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Jack Jones, Balladeer Famous for ‘Love Boat’ Theme and 1960s Hits Like ‘The Impossible Dream,’ Dies at 86
Jack Jones, a traditional balladeer and TV who was famous for hits like 'The Impossible Dream' and 'Wives and Lovers' in the '60s, has died at age 86.
As it continued to be a staple of his live performances over the decades, Stephen Holden of the New York Times wrote that his rendition of what had become a standard “transforms this sentimental war horse into an anthem of personal determination, not only to keep moving, but to get better.” I was influenced by the great balladeers — Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen, Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Harold Arlen, Michel LeGrand, and Alan and Marilyn Bergman, as well as instrumentalists including Gerry Mulligan, Buddy Rich and Count Basie.” And the mature Jack Jones has refined a style that could never be called cookie-cutter… His world-weary cragginess coincides with an impulse to take ballads at extremely slow tempos and to execute them with the hesitations, drawn-out notes and sudden leaps that are a trademark of the jazz singer Mark Murphy.
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