SINGING SISTERS
Born in Fieldston, Riverdale, an affluent area of the Bronx, the sisters were the daughters of Richard Simon and Andrea Heinemann.
Their father was of German Jewish origin and their mother of former Cuban slave stock.
Richard was joint chairman of the publishers Simon and Schuster. Andrea had been a switchboard operator for the company when he met her.
The girls remembered many famous visitors came to their house, including James Thurber, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein and Benny Goodman.
Joanna and Lucy had two younger siblings, Carly and Peter.
All three girls showed a real talent for music.
Joanna went to university and got a degree in philosophy. Her passion away from academia was musical theatre. Her music teacher, Marion Freschi (who herself had been taught by Marian Anderson, a ground breaking contralto), persuaded Joanna to take up opera singing.
Joanna was formally trained in Zurich. She was described as being a, “distinctive smoky-voiced mezzo-soprano.”
In 1962, Joanna won the regional division of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and also the Marian Anderson Award for new talent – being recognized for her ability to sing, “Both classic and contemporary.”
Joanna made her debut with the New York City Opera, singing Mozart’s ‘The Marriage of Figaro’, and followed this by working with Seattle Opera.
In 1967, Joanna sang in the world premiere of ‘Bomarzo’ by Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera, playing a courtesan called Pantasliea. It was this performance that propelled her to international fame.
This was followed by a stunning performance in Mozart’s ‘Cherebino’.
After that, Joanna sang with many different orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Meanwhile, her younger sisters, Lucy and Carly, had formed a duet called ‘The Simon Sisters. They began by opening for various groups in Greenwich Village Folk Clubs.
After securing a record deal, they reached number 73 on the Billboard charts in 1964 with their single, ‘Winkin’, Blinkin and Nod (a musical rendition of a Eugene Field poem). It was to be their biggest hit.
They also appeared on the TV show ‘Hootenanny’, singing their hit and a cover of Pete Seeger’s ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’.
They released four albums including the quixotically named ‘The Simon Sisters Sing the Lobster Quadrille’. None of their albums were commercially successful.
Lucy had a brief marriage to Christopher Knight, before marrying illustrator David Levine, with whom she had two children, Julie and James.
1971 was a significant year for all of the sisters. Lucy and Carly went their separate ways. Lucy went to nursing school, although she would return to music after qualifying.
Carly went on to have an enormously successful solo career. As well as having many hits, she would go on to win two Grammys, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for the song ‘Let the River Run’, which featured in the film ‘Working Girl’.
Also in 1971, Joanna appeared on the very last episode of the television programme ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’, which was broadcast on the 28th of March. She also made an appearance on ‘What’s My Line?’ and was interviewed by David Frost.
Later that year, Joanna presented the Grammy Awards.
The following year (1972), Joanna performed at a benefit concert to celebrate composer Richard Rodgers’ 70th birthday. She sang many Rodgers and Hart hits.
Joanna also sang backing vocals on Carly’s breakthrough album, ‘No Secrets’.
In 1975, Joanna tripped on a rug at her home and broke her hip. After surgery, she appeared on stage at an opera, playing the heroine whilst still on crutches.
She also sang the titular role at the world premiere of Pasatieri’s ‘The Black Widow’.
The following year, Joanna married journalist and novelist Gerald Walker.
During this period, Lucy made a musical comeback with an eponymous album. The backing vocals were sung by Joanna. It was not very successful, and neither was her follow up LP, ‘Stolen Time’ which had Carly and her husband, James Taylor, singing on it.
In 1984, Joanna recorded a version of Carly’s song ‘Turn of the Tide’. This version became the official campaigning song for the Democratic Party in the Presidential Election.
The following year, Joanna appeared in another benefit for Richard Rodgers at the Carnegie Hall. This concert went on for twelve hours, singing all of Rodgers’ songs.
Suddenly and unexpectedly, Joanna gave up music. Instead, she became the Arts Correspondent for the PBS Newshour programme. In this role, she won an Emmy for a report on bipolar disorder and creativity.
Joanna interviewed tenor Jose Carreras about his leukemia and also the neurologist Oliver Sacks.
However, one interview had unexpected consequences. After interviewing playwright Marsha Norman, the latter mentioned she was looking for a composer to help her create a musical of the Frances Hodgson Burnett story, ‘The Secret Garden’. Joanna suggested her sister, Lucy.
This musical re-started Lucy’s career. She won a Tony for it.
Lucy then produced two children’s albums with her husband David Levine. They were called ‘In Harmony’ and ‘In Harmony 2’. They both won Grammys.
She went on to write the soundtrack for the film ‘The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader Murdering Mom’, starring Holly Hunter.
Lucy acquired the rights for a musical of ‘Little House on the Prairie’, although this was never produced.
Lucy also produced ‘Dr Zhivago: The Musical’. It was critically well received but was not a success on Broadway.
This success led to the re-release of the Simon Sisters’ Lobster Quadrille LP. It was retitled as ‘Carly and Lucy Simon Sing Songs for Children’. This time, it sold much better.
In 1996, Joanna changed careers again. She took the New York State exam and became a Real Estate Broker.
In 2004, Joanna’s husband, Gerald Walker, died.
Shortly afterwards, she sold a flat to the legendary American journalist Walter Cronkite, whose wife, Betsy, had just died.
Walter and Joanna got on very well – and became partners.
Cronkite died in 2009. Joanna was the executor of his will, but she received no legacy. They had agreed before his death that he would leave everything to the children of his marriage to Betsy.
There was some confusion as to the exact date of Joanna’s birth. On the 1940 American census, it records her as being born in 1936. Later census’ show Joanna with different birth dates (and years).
In 2018, Lucy received the Samuel French Award for Sustained Excellence in American Theatre.
Sadly, that same year, their brother Peter, who was a professional photographer working at Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, died of lung cancer. He was 71 years old.
Shortly afterwards, both Joanna and Lucy were also diagnosed with cancer.
Lucy was working on the musical ‘On Cedar Street’ but had to step back from the project.
Joanna died of thyroid cancer in a Manhattan hospital. Sister Carly was with her at the time.
The following day, Lucy also died (of breast cancer) at her home in Piedmont, New York. Again, Carly was at her bedside.
Carly said, “I can’t truly comprehend this.”
Then, Carly went on to say, “I am filled with sorrow at the passing of Joanna and Lucy Simon. Their loss will be long and haunting. As sad a day as this is, it’s impossible to mourn them without celebrating the incredible lives that they lived.”
Carly also paid tribute to their parents. “I have no words to explain the feeling of suddenly being the only remaining direct offspring of Richard and Andrea Simon. They touched everyone they knew and those of us they’ve left behind will be lucky and honoured to carry their memories forward.”
RIP – Recording In Partnership
