well as the overwhelming power of his sound and his clarion high notes. He was married to mezzo-soprano Sandra Warfield, with whom he performed Saint-Saëns' Samson and Delilah at the Met. He was a member of the Metropolitan Opera's final U.S. tour, where he sang the role of Canio in Pagliacci. Recordings McCracken made a number of complete opera recordings, including "Le prophète" (with Marilyn Horne and Renata Scotto, (Col/CBS), 1976), "Carmen" (conducted by Leonard Bernstein, (DG), 1972), "Fidelio" (with Birgit Nilsson, (Decca/London), 1964), "Otello" (with Dame Gwyneth Jones, (EMI/Angel), 1968) and "Pagliacci", on which side 4 of the original LP version was a recital of opera arias, (Decca/London), (1967), as well as Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder (with Jessye Norman, Tatiana Troyanos and David Arnold, (Phi), 1979), and a program of Irish and Scottish songs with piano (EMI/Angel), 1977. Additionally, he sang the part of Waldemaar in Gurre-Lieder when it opened the Edinburgh International Festival in 1961. The broadcast of this concert, under the direction of Leopold Stokowski, has now been issued on CD (Guild Historical). Videography The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala, Deutsche Grammophon DVD, 00440-073-4538, 2009 Publications McCracken, James; Sandra Warfield; Robert Daley (ed.) (1970), A Star in the Family: the Warm and Vibrant Romance of the Internationally Celebrated Singing Couple, New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan. References Notes Sources Hope Wallace, Philip (1981), Words and Music. William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. External links Interview with James McCracken by Bruce Duffie, March 23, 1988. American operatic tenors Musicians from Gary, Indiana 1926 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American male opera singers United States Navy personnel of World War II Singers from Indiana Classical musicians from Indiana