Tyrell: Sweet tune for Pennsylvania House
Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, April 14, 2003
High Point — Music may soothe the savage breast, as Shakespeare once said, but that wasn't the reason it wafted through the Pennsylvania House showroom last week.
The mellow sounds of vocalist Steve Tyrell helped launch the 71-piece New Standards collection of case goods and upholstery here. The singer's stylings of popular song classics inspired the collection, which proved a hit here.
In addition to producing hundreds of records for the likes of Elvis Presley, Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, B.J. Thomas and others, Tyrell's vocals have been part of 40 movies, including "Father of the Bride." His song in that movie, "The Way You Look Tonight," launched his singing career, and he recently cut his third album.
Pennsylvania House executives heard the albums and decided the underlying concept — upbeat, updated versions of classics — was perfect for a collection. President Tom Tilley said New Standards, based on 18th and 19th century designs, "caters to a new, younger generation of consumers."
Tyrell clearly had a good time in Pennsylvania House's market showroom, pointing to upholstery pieces and noting their names — the Bacharach sofa, the Ella chair, the Ellington chair and ottoman. "I can't wait to tell Burt that he has a sofa named after him," Tyrell said.
The collection, priced near the top of Pennsylvania House's line, under Hallmark Cherry, is expected to hit retail floors in August and September in a blitz of advertising.
