From the Jim Crow world of 1920s Greenville, South Carolina, to Greenwich Village's Café Society in the '40s, to their 1974 Grammy-winning collaboration on "Loves Me Like a Rock," the Dixie Hummingbirds have been one of gospel's most durable and inspiring groups. Now, Jerry Zolten tells the Hummingbirds' fascinating story and with it the story of a changing music industry and a changing nation. When James Davis and his high-school friends starting singing together in a rural South Carolina church they could not have foreseen the road that was about to unfold before them. They began a ten-year jaunt of "wildcatting," traveling from town to town, working local radio stations, schools, and churches, struggling to make a name for themselves. By 1939 the a cappella singers were recording their four-part harmony spirituals on the prestigious Decca label. By 1942 they had moved north to Philadelphia and then New York where, backed by Lester Young's band, they regularly brought the house down at the city's first integrated nightclub, Café Society. From there the group rode a wave of popularity that would propel them to nation-wide tours, major record contracts, collaborations with Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon, and a career still vibrant today as they approach their seventy-fifth anniversary. Drawing generously on interviews with Hank Ballard, Otis Williams, and other artists who worked with the Hummingbirds, as well as with members James Davis, Ira Tucker, Howard Carroll, and many others, The Dixie Hummingbirds brings vividly to life the growth of a gospel group and of gospel music itself.

This is a story covering 37 years in television broadcasting including 29 years at the ABC Television Network. It's a story about the broadcast of major events ranging from The Super Bowl and The Olympics to the accident at Three Mile Island. It's about the efforts to get the broadcast back on the air at The 1989 World Series after The San Francisco Earthquake hit disrupting the coverage. It tells what was involved in getting those unforgettable images of Captain John Testrake being interviewed on the tarmac of Beirut Airport while a terrorist waved his pistol behind the Captain's head during the hijacking of TWA Flight 847. Learn what went on behind the scenes to bring those events to your home. Learn about the obstacles that had to be overcome; the hard work, the zany antics and the triumphs of the people who worked behind the cameras and microphones to get those broadcasts on the air and bring those images to America and the world.

In the minds of today's audiences, George Burns was a solo act. But in the history of show business, he will long be remembered for his work with Gracie Allen. Few performers have enjoyed so much popular and critical acclaim. Together they enjoyed phenomenal success in vaudeville, radio, television, and film. Although they were celebrities, the two performers enjoyed a life remarkably free of scandal. After the death of Allen in 1964, Burns made commercials, a music video, and an exercise video. He wrote books and won numerous awards, and his nightclub and convention appearances did not stop until shortly before his death.

Through a thoughtful biography and detailed entries, this book serves as a comprehensive reference to the careers of Burns and Allen together and individually. The biography summarizes their rise as vaudeville performers, their work in a range of media, and Burns' continued achievements after Allen's death. Sections of the book cover their work on the stage, on radio, on television, and in films. Each section provides detailed entries for their performances, including cast and credit information, plot synoposes, and review excerpts. Appendices list their awards, personal appearances, and archives; and an extensive annotated bibliography cites and discusses sources of additional information.

Folk singer and folk music collector, writer, painter, journalist, art critic, whalerman, sheep station roustabout, Marxist, and much more - this is the story of A. L. (Bert) Lloyd's extraordinary life. A. L. Lloyd played a key part in the folk music revival of the 1950s and 60s, but that is only part of his story. Dave Arthur documents how Lloyd became a member of the Communist Party, forceful antifascist, trade unionist and an important part of left-wing culture from the early 1930s to his death in 1982. Following his return from Australia as a 21-year-old, self-educated agricultural labourer, he was at the heart of the most important left-wing movements and highly respected for his knowledge in various fields. Dave Arthur recounts the life of a creative, passionate and life-loving Marxist, and in so doing provides a social history of a turbulent twentieth century.

Ann Sheridan came to Hollywood in 1933 as a finalist in a beauty contest, a publicity stunt for Paramount's "Search for Beauty." Of the 30 contestants who appeared in the picture and the 6 finalists whom Paramount put under contract, she was the only one to achieve stardom. Her films included "Angels with Dirty Faces" (1938), "They Drive by Night" (1940), "Kings RoW" (1942), and "Come Next Spring" (1956). Through the years, she appeared on stage and on many radio and television programs. As with her film career, her broadcasting work was diverse, including appearances in dramas, comedies, talk shows, variety revues, and game shows. In 1965 she joined the cast of "Another World," thus becoming one of the first movie stars to appear in a soap opera. Her role led to a prime time series, the situation comedy "Pistols 'n' Petticoats" (1966-1967). She died during production.

This reference book chronicles Ann Sheridan's fascinating life and career. The volume begins with a biography that traces her rise to stardom and her many successes in the entertainment world. A chronology then summarizes the most important events in her life. The chapters that follow provide detailed information for her work in films, radio, and television. Entries are provided for each of her performances, with each entry giving cast and credit information, a plot summary, excerpts from reviews, and critical commentary. The book also includes information about recordings of Sheridan's songs, the various awards and honors that she won, and magazine covers on which she appeared. The volume also presents an extensive annotated bibliography of works about Sheridan and lists sources of archival material.

One of the most significant contributors to the early years of the motion picture industry, Harold Lloyd was also a shrewd businessman and became the wealthiest man in Hollywood at the peak of his career. Perhaps more than any other major star of the silent era, his characters mirrored his times and captivated his contemporaries. His experiments with camera placement and motion were vital to the evolution of filmmaking techniques. This book includes a short biography of Lloyd and detailed information about all of his performances. The biography overviews his childhood, his adolescent stage career, his work in silent and talking pictures, his family life, and the work of his major contemporaries. A chapter on his film work includes entries for all of his shorts and features, including cameo roles and newsreels. Other chapters describe Lloyd's radio and television work, sheet music and recordings inspired by his films, and his many awards and honors. An annotated bibliography cites books, magazines, newspapers, oral histories, and interviews. Eleven photographs illustrate his work.

Allen Sapp's multifaceted career as a gifted composer, influential teacher, and innovative administrator is presented in this first book-length study of his life and works. The biography chronicles his studies with Aaron Copland, Walter Piston, and Nadia Boulanger; his service as Chief Cryptanalyst for the U.S. Army in Europe at the close of WWII; his early career on the faculty at Harvard; his formation of a highly influential center for avant-garde music at Buffalo in the 1960s; and his dramatic explosion of creativity in the 1980s. Musical examples from the biography are supplemented by corresponding sound files available via the World Wide Web (http://muslib.lib.ohio-state.edu/sapp/index.htm). Following the biography is a listing of Sapp's works and performances, featuring excerpts from performance reviews. This is followed by a Discography/Webography, which lists all commercially produced recordings as well as all known noncommercial recordings available in libraries, archives, or on the World Wide Web. The final two sections of the book present an annotated bibliography of writings by and about Allen Sapp. The book is supplemented by appendices providing a listing of academic and nonacademic positions held by Sapp, and chronological and alphabetical listings of his compositions.

David Roberts was Whitney Houston's bodyguard, the real one.

Roberts was hired in 1988 for Houston's UK portion of the Moment of Truth world tour. Accustomed to working for diplomats and Fortune 500 clients, Roberts had reservations about working with a pop star. But Houston's heart of gold won him over from the moment they met at Heathrow airport.

There's a high bar for those who work in this business: you must be willing to die for your boss. Houston made that easy. Roberts got to travel the globe with one of the most fun-loving and generous souls he'd ever met. His memoir reveals heartwarming anecdotes of life with one of the world's most recognizable stars, including privately shared moments such as the birth of Bobbi Kristina.

But there are also shocking and heartbreaking revelations. Roberts was present for some of Houston's most challenging ordeals. And he was helpless as he watched those who claimed to love and support her look the other way because they saw her voice box as a cash machine.

His heart was ultimately shattered as he witnessed her succumb to the one threat he could not protect her from: herself.

90-plus interviews with celebrities, including Albert Einstein, Elvis Presley, Jack Lemmon, Johnny Carson, Jack Paar, Ingrid Bergman, Barbara Walters, Gore Vidal, William Buckley, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Bill Cosby, Judy Garland, Merv Griffin, Peter O'Toole, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, David Frost, Frank Sinatra, Leonard Bernstein, et al. The interviews were conducted in many cities and countries and in such places as St. Patrick's Cathedral, Central Park and in television and movie studios in New York and Hollywood, in planes and trains as well as the homes of stars.

The summer of 1938 was a pivotal year for baseball and American history. In that same year, John Jordon "Buck" O'Neil, was a rookie first baseman playing his first season in the Negro American League. Born in Carrabelle, Florida, raised in Sarasota and nicknamed Buck, it had taken five years and five different teams before the Kansas City, Monarchs finally signed O'Neil to a contract. Before he could get the starting assignment, though, O'Neil had to dethrone one of the Negro Leagues' hardest hitting first basemen, Eldridge Mayweather. In 1938, a time when African-American hall of fame ballplayers worth millions could be purchased for pennies on the dollar, times were hard and the baseball was tough. Kansas City's Monarchs were a blend of youth and maturity, and one of the best teams in the Negro American League. Oddly, Kansas City, in spite of winning records against every team in the Negro American League, failed to win the first-half or second-half pennant. For the first time ever John "Buck" O'Neil, Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe and James "Gabby" Kemp and many others are united together to speak on this celebrated season. With interviews from Monarchs' players Willard "Sonny" Brown, Newt Allen and Byron "Mex" Johnson and many others readers are taken on a road trip around America. Along the way readers, just as the team did in 1938, come in contact with segregation and racism as the book helps everyone to relive the glory days of the Negro Baseball Leagues. Illustrated with over forty historic photographs, John "Buck" O'Neil, the rookie, the man, the lagacy 1938 is a welcome addition to every baseball fans reading list.

This book examines the conductor's methods in terms of the realization of expressive potential in a selected body of works. This examination encompasses analytical, technical, and expressive gestural aspects of the art and craft of conducting. The author also discusses the idea of meaning in music and ways, both musical and extramusical, in which meaning arises in performance. In this unique study, the author also considers how the use of physical gestures may have an impact upon the realization of expressive potential in a given work and, in particular, upon those works selected for discussion. Central to this process is the notion that there is something "behind the notes." Text-based modes of analysis do not afford access to music as it is created by the actions of performers and conductors. The author argues that this music often has strong extroversive associations. Inquiry limited to the text neither helps the interpreter to realise fully the expressive or communicative potential of that work, nor does it fully consider the impact of expressive issues on performance. Thus, the conductor acts as a mediator in this process, taking the work and all relevant information surrounding it into account as it is prepared for performance. It is within this context that the author examines John Corigliano's Overture from Gazebo Dances, Karel Husa's Introduction and Fanfare from Music for Prague 1968, Edward Gregson's Celebration, and Morning Music by Richard Rodney Bennett, with regard to their expressive potential and adopts topical analysis in a general way as a point of departure in an attempt to relate this potential to physical gestures, facial expressions, and body language in the artand craft of conducting. In addition, the author considers the applicability of the analytical tools developed in the study to the actual practice of performance with regard to the works discussed, and attempts to show the relationship between the analysis of a given work, the physical manifestation of what that analysis uncovers, and the realisation of expressive potential in performance. This book will help readers better understand the relationship between the conductor's physical gestures, body language and facial expressions, and the expressive potential of selected works for the wind orchestra. As a book that clearly reflects the author's passion, it will be a welcome addition for collections in music.

This study relates the experiences of controversial actress and poet Adah Isaacs Menken to the culture of the Civil War period which significantly affected her life achievements. The book explores the roots of the cult of celebrity that emerged from the crucible of war, while discussing Menken's racial and ethnic claims and her performance in relationship to gender and sexuality. It focuses on the contemporary use of social categories to explain patterns in America's past and considers why such categories remain important.

George Henry Newton had a dream. His dream was to get out of Zion, Nevis. The village was poverty stricken. He ventured abroad and entered the United States. He became a soldier and fought in W.W.II. Fortunately, he escaped the ravages of the battle field. During the post war years, he acquired a career, raised his family, made his mark but became victim of a dependency. He died at age fifty four, but his eldest son did not let his legacy die with him.

Born in Wisconsin in 1919, Wladziu Valentino Liberace began his career as a performer at roadhouses, bars, stag parties, afternoon teas, and dances in the Milwaukee area. Television brought him to stardom in 1952, when The Liberace Show was watched by more than 35 million people each week. His television exposure led to one of the most lucrative concert, nightclub, and recording careers in history. His death from AIDS in 1987 continued the perpetual speculation about his personal life. This book charts the always controversial life and career of Liberace, from his birth in America's heartland to his death as one of the most flamboyant entertainers of his generation. A short biography and chronology present his life in capsule form and give full attention to the scandals that plagued his career. The chapters that follow detail his work in film, television, radio, recordings, and concerts. Each entry provides fascinating information about his performances, and an annotated bibliography describes sources for additional information.

Unassuming late guitarist Paul Yandell described his career not as one of celebrity but as sideman, the musician that audiences hear while they're focused on the star. From his humble beginnings as a poor Kentucky farm boy learning to play to taking the stage at the Grand Ole Opry, he ultimately gained the trust and confidence of two of America's finest musicians, Jerry Reed and the incomparable Chet Atkins. Compiled from personal correspondence and interviews, Paul's online posts, and family members, a lifetime in the music business is recounted, from breaking in with the Louvin Brothers in the 1950s to his 25-year association with "Mr. Guitar" Chet Atkins, to his last recording in 2006. Along the way, Paul provides a wealth of information and history about guitar modification, gear and gadgets, and the people and personalities of country music's golden era in the second half of the 20th century.

When author Steve Burton heard the plan for transforming a relatively untouched bird sanctuary in the Middle Eastern emirate of Abu Dhabi into a complex, global entertainment and premier yachting destination within thirty months, he thought the idea was impossible. The Rulers believed otherwise. It will be done. Burton was tasked with performing at the highest level and not sweating the small stuff like money. No was removed from his vocabulary. Those were the rules. Deadlines were another one. It was no small endeavor. Recognized as one of today s premier marina development specialists, Burton was hired by Abu Dhabi s flagship real estate development company in 2007. In Staying Afloat he narrates an account of cross-cultural encounters, stratospheric expectations, unimaginable obstacles, and hilarious day-to-day experiences faced as an American expatriate living for three years in one of the wealthiest and most culturally diverse countries on the planet in the midst of the world s most politically volatile regions. Staying Afloat conveys a unique blend of cultural insight, candor, and wit while communicating that an open mind, a keen sense of humor, and a supreme level of patience and determination are indispensable for living and working in a foreign country.

Robert Plant is one of the few genuine living rock legends. Frontman of Led Zeppelin, musical innovator and seller of millions of records, Plant has had a profound influence on music for over four decades. But the full account of his life has barely been told ... until now. Robert Plant: A Life is the first complete and comprehensive telling of Plant's story. From his earliest performances in folk clubs in the early 1960s, to the world's biggest stages as Led Zeppelin's self-styled 'Golden God', and on to his emergence as an emboldened solo star. The sheer scale of Zeppelin's success is extraordinary: in the US alone they sold 70 million records, a figure surpassed only by the Beatles. But their success was marred by tragedy. These pages contain first-hand accounts of Plant's greatest highs and deepest lows: the tragic deaths of his son Karac and his friend, Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Told in vivid detail, this is the definitive story of a man of great talent, remarkable fortitude and extraordinary conviction.

This book provides an informal biography of the wunderkind who became one of America's greatest living artists and most well-known architects. Many are familiar with the art and architectural design work of Maya Lin, but the compelling details of her personal background are less well known. This book not only focuses upon Lin's substantial achievements throughout her life, but also presents Maya Lin's "prehistory," describing family events in China that led to her parents' flight to the United States. Author Donald Langmead guides readers through Lin's ancestry and family connections in precommunist China; her childhood and youth in Athens, Ohio; the story behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC; her career after 1982 (by decades); and emphasis on environmental conservation. Written for a young adult and general readership, Maya Lin: A Biography provides an up-to-date description of how she became one of the most famous and respected artists in America. Provides a timeline of Maya Lin's significant life events, artworks, and exhibitions Includes various photographs to accompany the text Contains a bibliography organized by types of sources, including writings by Maya Lin, books, monographs and catalogues, transcripts of interviews, and videos Includes an index of important people and artworks

Few Mexican musicians in the twentieth century achieved as much notoriety or had such an international impact as the popular singer and songwriter Agustin Lara (1897-1970). Widely known as "el flaco de oro" ("the Golden Skinny"), this remarkably thin fellow was prolific across the genres of bolero, ballad, and folk. His most beloved "Granada," a song so enduring that it has been covered by the likes of Mario Lanza, Frank Sinatra, and Placido Domingo, is today a standard in the vocal repertory. However, there exists very little biographical literature on Lara in English. In AgustinLara: A Cultural Biography, author Andrew Wood's informed and informative placement of Lara's work in a broader cultural context presents a rich and comprehensive reading of the life of this significant musical figure. Lara's career as a media celebrity as well as musician provides an excellent window on Mexican society in the mid-twentieth century and on popular culture in Latin America. Wood also delves into Lara's music itself, bringing to light how the composer's work unites a number of important currents in Latin music of his day, particularly the bolero. With close musicological focus and in-depth cultural analysis riding alongside the biographical narrative, Agustin Lara: A Cultural Biography is a welcome read to aficionados and performers of Latin American musics, as well as a valuable addition to the study of modern Mexican music and Latin American popular culture as a whole."