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Kady left his
instrumental aspirations behind and shifted his attentions to singing. His
voice was good, and he loved being in front of an audience. Above all, he
loved the freedom that singing afforded him. On stage, Kady could have fun
and express himself in ways he was unable to at home or in school.
The only son of
Louis and Margaret, Kady was held to high standards. His mother - a
hard-working stern woman - would "give him hell" for socializing in
class. Despite his stellar grades, Margaret scolded her son for talking
too much in school. She was raised in "the Old World tradition"
(Kady's grandparents emigrated from Hungary) and believed in strict
discipline. Goofing off was not something she tolerated. Margaret
wanted more for her son than the blue-collar life she built with her husband, so
she pushed him hard to excel. As the oldest, Kady was expected to set the
example, and he frequently was made to watch over his sister, Elaine, who was 10
years younger.
Kady resented
having that kind of responsibility as an adolescent. To escape the
pressure, he sought refuge in the lyrics of beautiful songs. Today, when
he feels the need to break away from the daily grind, Kady heads for the small
recording studio in his Holmdel house, where he has lived since 1968.
"It's my escape," the lawyer said. "When I want to get down
and be myself, this is my thing. I can do that through singing."
After graduating
from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in business and marrying his wife,
Janice, Kady took a hiatus from singing to pursue other interests. By then,
he had established a career as a sales representative for the Amoco Oil Company.
After the birth of
his first son, Kady decided to get a master's degree in business at
Rutgers University. In 1967, after nearly four years of night school, Kady
finished his MBA degree. He was moving up in the corporate world. With
each new job, Kady's income rose, and by the time his second son Kevin came along, he was living the life his mother had envisioned - that of a
successful, white-collar executive.
But in 1970, after
the birth of his third son, Christopher, while
working as an Account Executive at the Xerox Corporation, Kady began feeling that his
life lacked purpose. "I just thought there had to be more to life
than being financially successful," he said. "I saw what was
happening to the other guys: They weren't happy. I saw the Willie
Lomans. I saw the trauma and the look on their faces when they got
replaced by the young guys. I didn't want that to happen to me."
At that point, with
three young sons and a home mortgage, Kady
decided to make a change in his life. He went back to school, this time
with his heart set on becoming a lawyer. He remained at Xerox and took
classes at Seton Hall in the evenings. In the meantime, his wife Janice
got a job working for Eastern Airlines. Kady graduated from law school and
shortly thereafter set up a private practice in Carteret.
With Janice's job
at the airline and Kady's realized dream of becoming an attorney, things were
just as the couple had always hoped. Kady's practice was growing, and the
family often took exotic vacations around the world. Hong Kong, New Delhi,
Paris and Argentina were among the many places they visited.
Still, Kady felt
something was missing. He was happy with his practice and his travels, but
the desire to sing tugged at his heart.
One night, while
attending a black-tie wedding at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City, Kady
approached the band and asked if he could sing. They agreed, and for the
first time in more than two decades, Kady was back on stage. "There I
was in a tuxedo with my own orchestra in a ballroom overlooking Firth
Avenue," he said. "You just can't get any better than
that." That night, Kady decided to take his passion to the next
level: He bought himself a microphone and a small karaoke deck and began
recording his own voice. He visited recording studios and mingled with
other singers. At weddings, he never missed an opportunity to get on stage
and sing.
But in 1996, Kady's
heart gave out. he suffered a cardiac arrest seconds after crossing the
finish line at the Spring Lake Five, an annual 5-mile race in Monmouth
County. Kady was revived and rushed to Jersey Shore Medical Center, where
doctors determined one of his arteries was almost totally blocked.
For Kady, "the
event" as he calls it, was a signal that his time to pursue his dreams and
fulfill his goals was not infinite. A few months later, he set out to
produce his own record album.
It was an
interesting experience, Kady said, putting together a collection of songs that
reflected his life. More than just a hobby, his record
"YESTERDAY/TODAY" is a testament to the life Kady has led: full
and fearless.
"Nothing is
impossible," Kady said. "The way I figure, I'm going to be a
dark spot in the earth for a long time, so I better live to the fullest while
I'm still here."
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