A VIEW FROM THE IVORIES

A debut memoir from a performer who’s worked with some of entertainment’s biggest names.

In this remembrance, King—a songwriter, performer, musical director, and producer—offers his takes on Oprah Winfrey, Bob Hope, and many other celebrities—all from the point of view of the piano player onstage or the person backstage running the show. More than 40 luminaries from the worlds of music, sports, politics, and entertainment are featured in King’s book in six- to seven-page stories, each focusing on King’s interactions with them: “Life and divine providence have given me a ringside seat…to some of the most breathtaking experiences and utterly fascinating people on Earth,” he writes. King tells of working with such intriguing figures as musician Judy Collins, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and George H.W. Bush, to name a few. At another point, he tells of befriending a tearful Monica Lewinsky at the Watergate Hotel. Overall, the author’s prose style is breezy and fun, as when he tells of helping Golden Girls’ Beatrice Arthur and Designing Women’s Dixie Carter get through a trying time with Broadway legend Elaine Stritch during a fundraising event in early 2001: “Elaine took a full twenty-five minutes and hijacked the last part of show….Bea and Dixie were ready to take her out.” However, readers may wish that more of the portraits here were more critical. Instead, the author’s portraits of famous people are generally benign; even O.J. Simpson, whom the author encountered during a sales show for Hertz Rent-a-Car, comes off relatively unscathed. In a chapter that mostly praises Simpson’s ability to have fun on stage, the author barely touches on what’s to come: “With all the celebrities, politicians, and luminaries I have had the privilege to work with, I remain stunned at those who are masters at sabotaging their own success.”

Intriguing but overly sunny memories from a long career in show business.