Welcome to the not-old-better show Smithsonian Associates series.

I'm your host Paul Vogel-Zeng and this is episode number 191.

As part of our Smithsonian Associates Art of Living Series, our guest today on the Not Old

Better show is Johnny.

John Eaton is an acclaimed pianist, musicologist, and humorist.

John Eaton has the honor of performing

for Smithsonian audiences since 1978.

John Eaton joins us today to share some of his insights and fascinating

observations and he will be performing for our not old better audience so stick

around to the end but his four-part program covers so

much music composers and history.

Hey Paul I'm sitting here realizing that I did my first program for the Smithsonian back in 1978.

And here it is 2018, 40 years later, and I have yet another series of programs coming up next month.

I don't pretend to be modest or even immodest, but I think the key to my longevity is really the wonderful songs of George

Gershwin, Hoi, Carmichael, Richard Rogers, and all the other composers who contributed to what they now call the

Great American Songbook.

There's been a lot of water under the bridge since 1978, but the songs remain as solidly wonderful as the day they were written, and therein

lie a lot of fascinating stories.

That of course is our guest today, John Eaton, who will be at the Smithsonian Associates program presenting

a four-part series starting April 18th and running to May 9th titled John Eaton from Broadway to

Hollywood. Oh and something else. During John's performances of course John

always takes requests.

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