New Orleans native Harry Connick, Jr. launched his career as a piano prodigy playing classical music, but it wasn’t long before he was taken by the jazz scene of his hometown. And though his mostly instrumental debut album focused on his piano playing, his suave crooning style struck a chord with the public, and beginning the late '80s he found success interpreting the Great American Songbook, recalling the glory days of Frank Sinatra. In the mid-'90s he broadened his sound, putting his spin on Crescent City R&B and writing sophisticated adult pop songs, but his ease at singing standards with a big band remains a touchstone.