Singer/pianist Michael Feinstein was both a prime motivator and a beneficiary of a renewed interest in pre-rock popular music that started in the 1980s and fueled the success of Harry Connick, Jr., among others. In Feinstein's case, it allowed him to establish a career as a nightclub entertainer and then move up to theaters while releasing major-label albums. After making his studio debut with Pure Gershwin in 1987, he became a regular on the Billboard Jazz and Traditional Jazz charts, hitting the Top Five of the latter with 1998's Feinstein Sings Gershwin, 2001's Big City Rhythms, 2002's Michael Feinstein with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and 2008's The Sinatra Project. Also landing on the holiday charts with 2014's A Michael Feinstein Christmas, he returned to key inspirations George and Ira Gershwin for 2022's Gershwin Country, a collection of duets, and 2024's Gershwin Rhapsody, a collaboration with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.