ABOUT ARNE FOGEL
Arne Fogel taking the stage with Keith Boyles and Dick Bortolussi
photo by Rachel Hirsch
“…I can’t think of anyone else around here who does what Fogel does…… There’s a dearth of male jazz vocalists in general, and none in this area who has mastered Fogel’s unique style of pop/swing. It’s accessible, danceable, romantic and fun….”
- Pamela Espeland, MinnPost
“…Get romantic with one of the smoothest jazz singers in the Twin Cities…”
- Lydia Howell, Pulse Of The Twin Cities
“…one of the Twin Cities’ most interesting people — A singer, musician, actor, composer, writer, producer, music-film-comedy and entertainment historian, collector and oral encyclopedia.”
- Bob Protzman, St. Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch
Arne Fogel is familiar to many people as an on-air personality in the upper Midwest. For 12 years he produced and hosted his own series of special “Arne Fogel Presents” programs on the stations of the Minnesota Public Radio network. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, Arne produced and hosted “Bing Crosby on Record” for the station KLBB-AM from 1985 to 1998, “The Retro Revue” from 1998 to 2000, and “ARNE FOGEL PRESENTS BING & CO.” (2001-2005), also for KLBB. With Connie Evingson, Arne co-hosted Singers & Standards on KBEM-Jazz88 from 2002 to 2005. Arne’s current radio series’ are “THE BING SHIFT” on KBEM-Jazz88, “MINNESOTA’S VOICES - CERTAIN STANDARDS“, also on Jazz88, and “BING’S BASEMENT”, which will continue in 2013 on SIRIUS XM.
Peggy Lee and Arne Fogel, preparing MPR radio special, 1987
Starting in 2000, Arne created and programmed two acclaimed music channels for NETRADIO.COM, one of the first of the internationally-known internet music radio services. Arne served for many years as music director, on-air personality, and special program producer for “The Golden Rock” - WWTC-AM in the ’80s, and hosted and produced “The Old Home Revue” for KTWN-FM in the ’70s.
Arne appears frequently as a singer at the top jazz venues in the Twin Cities, and served as the opening act for Rosemary Clooney during her December 2001 appearance at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. He regularly hits the high-school-college-community meeting lecture circuit with songs and historical presentations of popular music and entertainment figures, was chosen from nationwide auditions to participate as a FELLOW of the 1998 EUGENE O’NEIL THEATER CENTER CABARET SYMPOSIUM in Waterford, Connecticut, and was a lecturer, performer, and conference consultant to the Hofstra University (Hempstead, New York) conference “BING! Crosby And American Culture” (2002).
Arne Fogel wrote, produced and appeared in the concert presentations “FRANKIE WENT TO HOLLYWOOD” in 2012, and “FRED ASTAIRE AND THE SONGWRITERS” in 2013, both presented at BLOOMINGTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS, and both co-starring vocalist MAUD HIXSON. 2013 also saw the presentation of another HOPKINS CENTER FOR THE ARTS Fogel concert, “WE LOVE OUR PIANOS”, featuring Arne with singers NANCY HARMS & CONNIE EVINGSON, along with pianists RICK CARLSON & TANNER TAYLOR. In 2011, Arne Fogel created the concert presentations “HOLLYWOOD CABARET” in 30s, 40s, and ’50s editions, at BLOOMINGTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS, where he also presented “FANCY MEETING YOU HERE - THE CROSBY-CLOONEY STORY”, with MAUD HIXSON that year. “WITH THESE SONGS IN OUR HEARTS - The music of Rodgers & Hart”, which brought hundreds of patrons to the HOPKINS (MN) CENTER FOR THE ARTS, was another recent Fogel creation in October of 2010. Also in 2010, Arne co-created and directed “BLUE - SONGS ON THE INDIGO SIDE”, for Minneapolis’ CAPRI THEATER as part of their “LEGENDS” series.
In 2009, Arne filled the Hopkins Center for the concert “AND THE NOMINEES WERE…”. Further special presentations and appearances in 2009 included “HAVE MERCER ON US”: a special centennial tribute to lyricist JOHNNY MERCER, written & produced by Arne for BLOOMINGTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS in September, as well as a tribute to the music of Astaire & Rogers at THE HEIGHTS THEATER in Minneapolis, and as a guest in the CD release concert “NANCY HARMS - In The Indigo” at the JUNGLE THEATER in Minneapolis, and several appearances as a featured performer at THE GREAT RIVER JAZZ FEST 2009 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
In 2003 Arne Fogel wrote, co-produced, and hosted the special program, “Moments To Remember”, presented in the 3M Auditorium of the MINNESOTA HISTORY CENTER, and he organized and performed in the “Round Midnight” jazz vocal concert during the 2007 MACY’S DAY OF MUSIC event at Orchestra Hall.
Arne appeared frequently in singing appearances with KATHRYN CROSBY in 2007 at THE HEIGHTS THEATER and THE MINNEAPOLIS WOMEN’S CLUB THEATER in Minneapolis, and at the BING CROSBY RESTAURANT in Walnut Creek, California.
Other past concert presentations created by Arne Fogel have included “PAIR-SHAPED TONES: A TRIBUTE TO THE GREAT SONGWRITING TEAMS”, “WE GOT RHYTHM”, “BINGSONGS”, “THE MUSIC OF CAHN & VAN HEUSEN”, and others, and Arne has participated in countless other special concert presentations, and “live” radio concerts. Along with the trio “LIEBERMAN, FOGEL & BEY”, Arne was a regular performer on GARRISON KEILLOR’S “A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION” for several years.
Arne Fogel and Rosemary Clooney, backstage at Orchestra Hall
Arne is a veteran of over 1500 recording sessions as a singer on jingles, including those for Tuesday Morning Stores, U. S. Cellular, Twix Candy, Oldsmobile, Discover Card, Miller Beer, Old Home Foods, Dairy Queen, Northwest Airlines, General Mills, Hormel, AT&T, Arctic Cat, and hundreds more. He has composed and produced his own music for jingles and industrial presentations as well: among his clients: Honeywell, IDS, John Deere, Our Own Hardware, Creative Lighting, Great Expectations. In 2012, Fogel produced the new NANCY HARMS CD in association with the artist, for release in summer, 2013.
Arne has appeared frequently as an actor on TV commercials for such clients as McDonald’s, Knox Lumber, AT&T, Warner Cable, John Deere, Mall Of America, Kellogg’s, Pearle Vision, and many more. He has appeared as voice talent in several hundred radio and TV spots. He had a small speaking role in the Universal feature film “Mallrats”, and the lead role in the short film “Bubblepac”, an entry in the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. In 2004, Arne played one of the leading roles in the Actor’s Theater Of Minnesota production of Joseph Vass‘ original musical play, “Mishegass”.
Arne Fogel has worked as an on-staff copywriter and broadcast producer for several Twin Cities ad agencies including The Orion Group, The Communications Group, The Directors, and Lane & Associates. His creation of a billboard for Metrobanks earned him a prestigious Obie award, presented by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America for excellence in that medium. Freelancing as a writer and producer of TV and radio commercials since 1987, Arne has created spots for The Sheraton Mpls. Metrodome, Lind Shoe Corporation, Clothing Distribution Center, Penn Auto Plaza, Good Value Homes, Westlund Meats, and many others.