains so. Joan Armatrading is another genius...
What a sweet and humble spirit...a true artist, who just wants to create and share. Beautiful. I remember hearing her in college in 1969 or 70 and was enthralled to hear the creator behind hits.
So amazing to listen to this interview- once again. For me, there is no Christmas season without Laura's "Beads Of Sweat". I am almost grateful she isn't here to see how timeless her sentiments re: her beloved Country are! "Come young braves, Come young children..." Nonetheless, I would have endured 2020 and 2021 with far more spiritual sustenance had Laura been with us. Whenever I have the "Blues" I sing her songs and I am renewed. The greatest gift to myself was seeking out Laura Nyro. My late husband and I saw her as often as we could. He so respected her music and writing. As an Automotive Engineer, he continually longed to be a recording engineer, as well. He had a healthy respect for the very important technical side of music production. I always reminded him about bathrooms and subways; it didn't need to be so structured, I'd opine. I miss Laura. I miss Duane's guitar; Miles on "Lonely Women" , you know... "Joy to this world..." Peace, Health, Kindness and Music for ALL in the coming New Year.
My Uncle Rick'ys favorite musical artist. He died young as well around 1997 he was in his late 40s. Then she was all my mom listened to for a while after he died.
I think A LOT of people didn't know they were listening to Laura Nyro! Myself included. Not until I met Laura's best friend who pointed it all out to me and just how many Songs she had written and were covered. It was & remains mind blowing how prolific a Writer she was. I think of her as a "Channeler" - there are some Musicians and people in other Creative Mediums that just FLOW it IN & FLOW it OUT. Musicians always make me feel that they are Vessels and/or Vehicles of other Dimensions.
Thanks to Spotify, I'm just now discovering Laura Nyro for the first time. I wish I had known her sooner; I think the reason I hadn't is because she recorded for such a brief time. But I didn't realize all the amazing songs she wrote for other people. I'm just surprised that it took me so long to hear her--and I've been around the blocks a few times, musically. I wasn't alive in the '60s and early '70s, when she was recording. But I'm old enough!
Oh my gosh, the tone of her voice is just incredible and very soothing. I just discovered Laura’s music and it is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for posting this great interview and recently found she worked with the great Charlie Calello early in her career.
I first "discovered" Laura in 1968 or 1967. My dad was in Vietnam with the Marines, and I was babysitting and watching public television after the kids watched some kid show. I was blown completely away--somehow I knew her soul through her music and her madness when she played... Later I was to become a performer myself although I was already a writer, even at that age. SI mourned her loss, and am happy to find this interview... thank you for posting it. I quit smoking too--
One of my favorite moments from a 45 plus year on air radio career in some of America's biggest cities, was choosing "Wedding Bell Blues" by Laura Nyro on Verve Folkways as my weekly pick before most had heard of her. And I can tell that legendary Ed Sciaky was as big a fan as Laura Nyro as I. Great interview, and what fun to hear. www.billgardnerontheradio.com
Had the pleasure of seeing her on xmas eve @Fillmore East ....in NYC! Introduced a new album that night ...."xmas & the beads of sweat" She was fantastic....& never get the recognition she desreved.
My parents took me to see Laura at the arts center in New Jersey omg I was in sixth grade when it was over I cried I didn't want it to be over she was beautiful the music was beautiful she is still my favorite of all time I play her music everyday gone too soon love donna
After listening to this interview I realize the Laura did not know just how exceptional her first 5 or so albums were. Maybe it takes time before the greatest art is recognized. And I suppose even the artist does not recognize how significant and tremendous their art really is. Time and Love. Time and Love. Even so I have been listening to Eli and the 13th Confession almost non stop since 1969. Also New York Tendeberry, also Christmas and the beads of sweat. And of course the Labelle album and the first songs. These are classics. Of the newer material there are some good if not great songs but the first 5 or so are timeless and equal to anything you can compare it to including Bach or Beethoven or Gershwin. Just in a different genre.
As an artist I think it comes down more to focusing on the here & now for peace and inspiration. No one enjoys living in the past. Laura would thank the interviewer for a compliment but she thought of herself as a current, vital contributor, rather than nostalgia. 😊
@@c.a.carlln0287 I recognize that she saw her current work as vital and current. Others see it also as I have seen in the comments. I do like some of the current songs. (well it's been a few years since she left us)
#ugottacthisb4udie " in high school, she sang with a group of friends in subway stations and on street corners. She said, "I would go out singing, as a teenager, to a party or out on the street, because there were harmony groups there, and that was one of the joys of my youth." Nyro commented: wiki
There are two songwriters who seem to evoke this kind of emotional response from people: Laura and Townes Van Zandt. Both had a way of baring their souls through their songs and their poetry.
A song's only 3-4 minutes long. Same as a poem. So much could be PACKED into it. Laura's songs, many of which had touched people's soul, and it's not just the lyrics and music but the WAY she sang them, the way she timed the wording, her high octane VOICE, all put so much punch into what she meant to say! You scan the whole horizon of today's "pop music" including those of the 70s, and you can't possibly find anything the quality of which measured up to what hers! I want to thank nyronut for putting this interview online. I had never heard Laura speak more than 2 sentences in public, so this lengthy chat is precious! We Nyro fans, worship her. We all felt so devastated that she died so young! But what legacy she left behind! I had never stopped listening to her songs since the 60s. I have stopped listening to other artist who made "great" music of the same time period.... no more Dylan, no more Simon and Garfunkel....great had they been at the time. Nyro's work hover several levels above them! They are classical, much like the works of jazz great like Miles.
See this captured a certain time that I'm so glad I was alive and old enough to enjoy. No internet no multiple channels just radio and cable. You had to find this stuff but it wasn't, hidden or labeled as different it just was...Sunday nites on Vh1 opened my mind.
It's interesting, Laura's about as East Coast as you can get, while Joni, though Canadian, is a California girl all the way. I know Joni was influenced by Laura, but Laura isn't the only "genius" (hate that word) one around. That is, Joni is a genius, too, and they are both among the most gifted lyricists ever.
Yes, she and Joni, kept me sane when I was growing up (I live in Canada now but growing up I lived in the Industrial West Midlands, among as they say the dark satanic mills)
@@withag Great! West Midlands, huh? That means Birmingham or someplace nearby, right? I've been to the UK, and like all Americans, I loved it, but didn't go to the Midlands. If my image of the place is right, I can imagine how much light Joni would bring to that landscape.
Am reading Michelle Kort's biography. Ms. Nyro was a very private person, although not a recluse. Ovarian cancer claimed her in 1997. Her influence remains huge.
I saw her at the kiva auditorium in ABQ when she toured the “Smile” album (around 1977?) Mostly a female band. Absolutely first rate musicianship. Incredible in every way. I will never forget it.
Laura has a much more mature attitude about the 5th Dimension than Sciaky, who's trying to construct an art vs. commercialism dichotomy that, ironically, Laura's music defies. He's also probably ignorant of the fact that Laura knew the 5th Dimension and worked with them on the Stoned Soul Picnic album. It's interesting also that Laura's comments come right after she tries to explain to him that she views singing as its own "art" (I love her for this remark). Laura doesn't have the fake "purity" test about only writers singing their own music because she's also a singer (of other people's music, as well). At times I find his interviewing and listening skills lacking.
all good points. he seems afraid of silences she keeps pausing to think how to phrase accurate answers to his questions he gets antsy and jumps in with something from his pre-prep'd list of standard bio questions he's got a well-informed + well-meant list; but his radioDJ fear of pauses defeats his own questions' aims
Laura's version of Wedding Bell Blues was incredible. Give it a listen. Laura's enormous song writing talent helped shape the late 60's & early 70's with many Top 20 entries covered by the likes of 3 Dog Nite, The 5th Dimension & Blood Sweat & Tears. So sad she is not around anymore to see just what she meant to her fans.
Oh my goodness well listen she's just so very much out there on her own special planet that an interview like this is just about the very last thing she can focus on. You can hear Laura constantly trying to adjust her antenna so that she can get the right frequency but she has to wiggle her rabbit ears and hope for the best. Laura Nyro wasn't meant to be confined within the spacial limitations of "entertainment". There's a purity of soul and intention to the fundamentals of art. She was the living embodiment of what an artist actually is. There is absolutely no artifice and no calculation. And in her moments between thoughts- when she's looking to make herself absolutely clear- if you hold her hand and sit real still- you can hear the grass as it grows!
I see this comment is 4 years old. But I like what you said, and I identified with the interviewer, because always wanted Laura to have the airwaves and the credit for her art. I couldn't listen to the 5th Dimension versions. But what really rankled me was the schmaltz that Barbara Streisand put into her verions. Gag me, lol. I will love Laura forever.
She is incredibly underrated as an American music artist - She does not get the respect being a soul music icon. Laura paid her dudes in Philly and NY in the heart and soul of America Soul music and the environment. Laura was way before here time. The DJ interviewing her is a goof ball.
4:30 ..it naturally just started happening. Exactly she just started writing masterpieces. Beautiful product of Bronx New York. Some things are just too beautiful to die.
Great to hear the voice of this major inspirational talent. The one shame is that there aren’t enough live videos of this special innovative creator of very special music and sounds.
Less than a hundred thousand views? Spread the Word! send a link! People may not know her though they know those inferior successful cover renditions by the Fifth Dimension. She was so original- -booed off stage at the Newport Folk in 1964?. Her stillettos, cigarette, alone on stage with only her piano was just too much for the audience. She was so ahead of her time. The 5th Dimension made covers and hits from several of her songs. 40 yrs later, her renditions were blacker and better than the popular black group. See her generous review of them in this interview. Laura, you took care of your son-- writers get more residuals than singers. He lost his mom at a young age, such a tragedy. Many songwriters don't have the voice, but the quality of their song compensates. But Laura's voice is so supple - she slides up and down the scales. This girl,woman, is still my fav, after all these years .... to coin a phrase. let me get more hankies and listen.
She was NOT Boo'd off any Stage. Ever. The irony is Laura started the Rumor herself thinking an audience didn't like her performance because she herself was so dissatisfied with her back up Band.
what an interview! DJ Ed, great interview! Great insight into Laura from herself here. (Personally, I'd love to know the real story of "Farmer John" from Laura!)
Thanks for this - wonderful to hear the great lady talk. Her genius was of the expansive sort - as composer, singer and librettist. She was too much for her times to handle, but we're catching up with her now. Posterity always rewards true merit, and she will be no exception.
also, at 8:00 mark, I'm just tired of everyday life, it doesnt say it it doesn't do it..and I have to go to art. Just how i feel exactly, playing the guitar has saved me from myself
There ,was a totally different emotion or feel in the air in the late 60's early 70's ,especially in N.Y. The ,artists then and Laura had this ,its evident here as She speaks . Sadly It's mostly gone ...
I love the Fifth Dimension arrangements and singing of Laura’s work. Marylin McCoo has a voice that works well with Laura’s songs emotionally and energy wise.
i used to hear the "sirens, sing my name, drawing me closer to the rocky reefs, awaiting my doom & destruction,THEN I WAS SELECTED BY YOU( U KNOW WHO U R), LOVED BY U, & KICKED TO THE CURB " BY U> THANK YOU. JUMP STARTED MY MUSICAL/LITERARY DREAMS/PURSUITS. THE TASTE OF YOUR LIPS,OF YOUR ESSENCE WOULD DRAW ME BACK TO "THOSE ROCKY REEFS" TIME MEMORIUM. NEVER DID OR WILL HEAR THE WEDDING BELLS AGAIN",WITH U OR ANYONE OTHER THEN.YES I MARRIED LATER ON(5 YEARS), (STAYED 29), STILL MAINTAINING A SEMBILENCE, BUT " DO U LOVE ME, OH BABY, DO U HEAR THE BELLS"??.
Glad you are now . I am 67 and have to say she is probably my all time favorite artist . Not very well know but fabulous . Do you know about Joni Mitchell ?
I grew up listening to the hit songs she wrote in the late 60's & early 70's. Great songs by a great song writer and the producers knew how to accentuate the daylights out of them with other artists.
@@willfromyadkinville so right the song stoney end pop up in feed one day and I remember hearing it a long time ago by Babs and I started looking into the original song writer.
Maddy! Didn't I know you? You were often with Laura when I knew her when I worked for Artie Mogul in 1967-68. Was that you...or am I thinking of someone else? (Jim Taylor)
Wow. Just hearing this for the first time makes me so sad for someone I loved so much, someone I thought was the most talented person I had ever met. I knew Laura when I was working for Artie Mogull, the guy who really discovered her, while I was going to graduate school at NYU and working part time in 1966-67. We became good friends, and I "was there" when she wrote some of those first songs, "Goodbye Joe," "Flim Flam Man (Hands Off the Man)" "Stoney End," and used to come into the office on 48th Street and sit at the piano and play them. Laura and her music touched me deeply, and I will always feel priveleged that I knew her and was in her life for that brief moment fifty years ago. (Jim Taylor)
I don't envy people normally but with you I will make an exception-still my favourite singer. Just wonderful. Have you noticed how people who like her really are passionate around her work.
Oh yeah! People who were into Laura's music were a cult of rabid fans. Laura sounds stoned in this interview, and she usually was. First time I ever smoked weed was with Laura, after a Peter, Paul and Mary concert at Lincoln Center, where they performed for the first time live Laura's song, "And When I Die. After the concert, there was an after-party at the Playboy Club on 59th Street off Fifth Avenue, and Laura and I walked there from Lincoln Center through Central Park smoking a joint. We both got ripped, and that was when she came up with the idea for the song "Sweet Blindness." Great times!
I am afraid my envy meter just went past 100!
Thanks for the story...nice stuff! She was one of a great generation of female songwriters like we'll never see again.
Thanks for sharing your memories. So many people connected to her music, her passion, and her spirit.
I cry every time I hear her version of Save the Country. In fact, many of her songs bring me to tears.❤
then your a good person.
Yes she has a Way to the ❤
Laura Nyro was one of the best songwriters ever her amazing voice swept me away
Yes.....
everything about her work was other worldly.
Another Great Song Writer And Performer was Harry Nilsson - 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I met her at my home in SF. She played Stevie Wonder's "Creepin" on my piano. Brilliant woman.
Wow!
I used to play Creepin'.
Thank you for reminding me.
Love Laura. Always.
Katherine Rosen
She is a legend
I would love to hear how she happened to come to your home.
What a wonderful gift to be able to meet her and listen to her sing. What I would give.
That must have been just incredible.
Talented singer/ songwriter
Very unique in style
Very mysterious and ethereal in some ways
Wonderful music she created
I 'discovered' Laura in '78 when Rolling Stone gave the thumb's up to 'Nested'. Then I slowly accumulated the rest of her catalog. She's pretty much the epitome of what Jung described as an 'introvert', but her talent and production shown through and destroyed any boundaries. What an artist. We lost her way too young.
The music we hear as children sticks with us forreverr 😩 I love her
She was so talented. I just discovered her after all these years. Wonderful singer
Beautiful, gentle interview. You allowed her the space to feel comfortable enough to speak from her heart. Thank you
Love this girl. An amazing talent and I miss her...They offered her alot of money to do something in the music, but she'd have to sell out, she flat turned them down. She really believed in the music. R.I.P. Laura.
What a treasure to hear her talk. She seems so natural and down to earth and such a creative writer and singer. Her songs touched me so deeply and she is very aware of expressing thru music and poetry to give her love to the world.
She has just an ethereal way about her. As if she was more spirit than flesh.
@Kalani Stay/ That's such a great way of seeing Laura & there's a lot of truth & insight in it too. Ethereal is a perfect description. Spirituality certainly played a major part in her life and then bled out into the work. Laura is beyond categorization certainly. I think it was pretty obvious that here was a highly unusual woman, a highly intelligent individual and a soulship floating through the universe telegraphing images and impressions back down to Earth.
Sorry. I typed Ayau and it changed it to Stay.
thank you for preserving her voice
jackhillty Yes!
A Woolworth's bin of discounted 45 rpms yielded a single: Side (A) "Billie's Blue"; Side (B) "Goodbye Joe" . I handed over my 39 cents at the checkout kind of wondering what had I just purchased, neither songs nor artist being familiar to me. But WOW; what a treat this turned out to be. Both songs will forever be my favorite Laura Nyro songs. Soon after I bought the album, "First Songs", and from there discovered she had written so many of the popular songs of the late 60s and early 70s. As well, unlike many writer/singers she could 'actually' sing. Nothing but high praise for Laura Nyro thereafter. The news of her death from uterine cancer caught me in the middle of my morning shaving routine and as I looked into the mirror I saw a few tears stream down my face. I hate to see anything so good gone. But thank God her music is still with us, and that I get to listen to this very interesting interview -- all these years later. Thank you, nyronut. 11/2018
You're welcome Patrick.......well put !
I was sad about her passing myself & she was so young too.
Great Story! Kismet :)
@@dharmaofdog7676 Yep, and Streisand does justice to Laura Nyro on her "Stoney End" album, a pivotal masterpiece for Streisand which included entries from many of the then day's top writers/composers.
Laura is a beautiful soul so sad she's gone first time hearing to talk what a beautiful voice along with woman's like her and Karen Carpenter true people that come from the soul thank you for posting
I have been a fan for years. But after hearing this, I am even proud to be a fan. Smart, articulate, patient and nice. Then, there’s her off the chart talent.
I love Laura Nyro so much. Her music takes me back to a time in my life when I was young and *beautiful*. It evokes a lot of great memories.I also love Jim Tatman’s comment. Thank you for sharing your experience with Laura Nyro.
I just watched her induction to the rock and roll hall of fame. It brought me to tears. Plus it was fun seeing her son Gil.
Wasn't it..
Pat Connor
He is adorable, I hope he has benefited from his mom’s brilliant legacy
She was a songwriting genius
Shes so soft spoken and lovely and private! Listening to her voice you could just fall in love with her! Thank you for posting
melissa oliver Yes!
If only the journalist could stop loving his own voice that much
I have a CD of Laura Nyro's greatest hits. I've had it for years and when I first heard it , I was overwhelmed with her voice and writing. What a talent that at least we had the honor to cherish for a little while.
Just found this digging around Laura Nyro material - and it's Ed Sciaky. Knew the voice within 3 seconds. Worked with Ed at WMMR and WIOQ in Philly. What a superb guy. Miss you, bud. And Laura Nyro - she definitely helped me through the late 60's and 70's . . . and now in 2018!
What a wonderfully talented and sweet, sincere lady. RIP Laura.
In my pantheon of great recording artists, there are two women who stand out. Linda Ronstadt, and right next to her, the brilliant Laura, and of course, that she wrote most of her work adds a lot to artistry. We lost her so so young, but we are blessed to have a marvelous body of work
Linda Ronstadt??? Great voice, but c'mon. Didn't write her own songs, nothing innovative, just middle of the road pop stuff mostly.
she is an amazing artist and just finished the book "the music and passion of Laura Nyro" by Michelle Kort. I bought "its gonna take a miracle" as a young man. I assumed everyone loved her like I did, Her story is worth learning and now my respect for her is high and have begun the process of searching for her music. Thank God for TH-cam.
Thanks for listing this resource! Just bought it. I saw her in 1968/9 in concert at Alfred University. The voice, the lyrics - - she became an important part of my life and remains so. Joan Armatrading is another genius...
Bittersweet hearing her voice. Thank you...still so inspiring - she was a deep soul.
What a sweet and humble spirit...a true artist, who just wants to create and share. Beautiful. I remember hearing her in college in 1969 or 70 and was enthralled to hear the creator behind hits.
Bittersweet, to be listening to two legends, now deceased. Ed Sciaky interviewing the great Laura Nyro.
So amazing to listen to this interview- once again. For me, there is no Christmas season without Laura's "Beads Of Sweat". I am almost grateful she isn't here to see how timeless her sentiments re: her beloved Country are! "Come young braves, Come young children..." Nonetheless, I would have endured 2020 and 2021 with far more spiritual sustenance had Laura been with us. Whenever I have the "Blues" I sing her songs and I am renewed. The greatest gift to myself was seeking out Laura Nyro. My late husband and I saw her as often as we could. He so respected her music and writing. As an Automotive Engineer, he continually longed to be a recording engineer, as well. He had a healthy respect for the very important technical side of music production. I always reminded him about bathrooms and subways; it didn't need to be so structured, I'd opine. I miss Laura. I miss Duane's guitar; Miles on "Lonely Women" , you know... "Joy to this world..." Peace, Health, Kindness and Music for ALL in the coming New Year.
It sounds so affectionate smooth calm appreciating soulful
It’s the really calm relaxed American voice she has too.
I’ve just discovered Laura so I’m catching up with all this great stuff. What an amazing artist who did things on her own terms.
I adored her voice and music. wish she didn't have to leave us..no one ever like her again.
My Uncle Rick'ys favorite musical artist. He died young as well around 1997 he was in his late 40s.
Then she was all my mom listened to for a while after he died.
Thanks for having this on! Two of my favorite people Laura and Howard❤❤
I think A LOT of people didn't know they were listening to Laura Nyro! Myself included. Not until I met Laura's best friend who pointed it all out to me and just how many Songs she had written and were covered. It was & remains mind blowing how prolific a Writer she was. I think of her as a "Channeler" - there are some Musicians and people in other Creative Mediums that just FLOW it IN & FLOW it OUT. Musicians always make me feel that they are Vessels and/or Vehicles of other Dimensions.
Thanks to Spotify, I'm just now discovering Laura Nyro for the first time. I wish I had known her sooner; I think the reason I hadn't is because she recorded for such a brief time. But I didn't realize all the amazing songs she wrote for other people. I'm just surprised that it took me so long to hear her--and I've been around the blocks a few times, musically. I wasn't alive in the '60s and early '70s, when she was recording. But I'm old enough!
Keep listening... you will be rewsrded
Oh my gosh, the tone of her voice is just incredible and very soothing. I just discovered Laura’s music and it is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for posting this great interview and recently found she worked with the great Charlie Calello early in her career.
What a great interview! I'm sad that she's gone, though I know she was so impactful for our world. God bless you Laura.
I first "discovered" Laura in 1968 or 1967. My dad was in Vietnam with the Marines, and I was babysitting and watching public television after the kids watched some kid show. I was blown completely away--somehow I knew her soul through her music and her madness when she played... Later I was to become a performer myself although I was already a writer, even at that age. SI mourned her loss, and am happy to find this interview... thank you for posting it. I quit smoking too--
One of my favorite moments from a 45 plus year on air radio career in some of America's biggest cities, was choosing "Wedding Bell Blues" by Laura Nyro on Verve Folkways as my weekly pick before most had heard of her. And I can tell that legendary Ed Sciaky was as big a fan as Laura Nyro as I. Great interview, and what fun to hear. www.billgardnerontheradio.com
Had the pleasure of seeing her on xmas eve @Fillmore East ....in NYC! Introduced a new album that night ...."xmas & the beads of sweat" She was fantastic....& never get the recognition she desreved.
My parents took me to see Laura at the arts center in New Jersey omg I was in sixth grade when it was over I cried I didn't want it to be over she was beautiful the music was beautiful she is still my favorite of all time I play her music everyday gone too soon love donna
LOVE HER. Really appreciate Philly DJ Ed Sciaky on WMMR radio. Love how he appreciates her. I did;/do too.
WMMR was the Sound of my Youth - coolest Station ever.
she was a gem. really sang the truth.
After listening to this interview I realize the Laura did not know just how exceptional her first 5 or so albums were. Maybe it takes time before the greatest art is recognized. And I suppose even the artist does not recognize how significant and tremendous their art really is. Time and Love. Time and Love. Even so I have been listening to Eli and the 13th Confession almost non stop since 1969. Also New York Tendeberry, also Christmas and the beads of sweat. And of course the Labelle album and the first songs. These are classics. Of the newer material there are some good if not great songs but the first 5 or so are timeless and equal to anything you can compare it to including Bach or Beethoven or Gershwin. Just in a different genre.
All true. The 'Mother's Spiritual' album is wonderful too!
As an artist I think it comes down more to focusing on the here & now for peace and inspiration. No one enjoys living in the past. Laura would thank the interviewer for a compliment but she thought of herself as a current, vital contributor, rather than nostalgia. 😊
@@c.a.carlln0287 I recognize that she saw her current work as vital and current. Others see it also as I have seen in the comments.
I do like some of the current songs. (well it's been a few years since she left us)
#ugottacthisb4udie " in high school, she sang with a group of friends in subway stations and on street corners. She said, "I would go out singing, as a teenager, to a party or out on the street, because there were harmony groups there, and that was one of the joys of my youth." Nyro commented: wiki
saw her at the Bottom Line towards the end. wish I'd had the nerve to tell her how much I'd always loved her, but all I could say was thank you.
I'm sure that thank you meant something to her. Gratitude is sometimes more powerful than adoration.
I love this honest interview. Wow! She was extremely humble.
There are two songwriters who seem to evoke this kind of emotional response from people: Laura and Townes Van Zandt. Both had a way of baring their souls through their songs and their poetry.
mysterytrain3 yes
A song's only 3-4 minutes long. Same as a poem. So much could be PACKED into it. Laura's songs, many of which had touched people's soul, and it's not just the lyrics and music but the WAY she sang them, the way she timed the wording, her high octane VOICE, all put so much punch into what she meant to say! You scan the whole horizon of today's "pop music" including those of the 70s, and you can't possibly find anything the quality of which measured up to what hers! I want to thank nyronut for putting this interview online. I had never heard Laura speak more than 2 sentences in public, so this lengthy chat is precious! We Nyro fans, worship her. We all felt so devastated that she died so young! But what legacy she left behind! I had never stopped listening to her songs since the 60s. I have stopped listening to other artist who made "great" music of the same time period.... no more Dylan, no more Simon and Garfunkel....great had they been at the time. Nyro's work hover several levels above them! They are classical, much like the works of jazz great like Miles.
Saw her at The Bushnell Theatre in Hartford CT in winter/1972. Just Laura and the piano. Beautiful. I will never forget it. Gone way too soon.
Thanks for infusing jazz into soul and making it sound as cool as rock!
Thanks for the post! I'm just learning about this amazing singer and songwriter. What a discovery.
See this captured a certain time that I'm so glad I was alive and old enough to enjoy. No internet no multiple channels just radio and cable. You had to find this stuff but it wasn't, hidden or labeled as different it just was...Sunday nites on Vh1 opened my mind.
It's interesting, Laura's about as East Coast as you can get, while Joni, though Canadian, is a California girl all the way. I know Joni was influenced by Laura, but Laura isn't the only "genius" (hate that word) one around. That is, Joni is a genius, too, and they are both among the most gifted lyricists ever.
Oh thank you !! Love Laura's music !!! Saw her many times in concert and loved every minute , also Love Joni , a brilliant talent .
Richie B
Carole King is a genius as well
Yes, she and Joni, kept me sane when I was growing up (I live in Canada now but growing up I lived in the Industrial West Midlands, among as they say the dark satanic mills)
@@withag Great! West Midlands, huh? That means Birmingham or someplace nearby, right? I've been to the UK, and like all Americans, I loved it, but didn't go to the Midlands. If my image of the place is right, I can imagine how much light Joni would bring to that landscape.
I love you, Laura, then, now, and forever.
I love her passion and love of soul music and friendship with Lavelle and Patti Labelle!
Patti talked about Laura being a great friend of hers. It shows
Am reading Michelle Kort's biography. Ms. Nyro was a very private person, although not a recluse. Ovarian cancer claimed her in 1997. Her influence remains huge.
Thanks very much for posting this, Laura rules!
Lovemylovething I had to, Laura rules.........you're welcome
I love her accent, it's so subtle and sweet.
I saw her at the kiva auditorium in ABQ when she toured the “Smile” album (around 1977?) Mostly a female band. Absolutely first rate musicianship. Incredible in every way. I will never forget it.
Laura has a much more mature attitude about the 5th Dimension than Sciaky, who's trying to construct an art vs. commercialism dichotomy that, ironically, Laura's music defies. He's also probably ignorant of the fact that Laura knew the 5th Dimension and worked with them on the Stoned Soul Picnic album. It's interesting also that Laura's comments come right after she tries to explain to him that she views singing as its own "art" (I love her for this remark). Laura doesn't have the fake "purity" test about only writers singing their own music because she's also a singer (of other people's music, as well). At times I find his interviewing and listening skills lacking.
all good points.
he seems afraid of silences
she keeps pausing to think how to phrase accurate answers to his questions
he gets antsy and jumps in with something from his pre-prep'd list of standard bio questions
he's got a well-informed + well-meant list; but his radioDJ fear of pauses defeats his own questions' aims
Laura's version of Wedding Bell Blues was incredible. Give it a listen. Laura's enormous song writing talent helped shape the late 60's & early 70's with many Top 20 entries covered by the likes of 3 Dog Nite, The 5th Dimension & Blood Sweat & Tears. So sad she is not around anymore to see just what she meant to her fans.
He enjoyed listening to himself too much at the start of the interview. No one is perfect, but we want to hear her, no him.
Oh my goodness well listen she's just so very much out there on her own special planet that an interview like this is just about the very last thing she can focus on. You can hear Laura constantly trying to adjust her antenna so that she can get the right frequency but she has to wiggle her rabbit ears and hope for the best. Laura Nyro wasn't meant to be confined within the spacial limitations of "entertainment". There's a purity of soul and intention to the fundamentals of art. She was the living embodiment of what an artist actually is. There is absolutely no artifice and no calculation. And in her moments between thoughts- when she's looking to make herself absolutely clear- if you hold her hand and sit real still- you can hear the grass as it grows!
I see this comment is 4 years old. But I like what you said, and I identified with the interviewer, because always wanted Laura to have the airwaves and the credit for her art. I couldn't listen to the 5th Dimension versions. But what really rankled me was the schmaltz that Barbara Streisand put into her verions. Gag me, lol. I will love Laura forever.
She is incredibly underrated as an American music artist - She does not get the respect being a soul music icon. Laura paid her dudes in Philly and NY in the heart and soul of America Soul music and the environment. Laura was way before here time. The DJ interviewing her is a goof ball.
Eugene Rodney
Not at all, most music lovers are well aware of her contributions, which were huge of course
She is a legend
4:30 ..it naturally just started happening. Exactly she just started writing masterpieces. Beautiful product of Bronx New York.
Some things are just too beautiful to die.
I love her ummms...so sweet and private..her voice kind of reminds me of mj 's voice back in the late 70's-early 80s phase
Yes. Geeze, she sounds like she could be a distant relative of MJ!
@@brightbite sure does
Great to hear the voice of this major inspirational talent. The one shame is that there aren’t enough live videos of this special innovative creator of very special music and sounds.
I love her freaking eyes.
Laura, you were the inspiration.
She was truly other-worldly!
Less than a hundred thousand views? Spread the Word!
send a link! People may not know her though they know those inferior successful cover renditions by the Fifth Dimension. She was so original- -booed off stage at the Newport Folk in 1964?. Her stillettos, cigarette, alone on stage with only her piano was just too much for the audience.
She was so ahead of her time.
The 5th Dimension made covers and hits from several of her songs. 40 yrs later, her renditions were blacker and better than the popular black group. See her generous review of them in this interview. Laura, you took care of your son-- writers get more residuals than singers. He lost his mom at a young age, such a tragedy.
Many songwriters don't have the voice, but the quality of their song compensates. But Laura's voice is so supple - she slides up and down the scales.
This girl,woman, is still my fav, after all these years .... to coin a phrase. let me get more hankies and listen.
She was NOT Boo'd off any Stage. Ever. The irony is Laura started the Rumor herself thinking an audience didn't like her performance because she herself was so dissatisfied with her back up Band.
what an interview! DJ Ed, great interview! Great insight into Laura from herself here. (Personally, I'd love to know the real story of "Farmer John" from Laura!)
Thanks for this - wonderful to hear the great lady talk. Her genius was of the expansive sort - as composer, singer and librettist. She was too much for her times to handle, but we're catching up with her now. Posterity always rewards true merit, and she will be no exception.
This was from my cassette, which I put into circulation -- taped from WYSP Philadelphia. ❤
Never heard of this girl before, i remember last year,but I am following her ,she is an awesome talent and a hot looking girl.
I miss her so much! A truly original and gifted artist.
also, at 8:00 mark, I'm just tired of everyday life, it doesnt say it it doesn't do it..and I have to go to art. Just how i feel exactly, playing the guitar has saved me from myself
I also marked that time in the interview because her thought there was the lesson I came here to hear.
There ,was a totally different emotion or feel in the air in the late 60's early 70's ,especially in N.Y. The ,artists then and Laura had this ,its evident here as She speaks . Sadly It's mostly gone ...
Love this LADY!
Beautiful soul, intelligent, wonderful writer
Saw her at Carnegie Hall !!! My fave !!! Judy.. Joni..and ..Nyro...
I envy you so!
Oh man... that picture. Oh Nyro.
I love the Fifth Dimension arrangements and singing of Laura’s work. Marylin McCoo has a voice that works well with Laura’s songs emotionally and energy wise.
I still own that album. " More Than A New Discovery" -----------------it's a Masterpiece. ---------------------WolfSky9, 72 y/o
What a beautiful voice--------speaking or singing. -------------------------Wolfsky9
7:03 7:48 Thank you Laura. This is truth.
I really love her voice.
so original and talented, ..so loved, so missed.
No one is "pro abortion". Most citizens are pro abortion rights.
I would call it pro-choice rather than pro-abortion. Who in the world would be "pro-abortion."
I saw her at the Bottom Line around this time. Gotta love her!
I know that Laura is the most creative musical girl for ever..... Hey Laura.. I love you!..... Arica, Chile
i used to hear the "sirens, sing my name, drawing me closer to the rocky reefs, awaiting my doom & destruction,THEN I WAS SELECTED BY YOU( U KNOW WHO U R), LOVED BY U, & KICKED TO THE CURB " BY U> THANK YOU. JUMP STARTED MY MUSICAL/LITERARY DREAMS/PURSUITS. THE TASTE OF YOUR LIPS,OF YOUR ESSENCE WOULD DRAW ME BACK TO "THOSE ROCKY REEFS" TIME MEMORIUM. NEVER DID OR WILL HEAR THE WEDDING BELLS AGAIN",WITH U OR ANYONE OTHER THEN.YES I MARRIED LATER ON(5 YEARS), (STAYED 29), STILL MAINTAINING A SEMBILENCE, BUT " DO U LOVE ME, OH BABY, DO U HEAR THE BELLS"??.
Awe, so good to hear this.....RIP, miss her so much
Wonderful. Love her so much.
Thanks for letting her talk!
why am I just discovering her?!?! (I'm 19 if that matters)
Glad you are now . I am 67 and have to say she is probably my all time favorite artist . Not very well know but fabulous . Do you know about Joni Mitchell ?
I grew up listening to the hit songs she wrote in the late 60's & early 70's. Great songs by a great song writer and the producers knew how to accentuate the daylights out of them with other artists.
sharyn mcnamee
She was amazing
A legend
it is never to late to discover Laura Nyro!
@@willfromyadkinville so right the song stoney end pop up in feed one day and I remember hearing it a long time ago by Babs and I started looking into the original song writer.
I knew Ed’s voice right of way Laura was awesome
miss her so much the sister I never hadxxx
Maddy! Didn't I know you? You were often with Laura when I knew her when I worked for Artie Mogul in 1967-68. Was that you...or am I thinking of someone else? (Jim Taylor)
Great interview.
Love is surely gospel
thanks for sharing, no ever how long it's been!!💗💖💚💙💜
Love Laura Nyros music !!!
AThis is definitely Ed Sciaky interviewing Laura.
loved her
You were so lucky to know her back then😮