Of course, being pre-pubescent impacted how King approached songs written for, and by, adults. She-and the experience-deepened his appreciation of songs from the Great American Songbook. King describes Minnelli as a real life “Auntie Mame.” He’d open for her over the next ten years as his scheduled allowed. The experience brought them closer together as she looked after the youngster on the road. King quickly cobbled together a song list and toured with Minnelli. I said yes right away, of course,” King said. I wasn’t even sure what an opening act was. “After hearing me sing, and we starting doing some work together, she called me late one night and-in her best Liza Minnelli impression-said that she was going on the road and needed an opening act. Tom Selleck, the show’s star, brought her in as an opening night gift to King, who played his nephew. Then Minnelli surprised him by attending opening night of A Thousand Clowns on Broadway. He said at the age of 10, he was “enthralled to be sitting there in Minnelli’s penthouse apartment, next to Judy Garland’s Grammy and Vincent Minnelli’s Oscar.” She arranged for King to attend Minnelli’s coaching sessions. His lucky break came when King’s grandmother became Minnelli’s vocal coach in 2001. It was one of those moments when time stopped. She pulled me up on stage, sat me on her lap and sang to me. She saw me sitting in the front row in my little tuxedo with a bouquet of flowers for her. “My parents took me to see her in concert when I was five at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut. You know, like most four-year-olds do,” King laughed. I loved the brassiness of it with the horns and Liza’s attitude and everything she did. ![]() “I would just beg my mother to put on that cassette so I could listen to it. King had been mildly obsessed with the daughter of Judy Garland and Vincent Minnelli since seeing her Live from Radio City Music Hall video on PBS at the age of two. ![]() His obvious talent and love of music from the past earned him an impressive mentor and friend to help hone his craft-the one and only Liza Minnelli. Nicolas King with his friend and mentor Liza Minnelli King didn’t catch up on the music of his generation until he was older and found it unimpressive. He recalls singing “Love for Sale” when he was six years old. King also thought all kids were listening to Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Eydie Gorme and Earth, Wind & Fire. In my mind, I had concerts lined up in my head all of the time,” he said. Then, I’d go on tour from the living room to the kitchen. “There’s footage of me at like two years old standing on the ottoman in our sunken living room putting on shows to an imaginary crowd of 5,000 people.
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