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Why Jimmy Connors Singing Career Ended On The First Night
8 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Scoop
Tennis fans remember the historic, colorful, dynamic career of Jimmy Connors but not the one night he sang on national TV.
Yes, in September 1975, shortly after he lost the US Open final to Manuel Orantes 46 36 36, Connors appeared on the debut prime time Saturday night ABC show “Saturday Night Live With Howard Cosell” and sang a duet with Paul Anka in Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway in New York City. The performance was described in the book “Monday Night Mayhem” as follows: “Connors did sing but shouldn’t have been allowed to. His duet with Paul Anka was an embarrassment… Connors was sweating profusely.”
At that time Connors was 23 years old and had won his first three Grand Slam titles in the year before 1974, Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open. In 1975 Connors lost in the finals of Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open (both years he skipped French Open).
Connors mentioned his ill-fated singing debut with Anka on the Howard Cosell show in his book “The Outsider.”
At first Connors had high hopes that he could conquer the music industry like he was doing to the tennis world. “When I was in New York for the US Open, I went into the studio and laid down the tracks. I was convinced I would be No. 1 on Billboard in no time. I could even see myself on American Top 40 with Casey Kasem.”
The origin of Connors idea to sing started after meeting Paul Anka’s cousin at Newcombe Challenge Match in Las Vegas in late summer 1975. Connors met Anka a week later and Jimmy was rushed into music before he was really ready.
Two weeks after the 1975 US Open, Connors found himself on live network prime time TV. Talk about pressure…
“Nervous? Let’s put it this way. I’d played tennis in front of thousands of people live and millions on TV and hardly broke a sweat,” Connors wrote in The Outsider. “But a few seconds before I was about to stroll out in front of the cameras, microphone in hand, and strike a casual pose against the piano, I had already changed my shirt three times just from the anticipation of doing something outside my comfort zone. Well what could you do? I went out there wearing jeans, clogs and pit stains the size of tennis balls.”
“To make matters worse, a few moments before my big entrance, Paul Anka had presented me with a contract, which I assumed was to cover my ‘show business career.’ I was happy to sign up with him, to sing his songs and to appreciate all the help he had given me… the contract had a clause that includes income from some of my tennis-related activities.”
The song Jimbo sang, “‘Girl, You Turn Me On’ was never released and my new singing career was over when I hit the last note.”
Cosell’s live show was canceled three months later.
Howard Cosell · Jimmy Connors · Manuel Orantes · Paul Anka · US Open
Sam · February 15, 2025 at 10:31 pm
The answer seems to be . . . because he couldn’t really sing. 😆
Actually, though, it’s not common knowledge that just about anyone can develop a decent singing voice. But it takes practice. It’s kind of like building muscles—anyone can do it if they’re dedicated enough. So, even though Connors might not be a naturally gifted singer, if he’d decided to take voice lessons and put in the practice time, within a few years he probably could’ve sounded pretty decent.
But at this point, I assume he’s not willing to attempt a comeback. 😄
Scoop Malinowski · February 16, 2025 at 7:23 am
Sam, a lot of pop stars can’t sing at all, they talk or growl, Jimbo just needed better lyrics, a better producer and more lessons. Never give up ) The greatest king of pop of all time IMO is George Michael, he did everything himself, lyrics, played instruments, perform. He didn’t need no Quincy Jones.
Sam · February 23, 2025 at 10:36 pm
Scoop, I guess Jimbo didn’t really believe in himself. 😏
I agree that George Michael had a lot of talent, but I thought his music went drastically downhill in the 1990s. Didn’t really help that he seemed to want to become the poster boy for homosexuality either. 🤮
Scoop Malinowski · February 24, 2025 at 7:42 am
Sam, You’re right, Jimbo stopped trusting the process ) Or he realized the “music industry is demonic” – as Chaka Khan said on live TV CNN one unforgettable night. Yes, Wham was the peak of George Michael’s music, even the first solo album Faith was downhill. I loved it at the time but now it does not have the same impact as the original first three Wham albums which were magic. I guess the pressure to sell commercially as a solo artist – and the pressure by the record labels and media to push George Michael to pretend he was gay did not allow him to be free artist anymore, as he was with Wham and his buddy Andrew Ridgeley.
Sam · March 2, 2025 at 10:16 pm
Scoop, Chaka Khan really said that?? Wow! 😳
I didn’t really care for the song “Faith” that much, but I did like “Kissing a Fool.” Actually, my favorite song by Michael is “Waiting for That Day.” He also had a pretty good tune in “Fastlove,” but the lyrics sound like something he copied straight off a bathroom wall. 🙃
Oh, Wham! actually had three albums? Didn’t even know that. 😏 I just remember their major hits that got played to death on the radio.
Scoop Malinowski · March 3, 2025 at 9:24 am
Yes, Sam, Chaka Khan really said that. It’s one of those striking, shocking quotes that hits you like a KO punch and I will never forget it ever. And it’s obviously true. Pop music is used to harm and negatively influence youth – rap, madonna, beatles/drugs, swift, it all has the same purpose. Remember it being said Led Zeppelin played backwards was satanic messaging or casting an evil witchcraft spell. I believe that too. Yes George Michael was the true king of pop and some of his post Wham music was incredible too. It had a different edge. I rate him higher than Michael Jackson who needed producer Quincy Jones and after Thriller I thought MJ’s music as ordinary. Wham’s 3 were Fantastic, Make It Big and Music From The Edge Of Heaven. All masterpieces.
Sam · March 10, 2025 at 3:54 am
Scoop, yes, the music industry does seem to be largely demonic. I never really followed darker bands like Led Zeppelin, but I definitely believe that stuff about the satanic messaging.
As for Michael Jackson, it seemed that the quality of his music was inversely related to his weirdness. Back in ’82, he seemed (and looked) at least fairly normal. But the more he changed his face and started going after little kids 🤮, the more his music became forgettable. I did like his harder-edged single “Dirty Diana” (from 1988), though.
Soeaking of Wham!, what is Andrew Ridgeley doing these days?
Scoop Malinowski · March 10, 2025 at 8:53 am
Sam, MJ was a magical talent but he got chewed up and spit out by the industry which leeched him and stole his money. He started revealing the dark secrets of the industry in his lyrics and some public statements at the end and that is why he was killed. His music post Thriller went way downhill, I can’t listen to it. Bad is simply Bad. I think his best work is the album before Thriller. Ridgeley wrote a book a few years ago, which he promoted heavily in the media and it’s a fantastic read. He only seems to come out to promote Wham related things like the recent Last Christmas song anniversary or something. I think he’s really into cycling the countryside where he lives in rural UK.