Singer and 'Judy's Cabaret' Owner Judy Kreston Dies at 76

Cabaret singer and 'Judy's' Cabaret owner Judy Kreston died on December 23 in New York City of cancer. She was 76 years old.

Kreston, a fixture on the cabaret circuit in New York for many year, performed with her husband David Lahm for over 30 years. Together, they recorded several albums. She was also the owner of the club Judy's, named in honor of all famous performing Judys from Garland to Holliday.  The club, which opened on West 44th Street later moved to Eighth Avenue in Chelsea.

Kreston got her start by singing at weddings and bar mitzvahs as well as in stage shows. She left home to join the Shrine Circus, forsaking a role in the national company of My Fair Lady to do so. She toured military bases with a USO troupe, playing Laurie in Oklahoma! She soon
moved to New York, performing in The catskills and eventually becoming a well-known singer on the New York cabaret scene.

Highlights of her career include performing Remembering Felicia Sanders in 1991, a tribute to
Sanders, a cabaret singer in the 1950s and '60s who died in 1974. In 1987, she sang a program focused on the songs of Anthony Newley.

She is survived by her husband, David Lahm, her daughter, Betsy Shankin-Morehouse (TJ Morehouse), her two grandchildren Rachel & Elijah, and her brother, Dr. Thomas J. Cottle.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, Dec. 28, 2009, at 11:30 AM, at Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel, (1076 Madison Avenue).

 

 

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