1 Harry Connick Senior, Junior’s dad, was a district attorney as well as a record store owner. His wife, co-owner of said record store, was also a judge and lawyer at Louisiana Supreme Justice Court.
2 His first name is actually Joseph. Harry is his second name. His other middle name is Fowler, for which he earns our heartfelt commiserations.
3 Mozart first learnt the clavichord at the age of four; Harry had the keyboard mastered at the age of three. Harry made his recording debut at the age of 10; Mozart never made a recording in his life. Who’s the child prodigy now, Wolfgang?
4 His first big stage appearance was performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 3, Opus 37 with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra. He was a mere nine years old at the time. His first full-length album came two years later, entitled Dixieland Plus.
5 Harry’s mother Anita died of ovarian cancer when he was still in his early teens. Many of his albums have carried a dedication.
6 Jr came to international fame and fortune recording the soundtrack to the much-loved rom-com, When Harry Met Sally. Director Rob Reiner was initially struck by the similarity between Harry’s voice and that of a young Frank Sinatra, and subsequently gave him the gig. The album itself was recorded at lightning speed – it only took him three days.
7 In 1990, Harry took a supporting role in the WWII movie Memphis Belle. He played the role of Sgt Clay Busby, a laidback pianist. He’s since appeared in close to 20 films, including Little Man Tate, Independence Day and PS I Love You. His first lead role was alongside Sandra Bullock in Hope Floats. No, we haven’t seen it either.
8 He spent a night in jail in 1992 after carrying a gun through JFK International Airport. Part of his sentence included making a TV commercial that promoted the importance of gun laws.
9 As a native of New Orleans, Harry was at the centre of fundraising efforts following the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. He helped to organise A Concert for Hurricane Relief, and his 2007 album, Oh, My NOLA was a tribute to the people of the city (NOLA stands for New Orleans LA).
10 His 2009 appearance on Australia’s Hey, Hey It’s Saturday TV show caused a minor international disturbance when he objected to a ‘black-face’ sketch, saying, ‘If I knew that this was going to be part of the show…I definitely wouldn’t have done it.’ The subsequent debate made headlines across the world, and the clip went viral on YouTube.
Harry Connick Jr performs at Abu Dhabi Hall on May 16. Tickets at www.timeouttickets.com
