When you are talking about the greatest of all time you are talking about Muhammad Ali in Boxing, you’re talking about Babe Ruth in Baseball, Michael Jordan in basketball.
In the World of entertainment, you are naturally talking about Elvis and Sinatra and in the World of classical music, you are talking about the great Byron Janis.
Byron was lost to the world this past week at the age of 96. The accomplishments of this man can not be written in this column because there are just too many.
His greatness and courage are truly unmatched. A man who was suffering from arthritis yet fought through the incredible pain so that he would not disappoint the world made me love him to no end because that’s the kind of person I always wanted to be.
I had only known Byron for five years but like George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson and Thurman Munson, Byron would become one of the great men to enter my life.
Every visit I had with Byron at his Park Ave apartment was always an amazing experience. I would actually sit at the piano with the Maestro and imagine that I was performing with the king of classical music in Carnage Hall.
Like the Boss and Billy, Byron just made me feel like I was the most important person in the room.
You are talking about a man that had dined with Kings and Queens around the world and here he was making this poor boy from the Bronx feel like I too was somebody.
Thanks to New York Yankees team President Randy Levine I will always know that one of his favorite moments was to see his wife Maria Cooper Janis throw out the first pitch at a Yankee game. Ironically this would be his last visit to the big ballpark in the south Bronx.
Byron loved going to baseball games and had visited Yankee Stadium quite often before his health started to decline.
My plans this week were to leave The Yankee’s spring training facility and get back to New York so that I could introduce Robby Robinson who is the long-time musical director for Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons before the Radio City Music Hall performance however my heart is broken because now I will be attending the services for not only the Worlds greatest classical pianist but arguably one of world’s greatest man.
Maria Cooper- Janis is definitely one of the greatest women that I have ever known. Byron and Maria have taught me one of life’s greatest lessons.
They have taught me what a great marriage is supposed to be. Me and my wife Theresa are so much better because of the two of you.
I will love the two of you forever and Maria please know that I’m always there.
