As is evident from other materals on this website, Cy’s musical career brought him into contact with many famous people; of these, many were friends. Cy’s much-beloved niece Ruth, a teenager in the nineteen-fifties, was the beneficiary of a particularly generous gift of Cy’s: as noteworthy persons crossed Cy’s path, he would ask if they would be kind enough to sign an autograph to his niece. Since this was a spontaneous request, coming from Cy (and likely made across the ivories as the person listened to Cy playing), the recipient, even if normally disinclined to give autographs, was usually only too happy to oblige. Hence the delightful collection which follows, often written on any item close to hand. Sinatra’s, for example, was written on one of his checks; as Sinatra’s accountant was present and objected to its possibly being negotiated, Sinatra tore it in half beforehand to calm his fears.
