Download or read book Underneath a Harlem Moon written by Iain Cameron Williams and published by Burns & Oates. This book was released on 2002-09-15 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In Underneath a Harlem Moon, Iain Cameron Williams takes the reader on a fascinating rollercoaster ride from Adelaide's birth in Brooklyn through her humble childhood in Harlem, from her triumphs on Broadway to the glamour of the Moulin Rouge in Paris, appearances at the most sophisticated and celebrated nightclubs in the world, and across two continents on a ground-breaking eighteen-month RKO tour. By the end of 1932, Adelaide had performed to millions and in the process became one of America's wealthiest black women. Her exile to Paris in 1935 brought new challenges and rewards. By 1938, not content with being dubbed the Queen of Montmartre, she set her sights on conquering Britain. The book concludes with her mysterious disappearance in November 1938, which until now has never been publicly explained."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book Underneath a Harlem Moon written by Iain Cameron Williams and published by Burns & Oates. This book was released on 2002-09-15 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In Underneath a Harlem Moon, Iain Cameron Williams takes the reader on a fascinating rollercoaster ride from Adelaide's birth in Brooklyn through her humble childhood in Harlem, from her triumphs on Broadway to the glamour of the Moulin Rouge in Paris, appearances at the most sophisticated and celebrated nightclubs in the world, and across two continents on a ground-breaking eighteen-month RKO tour. By the end of 1932, Adelaide had performed to millions and in the process became one of America's wealthiest black women. Her exile to Paris in 1935 brought new challenges and rewards. By 1938, not content with being dubbed the Queen of Montmartre, she set her sights on conquering Britain. The book concludes with her mysterious disappearance in November 1938, which until now has never been publicly explained."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book The Bitter End written by Paul Colby and published by Cooper Square Press. This book was released on 2002-05-06 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The tale of the famous Greenwich Village coffeehouse turned nightclub, The Bitter End is also the story of the club's manager and owner, Paul Colby. From the early 60s to the 90s, the Bitter End hosted a wide range of influential music and comedy acts that reflected the changing creative atmosphere of the Village, and the country beyond. Pete Seeger made frequent appearances and Peter, Paul, and Mary debuted at the club during the height of the folk music boom, around the same time that Woody Allen and Bill Cosby were headlining with their very different—but equally popular—stand-up acts. After the British Invasion made rock the pre-eminent music in the land, Colby booked electrified folk and rock performers such as Neil Young, Carly Simon, Kris Kristofferson, and many others. Throughout the years, Colby kept up such strong friendships with the artists that they often returned as patrons when they weren't performing—the most famous local regular being Bob Dylan. The stories Colby shares of his amazing years running the Bitter End provide an insider's personal perspective on several decades of American entertainment. Told with fondness and flair, The Bitter End acquaints the world with a man beloved by performers for years.
Download or read book Becoming Ella Fitzgerald The Jazz Singer Who Transformed American Song written by Judith Tick and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2023-12-05 with total page 439 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An NPR 2023 "Books We Love" Pick • A Kirkus Best Nonfiction Book of 2023 A landmark biography that reclaims Ella Fitzgerald as a major American artist and modernist innovator. Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996) possessed one of the twentieth century’s most astonishing voices. In this first major biography since Fitzgerald’s death, historian Judith Tick offers a sublime portrait of this ambitious risk-taker whose exceptional musical spontaneity made her a transformational artist. Becoming Ella Fitzgerald clears up long-enduring mysteries. Archival research and in-depth family interviews shed new light on the singer’s difficult childhood in Yonkers, New York, the tragic death of her mother, and the year she spent in a girls’ reformatory school—where she sang in its renowned choir and dreamed of being a dancer. Rarely seen profiles from the Black press offer precious glimpses of Fitzgerald’s tense experiences of racial discrimination and her struggles with constricting models of Black and white femininity at midcentury. Tick’s compelling narrative depicts Fitzgerald’s complicated career in fresh and original detail, upending the traditional view that segregates vocal jazz from the genre’s mainstream. As she navigated the shifting tides between jazz and pop, she used her originality to pioneer modernist vocal jazz. Interpreting long-lost setlists, reviews from both white and Black newspapers, and newly released footage and recordings, the book explores how Ella’s transcendence as an improvisor produced onstage performances every bit as significant as her historic recorded oeuvre. From the singer’s first performance at the Apollo Theatre’s famous “Amateur Night” to the Savoy Ballroom, where Fitzgerald broke through with Chick Webb’s big band in the 1930s, Tick evokes the jazz world in riveting detail. She describes how Ella helped shape the bebop movement in the 1940s, as she joined Dizzy Gillespie and her then-husband, Ray Brown, in the world-touring Jazz at the Philharmonic, one of the first moments of high-culture acceptance for the disreputable art form. Breaking ground as a female bandleader, Fitzgerald refuted expectations of musical Blackness, deftly balancing artistic ambition and market expectations. Her legendary exploration of the Great American Songbook in the 1950s fused a Black vocal aesthetic and jazz improvisation to revolutionize the popular repertoire. This hybridity often confounded critics, yet throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Ella reached audiences around the world, electrifying concert halls, and sold millions of records. A masterful biography, Becoming Ella Fitzgerald describes a powerful woman who set a standard for American excellence nearly unmatched in the twentieth century.
Download or read book Mother Country written by Stephen Bourne and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2010-08-10 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Very little attention has been given to black British and West African and Caribbean citizens who lived and worked on the 'front line' during the Second World War. Yet black people were under fire in cities like Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool, London and Manchester, and many volunteered as civilian defence workers, such as air-raid wardens, fire-fighters, stretcher-bearers, first-aid workers and mobile canteen personnel. Many helped unite people when their communities faced devastation. Black children were evacuated and entertainers risked death when they took to the stage during air raids. Despite some evidence of racism, black people contributed to the war effort where they could. The colonies also played an important role in the war effort: support came from places as far away as Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana and Nigeria. Mother Country tells the story of some of the forgotten Britons whose contribution to the war effort has been overlooked until now.
Download or read book Randy Newman s American Dreams written by Kevin Courrier and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why is Randy Newman - enigmatic, audacious composer responsible for Tom Jones hits and the music to both Toy Story and Monsters Inc - still almost completely unknown? With detailed precision, Courrier delves into the reasons for Newman's peripheral status on the cultural landscape suggesting that, at heart, he has always been a musical outsider and has built a career in the mainstream by donning a brilliant disguise. An illuminating portrait of the artist as a masked man.
Download or read book Billboard written by and published by . This book was released on 1949-03-05 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends.
Download or read book The Green Book Vol 1 written by Raymond McNeil and published by Dorrance Publishing. This book was released on 2024-01-15 with total page 698 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: About the Book THE GREEN BOOK, VOL. 1: The Intertwined Musical and Historical Journey by People of Color in America provides a comprehensive exploration of the music that occurred alongside some of American history’s biggest events. This impressive and extensive guide spans from 1380 until 1959. This book's purpose is to share, illuminate, and stick to the positive achievements of the people who’ve helped to spread the message of music. That will include all the musicians, singers, and lyricists who helped the fans to appreciate the various styles of music that we have today. About the Author Raymond was a native of New York City and a product of schools in Brooklyn. He worked in all three levels of government. He has spent the past fifty five years gathering and exploring America’s musical journey. His primary motivation for writing this book was to seek out and amass a stream of verifiable truths. He is a fan of most styles of music, though he does struggle to find a love for hard rock and bluegrass at times. McNeil’s ultimate goal is to share his love of music and history and the ways in which they intertwine together throughout the years.
Download or read book When Broadway Was Black written by Caseen Gaines and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2023-02-07 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The triumphant story of how an all-Black Broadway cast and crew changed musical theatre—and the world—forever. "This musical introduced Black excellence to the Great White Way. Broadway was forever changed and we, who stand on the shoulders of our brilliant ancestors, are charged with the very often elusive task of carrying that torch into our present."—Billy Porter, Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning actor "The 1920s were the years of Manhattan's Black Renaissance. It began with Shuffle Along." —Langston Hughes If Hamilton, Rent, or West Side Story captured your heart, you'll love this in-depth look into the rise of the 1921 Broadway hit, Shuffle Along, the first all-Black musical to succeed on Broadway. No one was sure if America was ready for a show featuring nuanced, thoughtful portrayals of Black characters—and the potential fallout was terrifying. But from the first jazzy, syncopated beats of composers Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, New York audiences fell head over heels. When Broadway Was Black is the story of how Sissle and Blake, along with comedians Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles, overcame poverty, racism, and violence to harness the energy of the Harlem Renaissance and produce a runaway Broadway hit that launched the careers of many of the twentieth century's most beloved Black performers. Born in the shadow of slavery and establishing their careers at a time of increasing demands for racial justice and representation for people of color, they broke down innumerable barriers between Black and white communities at a crucial point in our history. Author and pop culture expert Caseen Gaines leads readers through the glitz and glamour of New York City during the Roaring Twenties to reveal the revolutionary impact one show had on generations of Americans, and how its legacy continues to resonate today. Praise for When Broadway Was Black: "A major contribution to culture."—Brian Jay Jones, New York Times bestselling author of Jim Henson: The Biography "With meticulous research and smooth storytelling, Caseen Gaines significantly deepens our understanding of one of the key cultural events that launched the Harlem Renaissance."—A Lelia Bundles, New York Times bestselling author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker "Absorbing..."—The Wall Street Journal Previously published as Footnotes: The Black Artists Who Rewrote the Rules of the Great White Way
Download or read book Elisabeth Welch written by Stephen Bourne and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From her stage debut in 1922 to her final professional appearance in 1996, Elisabeth Welch was an important figure in the world of popular song. In 1923 she launched the Charleston and throughout the Jazz Age, she was associated with some of the great names of the Harlem Renaissance, including Josephine Baker, Adelaide Hall, Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson, and Ethel Waters. On Broadway she popularized Cole Porter's scandalous song "Love for Sale." After settling in London in 1933, she introduced the classic torch song "Stormy Weather" to British audiences, and that same year she began a career in English musical theatre (Cole Porter's Nymph Errant) that lasted sixty years. In 1930s Britain, Ivor Novello wrote songs for her, Paul Robeson was her leading man in films, and she enjoyed popularity as a cabaret star of London's cafe society. Remaining in her adopted country for the duration of the war (1939-45), Elisabeth entertained the troops and the British public, alongside such theatrical giants as Sir John Gielgud. In the post-war years she reigned supreme in sophisticated revues in London's West End. In 1979 Elisabeth's appearance in Derek Jarman's film version of William Shakespeare's The Tempest (in which she sang "Stormy Weather") won her a whole new legion of fans. At the age of 81, she returned to the Broadway stage and her performance in Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood earned her a Tony nomination. In Elisabeth Welch: Soft Lights and Sweet Music, author Stephen Bourne celebrates the stage, screen, and radio career of this sophisticated African American actress and singer, who always defied categorization. Spanning almost a century of popular music, she did not fit the definition of jazz, torch, pop or ballad singer but defined her art quite simply as "telling a story in song." Whatever she sang, she demonstrated that she had no peer in the art of interpreting songs by the likes of Cole Porter, No l Coward, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern. Includes more than 25 photos.
Download or read book Montmartre A Cultural History written by Nicholas Hewitt and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 2017-06-30 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Montmartre: A Cultural History offers an engaging tour of one of the most fascinating areas of Paris, exploring a rich history from the Belle Epoque to the Occupation. The work explores many iconic areas of Paris, such as the Moulin-Rouge and Sacré-Coeur.
Download or read book Focus On 100 Most Popular Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Winners written by Wikipedia contributors and published by e-artnow sro. This book was released on with total page 2301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Ethel Waters written by Stephen Bourne and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Waters transformed such songs as "Dinah," "Am I Blue?," "Stormy Weather," and Irving Berlin's "Heat Wave" into classics and inspired the next generation of black female vocalists. She gave sophistication and class to the blues and American popular song, influencing countless singers, including Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. Tough, uncompromising, courageous, and ambitious, Waters became one of the first African American women to be given equal billing with white stars on Broadway. In 1943, the film version of her Broadway success Cabin in the Sky established her as Hollywood's first black leading lady. In such plays as Mamba's Daughters and films as The Member of the Wedding, she shattered the myth that black women could perform only as singers. For her work in Pinky, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, the second African American to be so honored.".
Download or read book Fats Waller written by Maurice Waller and published by U of Minnesota Press. This book was released on 2017-08-22 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thomas “Fats” Waller was a legendary stride pianist, a wildly entertaining comedic singer, and the composer of such classic melodies as “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” and hundreds more. This is the intimate, behind-the-scenes story of his exuberant life, as told by his son, Maurice Waller. The public knew him as a charming, rascally, and effervescent showman. Friends like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Irving Berlin, and George Gershwin knew him as a serious piano stylist and composer. Maurice Waller reveals the rarely seen side of Fats as a family man, struggling to juggle domestic affairs with the demands of being one of the era’s busiest jazz men. From his earliest days as a child prodigy to his wild nights playing Harlem rent parties to his appearances on stages around the world and his eventual commercial success, it’s all here. Few stories capture the frenetic energy of the age quite as well as the life story of this rollicking, hard living jazz icon.
Download or read book Hear Me Talkin to Ya written by Nat Shapiro and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2012-08-16 with total page 463 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this marvelous oral history, the words of such legends as Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, and Billy Holiday trace the birth, growth, and changes in jazz over the years.
Download or read book Footnotes written by Caseen Gaines and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2021-05-21 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The triumphant story of how an all-Black Broadway cast and crew changed musical theatre—and the world—forever. "This musical introduced Black excellence to the Great White Way. Broadway was forever changed and we, who stand on the shoulders of our brilliant ancestors, are charged with the very often elusive task of carrying that torch into our present."—Billy Porter, Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning actor If Hamilton, Rent, or West Side Story captured your heart, you'll love this in-depth look into the rise of the 1921 Broadway hit, Shuffle Along, the first all-Black musical to succeed on Broadway. No one was sure if America was ready for a show featuring nuanced, thoughtful portrayals of Black characters—and the potential fallout was terrifying. But from the first jazzy, syncopated beats of composers Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, New York audiences fell head over heels. Footnotes is the story of how Sissle and Blake, along with comedians Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles, overcame poverty, racism, and violence to harness the energy of the Harlem Renaissance and produce a runaway Broadway hit that launched the careers of many of the twentieth century's most beloved Black performers. Born in the shadow of slavery and establishing their careers at a time of increasing demands for racial justice and representation for people of color, they broke down innumerable barriers between Black and white communities at a crucial point in our history. Author and pop culture expert Caseen Gaines leads readers through the glitz and glamour of New York City during the Roaring Twenties to reveal the revolutionary impact one show had on generations of Americans, and how its legacy continues to resonate today. Praise for Footnotes: "A major contribution to culture."—Brian Jay Jones, New York Times bestselling author of Jim Henson: The Biography "With meticulous research and smooth storytelling, Caseen Gaines significantly deepens our understanding of one of the key cultural events that launched the Harlem Renaissance."—A Lelia Bundles, New York Times bestselling author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker "Absorbing..."—The Wall Street Journal
Download or read book Focus On 100 Most Popular Vaudeville Performers written by Wikipedia contributors and published by e-artnow sro. This book was released on with total page 1438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: