Harry Connick JuniorTalks About the Women in His Life
After watching Harry Connick Junior on ABC's "The Piano", when I saw this article in The Age newspaper I just had to share it. What he says about his mother will make you laugh out loud.I hope you like it as much as I do.
Many of you might not be able to access this article without an account so I'm copying and pasting the text below as well:
I lost my mother, Anita Livingston, to ovarian cancer when I was 13. Mom was a bright, “woody” woman – she didn’t really follow the norm. She was sensitive and communicative.
When I was five, I wanted to run away from home. Rather than convince me to stay or tell me I was being silly, Mom said, “Sorry to hear that.” As I went out the front door, she was right behind me with her suitcase. She said, “You’re right. I don’t like it here either. Let’s go.” I started crying and told her I didn’t want to run away.
When it was time to lay down the law, Mom did, but she always made sure we had the power to make our own decisions. My memory of her is frozen in time. She’ll always be young to me.
Mom became a lawyer in the mid-1950s. She ran for the position of Louisiana Supreme Court justice when she was diagnosed with cancer, against seven men. Because she was a public figure, they found out she had cancer and used that against her. She was emotionally strong, and I am proud of her ability to win that election.
My paternal grandmother, Jessie Connick, died in 1985, several years after my mom. She was a great cook and had eight kids during the Depression. She was quiet, but maintained a deep Catholic faith.
My sister, Suzanna, is three-and-a-half years older than me. I was a pain in the rear-end growing up. She was studious and I was an attention-seeker. We are incredibly close now. She spent 38 years in the military. She’s a hero and I look up to her.
I would notice girls at school, but they didn’t notice me. I had a crush on a girl in the sixth grade; she was sweet and smart. I couldn’t work up the courage to tell her. I saw her in New Orleans 20 years ago; I recognised her face, and got the courage to tell her I had the biggest crush on her as a child. She replied, “I had the biggest crush on you, too.”
My mother was aware I loved music from the age of three. I played the piano for the first time when my dad, Harry, was running for political office. He opened his campaign quarters and Mom got a piano in there for me to play.
Mom’s dream was for me to play at Carnegie Hall in New York. I haven’t played there. I’ve saved that moment for her 100th birthday: May 22, 2026. I have written a symphony for her and have been trying to make her proud of me ever since.
I moved to New York at 18, and was standing in Union Square when I saw a billboard of a Victoria’s Secret model [Jill Goodacre]. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I ended up marrying her, and we’re still together, 30 years later.
I had a few relationships before I met Jill when I was 22, but there was nothing significant. I was lucky to meet my match so young.
Jill and I are best friends. We married in 1994 and have three daughters [Georgia, 29, Sarah, 27, and Charlotte, 22]. They are brilliant and driven, but nobody plays the piano in the house except me [laughs].
I always wanted to be married, as I wanted what my parents had. It wasn’t my goal when I met Jill, but I always thought that someday I would do it.
I get to work with some amazing women. My manager, Ann Marie Wilkins, has been with me since I was 18 – almost 40 years. I also recently worked with Australian TV and radio personality Amanda Keller on The Piano. She is the consummate professional and I love being around her on and off camera. I have also become good friends with world-class pianist Andrea Lam, who is also on the show; our families are very close.
I lost my mother, Anita Livingston, to ovarian cancer when I was 13. Mom was a bright, “woody” woman – she didn’t really follow the norm. She was sensitive and communicative.
When I was five, I wanted to run away from home. Rather than convince me to stay or tell me I was being silly, Mom said, “Sorry to hear that.” As I went out the front door, she was right behind me with her suitcase. She said, “You’re right. I don’t like it here either. Let’s go.” I started crying and told her I didn’t want to run away.
When it was time to lay down the law, Mom did, but she always made sure we had the power to make our own decisions. My memory of her is frozen in time. She’ll always be young to me.
Mom became a lawyer in the mid-1950s. She ran for the position of Louisiana Supreme Court justice when she was diagnosed with cancer, against seven men. Because she was a public figure, they found out she had cancer and used that against her. She was emotionally strong, and I am proud of her ability to win that election.
My paternal grandmother, Jessie Connick, died in 1985, several years after my mom. She was a great cook and had eight kids during the Depression. She was quiet, but maintained a deep Catholic faith.
My sister, Suzanna, is three-and-a-half years older than me. I was a pain in the rear-end growing up. She was studious and I was an attention-seeker. We are incredibly close now. She spent 38 years in the military. She’s a hero and I look up to her.
I would notice girls at school, but they didn’t notice me. I had a crush on a girl in the sixth grade; she was sweet and smart. I couldn’t work up the courage to tell her. I saw her in New Orleans 20 years ago; I recognised her face, and got the courage to tell her I had the biggest crush on her as a child. She replied, “I had the biggest crush on you, too.”
My mother was aware I loved music from the age of three. I played the piano for the first time when my dad, Harry, was running for political office. He opened his campaign quarters and Mom got a piano in there for me to play.
Mom’s dream was for me to play at Carnegie Hall in New York. I haven’t played there. I’ve saved that moment for her 100th birthday: May 22, 2026. I have written a symphony for her and have been trying to make her proud of me ever since.
I moved to New York at 18, and was standing in Union Square when I saw a billboard of a Victoria’s Secret model [Jill Goodacre]. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I ended up marrying her, and we’re still together, 30 years later.
I had a few relationships before I met Jill when I was 22, but there was nothing significant. I was lucky to meet my match so young.
Jill and I are best friends. We married in 1994 and have three daughters [Georgia, 29, Sarah, 27, and Charlotte, 22]. They are brilliant and driven, but nobody plays the piano in the house except me [laughs].
I always wanted to be married, as I wanted what my parents had. It wasn’t my goal when I met Jill, but I always thought that someday I would do it.
I get to work with some amazing women. My manager, Ann Marie Wilkins, has been with me since I was 18 – almost 40 years. I also recently worked with Australian TV and radio personality Amanda Keller on The Piano. She is the consummate professional and I love being around her on and off camera. I have also become good friends with world-class pianist Andrea Lam, who is also on the show; our families are very close.
