Discovering great singers of classic pop : a new listener's guide to the sounds and lives of the top performers, and their recordings, movies and videos / Roy Hemming, David Hajdu.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hemming, Roy.

Contributor:

Hajdu, David.

Series:

Newmarket discovering great music series book

Newmarket discovering great music series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Singers--Biography.

Singers.

Popular music--History and criticism.

Popular music.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

viii, 295 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Newmarket Press, 1991.

Summary:

Much has been written about the great songwriters of classic pop--Berlin, Porter, Gershwin, and Sondheim, for instance--but what about the singers who made the music so famous? According to Roy Hemming and David Hajdu, "It is the singers who have given classic pop its life--a life that goes beyond the notes and words on the sheet music. The singer's life infuses the life he or she gives the song and, in turn, the way the song touches on the life of each listener". This unique and passionately felt point-of-view distinguishes this entertaining sourcebook on American popular music from all others. By exploring the fascinating lives of the singers who created classic pop, we come to understand their influence on the development of one of the most enduring music forms of our century, and its substantial role in America's cultural history from the 1920 to the present day. To give us this inside view of classic pop, the authors have divided their book into two parts: the first describes the development of classic pop in the 1920s and 1930s; the second covers World War II to the present. The list of unforgettable performers includes Al Jolson, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Ethel Merman, Lee Wiley, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, Nat "King" Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Mel Torme, Jo Stafford, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, plus many more. A separate chapter is devoted to each singer, and features a colorful and revealing biographical profile and critical assessment of the performer. In addition, there are postscripts to the two sections discussing the art and lives of a dozen other distinctive performers. Selective discographies of each singer'smost representative recordings on CDs, LPs, and cassettes are also highlighted, along with a listing of movies, documentaries, and other types of programs available on video that feature or concern the singers--vital information for anyone truly interested in the sound of classic-pop singing.

Contents:

Exactly What Is Classic Pop? 2

The Classic-Pop Singing Style 2

Choices, Limits, and Qualifications 3

Part 1 Setting the Scene

the First Wave

A Concise Historical Overview of Classic Pop and How It Developed in the 1920s and 1930s 5

Crooners and Canaries of the 1920s and 1930s

Al Jolson 12

Ethel Waters 17

Louis Armstrong 21

Helen Morgan 26

Rudy Vallee 32

Ruth Etting 36

Mildred Bailey 40

Bing Crosby 44

Russ Columbo 54

Kate Smith 59

Connee Boswell 66

Fred Astaire 70

Ethel Merman 77

Lee Wiley 82

Billie Holiday 87

Shirley Ross 91

Ella Fitzgerald 96

Mabel Mercer 100

Plus: A Not-to-Be-Forgotten Section, Including Dick Powell, Buddy Clark, Alice Faye, and Frances Langford 103

Part 2 The Changing Scene

the Second Wave

How Classic Pop Changed During and After World War II 111

Song Stylists of the 1940s and Beyond

Frank Sinatra 117

Dinah Shore 125

Perry Como 130

Judy Garland 134

Peggy Lee 141

Lena Horne 146

Doris Day 152

Dick Haymes 157

Jo Stafford 161

Nat "King" Cole 165

Margaret Whiting 169

Mel Torme 176

Rosemary Clooney 181

Vic Damone 185

Dinah Washington 190

Tony Bennett 194

Sylvia Syms 199

Barbara Lea 202

Barbra Streisand 206

Liza Minnelli 212

Plus: A Not-to-Be-Forgotten Section, Including Helen Forrest, Helen O'Connell, Bobby Short, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Andy Williams, Julius Larosa, Teddi King, Nancy Wilson, and Jack Jones 217

Part 3 Selected Discographies and Videographies 235.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [278]-275) and index.

ISBN:

1557040729 :

OCLC:

22907527