Chanteuse Maud Hixson Presents Doris Day

Article by Merle Minda 

Maud Hixson and Rick CarlsonMinneapolis singer Maud Hixson turns her musical chops to beloved songs from the legendary actress and singer Doris Day. Maud, accompanied by pianist Rick Carlson, will appear at The Dunsmore Room, at the Crooners Lounge and Supper Club on Tuesday, May 22nd at 7:30 pm.

Some notes about Doris Day: Beginning in 1939, Doris began as a dancer, but turned to singing after a car accident left her with a severely injured leg. She was a hit almost from the start, joining Les Brown and his Band of Renown. Her first big recorded hit during WWII was Sentimental Journey, remember that one?

Doris sang like an angel and was an adorable blonde, to boot. She became a huge movie star and was a top-ten movie attraction for a decade in films like Pillow Talk, Lullaby of Broadway, The Thrill of it All and many more. She worked with an incredible stable of handsome leading men in these films, including Rock Hudson, Cary Grant, James Garner, Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, David Niven and Kirk Douglas. Her musical films were huge hits but she also did serious drama, including The Man Who Knew Too Much, directed by Alfred Hitchcock; Young Man with a Horn with Kirk Douglas and Midnight Lace, where she starred with Rex Harrison. Later she went on to star in The Doris Day Show on TV. She sang Que Sera Sera in the Hitchcock movie, which has become an all-time hit still sung often. She is alive and well today at 96; a new collection of her songs was just released for streaming this past week.

Doris DayUnfortunately, her life was not as sunny as the personality she projected. She had a raft of personal financial problems from husbands and ultimately lost her only child to cancer, just a few months after she had been presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004 by President George Bush. Maud and pianist Rick Carlson will explore some of her darker personal struggles through Doris’ music. One role she played during this period was Love Me or Leave Me with James Cagney. One can understand her life at this time through this dramatic film and its soulful musical presentations.

Maud Hixson

Singer Maud Hixson is devoted to songs from the Great American Songbook, presenting shows in the Twin Cities at such places as The Dunsmore Room, the Dakota, Vieux Carré and Lourdes Church, where she sang a concert of songs all in French. She has presented a revue of Noel Coward songs at the Guthrie Theater; and has also appeared in The Soul of Gershwin at Park Square Theater. She has released several CDs and continues to sing in New York City and Chicago clubs. Musician and historian Michael Feinstein observed: “Her vocal style is so warm, compelling and intimate – it’s clear she cares about the words and telling the story, with clarity and without artifice – almost a lost art these days.” Maud is married to virtuoso pianist/accompanist Rick Carlson and together they make quite a duo.

Tickets for Tuesday, May 22, “What Would Doris Do?” are just $15 and available by phone at 763-760-0062 or on online. The Dunsmore Room, with its nine-foot Steinway concert grand piano, is the perfect intimate setting for this concert. The venue address is 6161 Highway 65 Northeast, Minneapolis. It is easy to get to by driving straight out Central Avenue NE; free parking is available onsite.

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About Merle Minda

Journalist and free-lance writer Merle Minda writes about travel, business, people profiles and other subjects for a number of national and regional publications, including Delta SKY, Mpls/St. Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Business, Star Tribune, Twin Cities Statement, Minnesota Monthly, and now Mill City Times. She can be reached at mminda@earthlink.net or TravelOverEasy.com on the web.