The Stark Reality was an American jazz-rock band which recorded the two-disc 1970 album The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael's Music Shop, a heavily improvised reinvention of a 1958 children's album by songwriter Hoagy Carmichael to be used for the show Hoagy Carmichael's Music Shop which aired on PBS.
He wanted to produce a television show with children's songs written by his father.
Stark wrote arrangements with bassist Phil Morrison, and they hired saxophonist Carl Atkins, guitarist John Abercrombie, and drummer Vinnie Johnson.
The 1970 album was released by AJP Records, a label owned by jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal.
[1] The band's 1970 album, Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmicheal's Music Shop is highly coveted and treasured by hip hop producers such as Pete Rock and Q-Tip.