My Book
Come Fly With Me
MICHAEL BUBLÉ’S RISE TO STARDOM,
a memoir
By Beverly Delich
With Shelley Fralic
Published October 2013 by Harbour/Douglas & McIntyre
In 1993, Beverly Delich ran a talent contest in Vancouver, B.C. and discovered a remarkable singer. When one of the contestants, a good-looking young man from Burnaby wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans, got onstage and sang, the whole club went crazy. He was the clear winner, but there was a hitch—he was only eighteen and not even allowed in the club in the first place! Disqualified and disappointed, he went home empty-handed.
Out of that unceremonious meeting came a close professional relationship that would forever change the lives of both Beverly Delich and her then unknown contestant, Michael. Come Fly With Me is Beverly’s candid memoir recounting the critical stepping-stones that led to Michael’s success, as she guided his early career as his manager over the course of a decade. For her, it was the adventure of a lifetime; for him, the beginning of his rise to international stardom.
There were highs—Michael sang at celebrity weddings and parties, caught the eye of renowned music producer David Foster, and made his mark opening for Jay Leno in Las Vegas. But there were also rejections—too many naysayers in the business who said they just “didn’t know what to do with him,” this talented kid who crooned like Frank Sinatra.
Michael shared his constant stresses and insecurities with Beverly, often thinking he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet together the pair persevered, and Beverly’s sincere belief and love for Michael and his music shone through with every step she took with him.
In 2003, after nearly 10 years together and just as Bublé was poised on the brink of super stardom, she handed him over to legendary music manager Bruce Allen, knowing she had done all she could to guide his career. Come Fly With Me puts butterflies in your stomach as Beverly relates their hopes that each new opportunity will turn into their next big break.
Beverly has long been a fixture on Vancouver’s cultural scene, from her years as a cantorial soloist and an entertainment coordinator at the Pacific National Exhibition, to her personal and business partnership with the late Ray Carroll of The Platters, to her current ownership of the Silver Lining Management talent agency. Hers is a storied life. She was born in Montana, moved to Vancouver after a divorce, remarried, converted to Judaism, raised two children and survived breast cancer.
Shelley Fralic is an experienced journalist and long-time columnist at the Vancouver Sun. She is also the author of several books, including the recent B.C. bestseller, Making Headlines: 100 Years of the Vancouver Sun.
