Roy Eaton live in Bryant Park, playing piano, last year, took his annual turn in the noontime concert series. In a season before we heard about COVID-19, we recorded him introducing, then playing Bach’s Prelude in C.
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
The Roosevelt Island Daily News

Roy Eaton is a legend as a musician and an advertising genius.
Twice given less than a 10 percent chance of survival, first after a car accident, then after a stroke, he beat both.
The Advertising Hall of Fame enshrined him in 2010.
In September, 2019, at 89, he sat at the piano for his annual weeklong turn in Bryant Park’s Piano Concert Series. Although he’s remains well, the coronavirus shutdown denies us the privilege of seeing him play, this year.
So, sit back and enjoy this encore.
“If you were white, I’d hire you immediately,” is what Roosevelt Islander Roy Eaton heard at his first interview with Young & Rubicam.
It was 1955. Eaton had already played Carnegie Hall and was a Korean War Veteran.
Soon, he would become the advertising industry’s Jackie Robinson.
Roy Eaton’s mother told it straight.Roosevelt Island Daily
“You have to do 200% to get recognition for 100%,” she said.
The Privilege of Hearing Roy Eaton Live in Bryant Park
There’s more to a Roy Eaton performance than you expect because he makes each concert a lesson. It’s not just about the music but how it leads to a deeper immersion in life.
Transcendental meditation made it possible for Roy to manage the pain from a near fatal car accident in 1956. It’s also aided his recovery from a major stroke suffered two years ago.
He spreads the word about this blessing generously.
The Well-Funded Vision and the Silent Landlord
RIOC’s Real Estate Development Advisory Committee met last night. The Renwick Ruin was not on the agenda. A nonprofit that has spent eight years developing detailed plans for the site, raised more than a million dollars, and assembled a board with serious finance and legal credentials continues its work.






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