'One More for the Road'

"And one more for the road..." I heard Bette Midler sing it 13 years ago and realized along with the rest of the Tonight Show audience audience we were saying goodbye to the unrivaled icon of the time slot that follows the 11:00 news.

Monday morning I heard her sing it again, her performance preserved on video tape from the night she sang to Johnny Carson.

I was 15 when Johnny took over the Tonight Show from Jack Paar and to me he defined class as I understood it then - as I understand it now.

Class, I think, is a combination of talent, professionalism and humility - and Carson had all of those blended with humor.

"Herrrrrre's Johnny!" - a phrase, an introduction that belongs to history now,
to recall he who brought all those laughs to so many for so long, a record 30 years.

Yes, Carson was a private person but I like what I heard about him Monday when
the announcement came that he was gone.

It was said he didn't want to become a caricature of himself.

He was genuine, the real deal, and that is also an ingredient for class.

I won't add to the eloquent accolades and tributes from all the notables, friends and fellow entertainers who knew and worked with him.

I just have the memory of a young Atlanta boy who grew up watching him on the Tonight Show.

When the news of his death came, I felt a bit older and sadder, and at first, I reacted
with disbelief and denial that he was gone.

"One More for the Road."

I'm going to remember that song, as much as I
will always remember "Herrrrrrre's Johnny!"

Jerry Gunn is a reporter for WDUN NEWS TALK 550, AM 1240 SPORTS RADIO THE TICKET, MAJIC 1029 and accessnorthga.com.