Deanna Reuben's Wyomissing vocalist's career reinvention reaches its pinnacle

Wyomissing vocalist's career
reinvention reaches its pinnacle

Longtime classical singer Deanna Reuben releases a new single, "If the Truth Be Told," penned by
a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and two members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Written BY DON BOTCH, FEATURES WRITER FOR THE READING EAGLE NEWSPAPER
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26,2018

WYOMISSING, PA-

Deanna Reuben has overcome her share of obstacles in pursuit of the singing career that
has been her life's passion since she was a teenager attending Wilson High School.

In the late '80s, while living in Washington, D.C., and singing with the prestigious
Washington Singers and Paul Hill Chorale, she overcame damage to her vocal cords suffered
while undergoing thyroid surgery.

Then, at age 50, after realizing she no longer had the stamina for the classical repertoire but not
ready to call it a career, she decided to reinvent herself by retraining her voice for jazz and
Broadway standards.

"That was a challenge," said the Wyomissing resident. "It took about a year. And I still sometimes
revert back to that. It's been a fun journey."

That journey reached its pinnacle on Sept. 25, when an email arrived in her inbox out of the clear
blue.

The sender was Peter Stoller, son of Mike Stoller, who teamed with Jerry Leiber to pen such
rock 'n' roll classics as "Hound Dog," "Yakety Yak" and "Stand By Me." The email was just
three sentences long:

"Dear Ms. Reuben, Mike Stoller heard you on the radio recently and was quite taken with your
voice. He's just completed a song with Marilyn and Alan Bergman and wondered if you might
be interested. I have attached a demo - please let us know what you think!"

"I was at home and checking my email, and I opened this up and went 'Oh my God,' and
tears just started streaming down my face," Reuben said last week in reflecting back on that
September day. "And Mark (her husband) goes, What's the matter?' and I went: 'No, no, no.
No, no, no. It's all good.' "

Good, indeed. Reuben had just been invited to record "If the Truth Be Told," a song penned
by a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with lyrics by a couple of members of the
Songwriters Hall of Fame whose credits include "The Way We Were" and "The Windmills of
Your Mind." It doesn't get much better than that.

She gave the demo a listen and knew right away that the slow, romantic bossa number,
which sounds like a page out of the Great American Songbook, was a perfect fit.

"I could hear myself singing it," she said. "It was great. I always listen to the melody line,
and I also listen to the chord progressions, and some of these writers that send me pieces
to peruse that they've written, they're clunky. And this had just such a beautiful musical flow
to it. I could really hear myself singing it. It was well written."

Reuben has recorded four albums since 2005, but getting back into the studio wasn't
necessarily something she had been planning to do. CDs, after all, are a hard sell these
days, and digital releases translate to cents but not dollars for artists, so it's hard to
justify the expense. But recording this single was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.

"I said I would be crazy if I didn't do this," she said. "So I gathered my musicians - the
ones I've used on other albums - and we started the project."

Firs,t she reached out to her longtime collaborator, Marty Mellinger, who owns and
operates Cross Keys Recording in Bern Township, where she recorded three of her four
albums.

"He has a very professional studio," she said. "It's state of the art, recording equipment-
wise. And he's a phenomenal musician and arranger. A lot of people don't realize that,
and I would say he could've been a classical concert pianist, as welL"

Joining them were a couple of others musicians who have been by her side throughout
this portion of her career: guitarist Paul Columbo, who helped with the arrangement,
and bassist Steve Varner. And rounding out the ensemble was drummer John Rozum.

They finished the recording by Nov. 19, she sent it to the Stollers for approval, then
arranged licensing and released it as a single last month on all the major online
services.

Reuben said she has long been a fan of the Bergmans, citing their contributions to the
canons of Barbra Streisand, who she idolized growing up, and Michel Legrand.

"I've sung a lot of their songs over my lifetime," Reuben said, "and I love them as
lyricists- absolutely love them."

In fact, "How Do You Keep the Music Playing," with lyrics by the Bergmans, was the first
song on Reuben's first album, 2005's "The Look of Love." She's also recorded their
songs "Where Do You Start" and "After the Rain."

She said she's working on some other Bergman songs that Legrand sang, so if she ever
opts to make another album, it would include those plus the new single.

But that's not in her immediate plans. For now, she's gearing up for a concert with her
vocal ensemble called Four of a Kind, which will be presenting a Broadway revue as a
fundraiser for Reading Civic Theater on April 20 at the Abraham Lincoln.

And she's basking in the glow of a career highlight.

"I think this is the pinnacle," she said of being asked to record "If the Truth Be Told."
"This was the highest honor that I could've received. And coming from these great
people from our musical time, it's quite an honor. So it's the icing on the cake. If I do
nothing else, I can go out on a high note."

About Deanna Reuben

She graduated from Wilson High School and finished earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in
music from Alvernia University while her two daughters were toddlers.

She relocated to Washington, D.C., in the early 1980s to pursue her musical career and
work in real estate.

She was a soloist with the prestigious Washington Singers and the internationally renowned
Paul Hill Chorale.

Venues where she has performed include the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Mann
Center and Wolf Trap.

She has shared stages with the likes of Marvin Hamlisch, Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman.

Since transitioning to singing standards, she has released four albums: 2005's "The Look of
Love," 2009's "On Life and Love," 2012's 'The Very Thought of You" and 2013's "Christmas
Is Here."

She and her husband, Dr. Mark Reuben, live in Wyomissing, where she teaches voice and
piano.

She has served on the board of trustees of Alvernia University.

She's on the board of directors of the Reading Symphony Orchestra.

Listen or buy

Deanna Reuben's song "If the Truth Be Told" is a digital-only release. You can stream it at
deannareuben.com or purchase it for 99 cents at major online music retailers including
CDBaby, iTunes, Spotify and Amazon.