Singer Judy Whitmore has released her new single and music video for “New York Medley” featuring American Songbook classics “How About You,” “Manhattan” and “Autumn in New York.” In the beautifully shot video featuring Billy Grubman, Judy’s brother, the upbeat visual showcases the duo embracing the hustle and bustle of New York City’s most scenic visuals.
“New York Medley” is the second single off Judy’s full-length debut album Can’t We Be Friends, out November 18th, where she dives headfirst into the Great American Songbook and reimagines 12 staples with fearlessness, fire, and finesse. Recorded at Capitol Studios alongside collaborators John Sawoski and GRAMMY® and Emmy Award-winning composer Michael Patterson, together, they’ve created a love letter to the Great American Songbook featuring classics such as “It Had To Be You,” “S’Wonderful,” “Can’t We Be Friends,” and many more. “New York Medley” follows Judy’s lead single/video from the album for “My Favorite Year” where she uplifts Michele Brourman and Karen Gottlieb’s heartfelt classic over cinematic strings with a combination of tender intuition and dynamic delivery that takes you back to the memories of your first romance. Track listing for Can’t We Be Friends below.
“My brother Billy and I first performed wearing pajamas in our parents’ living room. It’s been a long time since we used hair brushes for microphones,” shared Judy. “‘The New York Medley’ originated as part of our cabaret act “Two For the Road.” We love singing together – – and, we have real mics now!”
Born in New York City and raised in Studio City, California, Judy is named after the legendary singer Judy Garland, a friend of her grandfather who played violin in the MGM Studio Orchestra. Judy’s first foray as a vocal artist and performer began during college when she sang background vocals for Capitol Records in Hollywood, where she returned to record Can’t We Be Friends. Although she had a promising career ahead of her, Judy’s journey took a detour. Marrying young, she and her husband first settled in Beverly Hills and had two children, but soon moved to Aspen, Colorado to raise their family in a more rural environment. It was here that she befriended her closest neighbors, Annie and John Denver. John coaxed Judy into confronting her fear of flying by inviting her to board his private plane, Windstar One. The experience was so powerful that it inspired Judy to earn her commercial pilot’s license, eventually working search-and-rescue missions for Pitkin County (Aspen) Air Rescue, which later influenced her best-selling novel, Come Fly with Me.
Judy’s passion for the performing arts would never be too far out of sight. In 2014, she co-founded the cabaret group, ACT THREE with her brother Billy (a featured vocalist on Can’t We Be Friends) and her neighbor Lynn. The trio brought timeless standards to life at legendary venues including Carnegie Hall and the Ritz Hotel in Paris. Their journey to Carnegie Hall was chronicled in the award-winning documentary film, Once Upon a Dream. Through all of those accomplishments, Judy always felt that something was missing. She knew it was time to get that magical box of dreams she had stored away all those years ago, embrace that music career she’d always dreamed of and soar on her own. In 2018, Judy ventured onto the stage alone with her show-stopping, cabaret-style vocal act. She garnered critical praise from The OC Register and Los Angeles Times, who noted, “[she] has a bit of a Judy Holliday comedic edge” and “tackled some tough ballads with style.”
With her debut album Can’t We Be Friends coming this fall, Judy reaches new altitudes and gives the extraordinary works created within the Great American Songbook a new flight in 2020.
Can’t We Be Friends Track Listing:
1. Can’t We Be Friends
2. I Could Write A Book
3. I Should Care
4. It Had To Be You
5. The Lies of Handsome Men
6. How About You / Manhattan / Autumn In New York
7. The Last Time I Saw Paris / The River Seine
8. S’Wonderful
9. My Favorite Year
10. Love Is Here To Stay
11. I Get Along Without You Very Well
12. Two For The Road