Actress Molly Ringwald Explores Her Musical Side
Most of us first met Molly Ringwald in classic John Hughes movies like Pretty In Pink, 16 Candles, and The Breakfast Club. But recently the actress began showcasing new aspect of her talents; a few years ago, Ringwald added "author" to her resume. Ringwald's new album, Except Sometimes, is a collection of jazz renditions of tunes from the Great American Songbook.
Ringwald says her father, jazz pianist Bob Ringwald, instilled a deep love of jazz standards in her, which persists to this day. "That was my early education," she explains.
Molly Ringwald, on choosing deeper cuts from the Great American Songbook:
Usually when you see somebody's standards album you can count on hearing "Someone To Watch Over Me" or "My Funny Valentine" or "I've Got A Crush On You." All great songs, but [they've been] recorded so many times. So I tried to pick songs that are standards, like "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men." I think that was really the criteria for me, and that the lyrics really spoke to me in some way.
On how her father, jazz pianist Bob Ringwald, influenced her early musical taste:
He started as a modern jazz musician in the late '50s early '60s, and then he went way back. He plays Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke and Sidney Bechet. Those are all his idols. That’s the kind of stuff that I grew up singing. I was raised on Bessie Smith: "Give Me A Pigfoot (And A Bottle Of Beer)," "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out,” all of those songs. That was my early education.
On recording an album with her father’s band as a six-year-old:
We recorded it in Lake Tahoe, and it was snowing. I would sing a song, and then they would say, “Okay, go play.” And I would play and go and run off the roof and jump intoa big pile of snow for 15 minutes and then come back in and record another song. It was really fun. I enjoyed it! I loved it.
