It's Impossible to Sing and Play the Bass: Life and Lyrics

By Jay Leonhart and Judith Schlesinger PhD

"It's Impossible to Sing and Play the Bass" is perhaps the most beloved of the many songs Jay Leonhart has written and performed throughout his remarkable sixty-year (and counting) career. Last we checked, there were nearly two million views on YouTube. That complete lyric is included here, along with twenty-nine selected others, together with photographs and reflections from his long and celebrated musical life.

From his early days in Baltimore playing hot banjo with his older brother to his continuing, always popular gigging today, Jay has played with everyone from Mel Torm and Peggy Lee to Queen Latifah and Sting.

With this book, he shares some of his inspirations, experiences, and delight.

Excerpts from It's Impossible to Sing and Play the Bass:

"I will tell you this as we settle into place / It's impossible to sing and play the bass."

"I had no intention of being anybody else but the second coming of Ray Brown. Then, as I got into my twenties, I began to realize that wouldn't work."

"Take my seat aboard the plane and what is this I see? / Leonard Bernstein comes aboard and sits right next to me."

"When Judy finished 'Over the Rainbow, ' I felt a roar from the audience that literally was like a blast wave. It struck us so hard that the strings on the bass sounded from the vibration."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H9CL3W66
• ISBN13: 9798234011848
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Chancellor Music Inc.
• Length: 90 Pages
• Weight: 0.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 8.0" x 10.0"