tavis: good evening from los angeles. tonight, my guest is steve tyrell. us, aglad you have joined conversation with a jazz singer steve tyrell coming up right now. >> every community has a martin luther king boulevard. it is not just a street or boulevard, but a place where walmart stands to in the with your community to make every day better. >> and by contributions to pbs from viewers like you. thank you.

tavis: steve tyrell is a popular singer that is out with his new collection of covers from the great american songbook featuring songs from and james to sam cooke. there is nothing for me but to love you ♪ tonighthe way you look ♪ tavis: sounds so good, steve. it is nice to see you in l.a. for a change. the last time we saw each other, we were at the larry king program. he brought in the young man from "america's cup palin." that i can sing.

>> he can. the album we made has sold 100,000. he loved that show, you know that show the studs with that sinatra song. tavis: "married with children." >> right. and he got the idea to start singing sinatra songs and he looks like bob marley. everywhere he would go, he would knock people out. so they got this idea to go audition for "americas got talent." he went on his own. there were 5000 people there. he walked in and the first thing he sang was ♪ i got you on under he won $1 million. tavis: i was watching that night.

there were a bunch of jewish brothers and sisters honoring larry king. >> but i brought him on. his elbow was coming out the next week. larry had -- his album was coming up the next week. tavis: i have never seen some any -- matt lauer and by pressing together and i told him i had never seen someone transform a room so fast. looking the way he looks, you do not expect frank sinatra. he killed it. astaou expected to go ♪ ros man ♪ tavis: his story is no greater than yours and your story is no greater than his. you started out as a producer, a guy helping to make other artists accessible. >> actually, i started out as a singer first.

tavis: way back when. >> i was into bands. i grew up in fifth quarter houston. my parents were immigrants and had a grocery store. i was in an all-black band. i was in a cover band that did all black songs. so i was always in to rhythm- and-blues. then i got a job working for scepter records. i started producing records in houston and a couple of different things and started getting national attention. i did this thing with our lynn.n -- with barbara whe i work in new orleans with dr. john. this is before i get my job with scepter records. all those guys, we grew up together.

and aaron neville and all those guys. i got a job working for scepter records and producing -- they were and are in be label producing chuck jackson. burt bacharach and dionne warwick were kicking it and that changed my life. i decided i would rather do that then be an artist. tavis: you mentioned dionne warwick. there are so many people you've worked with. burt bacharach -- >> i was in that trio. tavis: whitney houston sang background for dionne warwick. >> exactly. tavis: you saw her when she was just a baby. >> and her husband john huston -- the bacharach sessions were lucky events.

his mother and father would be there. john huston and sissy. dionne's mother's sis ter. they would be all there. burt would be there with an orchestra. it would not be like recording today, turning up. everybody was singing at the same time. cissy was in there and the warwick -- for sister. and valerie simpson sang on all of those records, too. i did not know, but i did not hear about her until she became a teenager being an artist. but she was singing in church. cissy is a great singer. after dionne's success, sissy

had a group called inspiration. they went out with elvis. tavis: how did you decide or how did it happen when you went from being on the a and our side -- the a&r side to getting back to singing. >> we had the theme from "the valley of the dolls" and "the look of love" in those films. very early on, i saw that you could take a good song and put it out at the same time with a film and you could have extra marketing. when i moved out to california, dairyman and i became partners and we started working on movies -- barry mann and i became

partners and we started working on movies. we got a little place on the lot and we started working on movies and television shows. and we would make demos. barry was one of the greatest song makers of all time. sometimes, we would write and make demos and pitched them to different movies and television shows and i would sing the demo. a lot of times, people would say who is that? man, that is me. so i started getting my voice on television themes and on movies just because it was cheaper than tony bennett -- [laughter] and then sometimes warner brothers would call me and i

started getting notes that i could sing. tavis: do you recall any of this television themes? " and lotsrank's place of different ones. "the client," you remember that movie. tavis: susan sarandon. >> yes. a lot of different things would just show. i never took it very seriously. but it gave me a career working in television and movies. i was working on a " father of the bride." tavis: at 54 years of age -- >> people think that i sang in "father of the bride" and the next week that put out an album. [laughter]

i got together with the director and the producer and said where do you want your band to play of the waitinwedding? when you see a band playing at the film, you have to do the music first. all of the music is done after. but if they're going to be playing, i used to love to do that. you have to use your imagination, what kind of band it will be and you have to go to the set to make sure that the cast will be minding it and doing it correctly. i did a lot of that kind of work. i did "the five heartbeats." that was my favorite thing to do, doing music in advance. she said she did not know that they wanted a soulful version of "the way you look tonight." i had never sung a sinatra song in my life. tavis: prior to that time, you

had not done -- >> i swear to god. that was the first song of a standard. i was from otis redding and ray charles and sam cooke and jimmy reed and bobby blue black. all of those artists were the artists that really influenced me. my parents, being italian, you know, there was god and frank sinatra. [laughter] not necessarily in that order either. i had all that music in my consciousness from as long as i could remember. and when i started singing, new otis. so tavis: how did this movie come along? that kicks your career. >> it did. so they tell me they want a more

soulful version -- c frank's version was swinging. he was going like that. they love those words. ♪ some day when i am awfully low ♪ they wanted those words over the theme of steve martin danson with his daughter. -- dancing with his daughter. they wanted that, but they wanted it to be more soulful. man, you know. [laughter] so we went into the studio and made that version that you just played that became kind of a classic. we made that version kind of like the fox trot at a wedding that summit could dance to. and i went to the set the next day and i said, ok, i have something i want to play for you.

they said come over and play for us at the break while we are lighting the scene. so i went out in the car in the parking lot with the director and the producer. we are trying to sell something. cloud is good. [laughter] i had the radio on 11. and it starts out ♪ some day when i am awfully low ♪ next thing i know, marty shourd is coming out there and diane keaton because it was so loud. and they were like, which is that? that is the song i did for you for the reception. who is that? that is me. you have to be in the movie. was it.at it even went further than that. the day we shot that scene was the biggest day of the movie because it is the reception. so all the actors are there.

everybody that is in the movie is there. + 200 extras. every time we played that song, they would come up to the bandstand and say, sir, did you play that song? it was obvious that we had done something good. so i told the director and said one not put that at the end of the movie. i will be the guy at the wedding and they can sing it. they thought that was a good idea. they put temporary music and, but the put me over the end, too. so when a preview the movie for audiences, people would ask to was singing. so i ended up singing in both spots. tavis: you mentioned ray charles. of all the great singers we have had, for whatever reason, ray

charles is your absolute favorite. >> he is the man. he can sing anything. people ask me some times -- it is kind of a cliche question -- if you could go on an island and you could only have one person's music, who would that be? who would you think? it would be brother ray. he could sing anything, man. he could sing my name and your name. ♪tavis smiley i want that. ♪ steve tyrell [laughter] he could sing gospel, blues, country, whatever it was. when i hear the sonand sound of brother ray, i am telling better. i can get it in eight notes.

tavis: how confident do you feel in having developed your own sound particularly when you've seen some any standards out of the american songbook? are you comfortable with this? >> i have never considered myself like a great singer or anything. i just say what is in my heart. tavis: the way you style. >> it just comes out that way. people tell me all the time. i think that i owe that to my upbringing in the hood. that is just the way i talk. that is who i am. everything in me has a little bit of rhythm-and-blues. , anybodyblues, yaeah that talks cooled to me sounds like that. anybody that sings sounds like benny kinga --

killed me when i was a kid. tavis: you come from an italian family and they love sinatra, i get that. but when you got into sinatra stuff, what did you come to appreciate? >> he is fantastic. he has that thing that raid had -- that ray had. a lot of people imitate frank sinatra, especially in the world of the great american songbook. he is the most imitated person ever in the world. but he has that little funky edge to his voice. he has that streak thing, sinatra does, that nobody else has. [laughter]

and he was a great singer, a great singer. and his sound is his sound. he owns this music. he took the great american songbook and owns it. tavis: for a guy who starts out making his way in the world via r&b, how did you end up being the guy that makes us appreciate the american songbook? >> for me, i got a lucky break. it introduced the world these songs to me. i knew them from my parents. but after "father of the bride," i did not make an album for seven years. i did not make enough room until the second "father of the bride." steve martin said you should make an album of these things. it was like preposterous.

and when we did the second movie, i sang "the simple life" and "the sunny side of the st.." -- "the sunny side of the street." the co-chairman of atlantic records, he went to see "father of the bride part to." and i came out singing of " the simple life at the beginning." and he calls me the next day and said, i get to tell you, this voice came on at the beginning of the movie and my wife starts punching me, who is that? in the middle, the same guy came on and at the end, the same guy. it was you. she made me go by the soundtrack album. at that point, i had three standards.

and he said you should make an album of this stuff. you're the right guy to be saying that. if you make an album for atlantic, we will put it out. so that is how it happened. tavis: i am laughing because it is -- i should not say rare, but it tickles me when i hear people who are pushed into their preakness. you have everyone around you telling you, steve, -- pushed into their greatness. you have everyone around you telling you, steve -- >> i was 52 when i recorded it and 54 when it came out. who makes an album 1 they are 54 years old? tavis: steve tyrell. [laughter] >> its police seems ridiculous. man, it really changed my life. it changed a lot of people's

lives. it did really well. it was on the charts for a few years. then rod stewart her that album. -- then rod stewart heard that album. tavis: he did that, too. >> the first record i produced for rod, it was his first no. 1 album in 25 years. but he started coming to my kidgigs. [laughter] he always told me that his parents play that music and it was something he always wanted to do and how much he loved it. he knocked it out of the park. it made a friendship with one of my most treasured friends -- rod stewart. tavis: bill clinton is saying. >> yes, great stuff has happened.

president clinton told me to dance with chelsea. i told him that that song has taken me two more weddings and you can ever imagine. he told me that you should make an album of wedding songs. tavis: tell me about "baltic romance." >> one night at the carlisle, -- "i'll take romance." >> one night, i was at the carlyle, when he passed away, they called me and asked me if i would take that spot. i will go back for the first time and play in may. bobby used to do that. after 20 years, he would go back and play in may. this is the first year i will do that. they gave me a call to come down early. usually, it is because something

cool is going on. there was president clinton and chelsea and mrs. clinton. they had come down to hear me. tavis: "i'll take romance" is a collection -- >> i just signed with concord, who i love, by the way. i called john burt the next day and said, john, listen, president clinton dropped by last night. [laughter] tavis: and said i should to do a record. [laughter] >> yeah. tavis: you are finally catching on. [laughter] >> he told me that he had danced to my version of "the way you look tonight." he said that doing a collection of wedding songs would be a good idea. so this is a collection of songs

that are some of my favorites. it goes back a little bit more. it is a standards record, but it goes back to a little bit more of my r&b roots. tavis: "at last." >> yes. i did not want to start the novel with "at last." you better be careful. i am proud of the version we make. added james encouraged me when i jamesstarted -- and jameetta encouraged me when i for started. now it is a sitting tribute to the great and jameetta james. tavis: i am so glad to finally

get this man back in l.a.. you will want to add this to your collection for all you lovers and you folks getting married this summer, all of those of you who need wetting singers and you cannot afford steve tyrell. [laughter] there you go. he put on the soundtrack and everything is cool. >> it is my delight. tavis: that is our show tonight. please download are new app. see you back here next time. keep the faith. >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. tavis: next time, and join me for a conversation with bill bennett on the swing states that will decide the 2012 election. >> every community has a martin

luther king boulevard. it is the cornerstone of we all know. it is not just a street or below by, but a place where walmart stands together with your community to make everything better. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> the