| Background: | person |
| Ian Lawrence Finkel | |
| Birth Date: | 13 August 1948 |
| Birth Place: | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Death Place: | New York City, U.S. |
| Instrument: | Xylophone |
| Spouse: | Cheryl Ann Allen |
Ian Lawrence Finkel (August 13, 1948 – November 16, 2020) was an American musician specializing in the xylophone, author, and entertainer.[1]
Finkel was the son of Fyvush Finkel, and Gertrude (Lieberman) Finkel. His brother, Elliot Finkel, is also a known entertainer. The brothers performed as the comedic-duet the Finkel Boys.[2] [3]
Finkel attended Mannes School of Music at the New School and was a student of Walter Rosenberger.[4] He also studied under Norman Grossman.[5]
Finkel was known as one of the world’s greatest xylophone virtuosos.[6] He was the musical director for Michael Feinstein. He also worked for Sid Caesar, Tito Puente, and Ginger Roberts.[7] He played with the New York Philharmonic and played with orchestras that accompanied Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross.[8] He had concert tours in Japan, Korea, Canada, Mexico, England, and America.[9]
He was the editor of Solos for the Vibraphone Player and the writer of plays and musicals including Sophie Tucker in Person.[10] His books include Three is The Charm, Sex Stories My Wife Told Me, and Transmutation Blues and Vaudeville 1922, and numerous short stories.[11] In 2009, he authored the humorous book, You're Not Suppose to Be Here.[12]
Finkel was married to Cheryl Ann Allen. The couple had two children.
He died of complications of COVID-19 in Manhattan, on November 16, 2020, aged 72, after battling the virus since March while hospitalized for a stroke.