This is how simple the complicated music business can be I was sitting "shooting the bull" with the A&R man at Epic Records one day. He said, "You know what I would really like to find is a white kid that sings the blues like a black guy." I said, "I know a kid like that," or words to that effect. I then told him what I knew about Tim Williams.Tim was starving to death trying to run a Coffee House in Santa Barbara. He was only nineteen-years old, but very good. The problem was that I had no idea what to do with a Blues singer. Suddenly there was an answer to the question. The A&R man said, "Bring him down " which meant to his office in Hollywood.When the day came to go to Hollywood we went in my car. I didn't think he had one that would make it down and back. He showed up in a pair of dark brown corduroy pants and a dark polo-type shirt, both clean, but covered with white lint. I was embarrassed to "showcase" him that way, but it could have been a sensitive subject so away we went. I didn't have a clue what to expect when we arrived at the office. In the now familiar get-to-the-point fashion the man said, "Let's hear something" after a few minutes of visiting. Tim opened his guitar case, took out his twelve string guitar and began playing as if the outcome didn't make a damn bit of difference to him. Mr. A&R man asked him to do some old standard, then something original that Tim had written. Then suddenly he said, "Sounds good, let's do a thing, make a record " Just like that

Do you ever find yourself: Tumblin' out of bed and stumblin' to the kitchen? Searchin' for a cup of ambition? Sighin' and groanin' at the mundanity of life? We could all do with a bit more Dolly in our lives! With empowering advice on love, business, style and looking out for number one, these pages will help Dolly Parton lovers everywhere create the life they truly want.

For Nova Wallace, life was never easy. Living in poverty, she became a single mom at fifteen, yet she still graduated high school on time. Her determination to provide a better life for her child energized her. She landed a job with GM and started her first semester of community college. Then, when she accepted a promotion, everything changed.

Nova's new job soon guaranteed her financial security, and she bought a condo and a new Cadillac-only to have an injury on the assembly line set her back. She decided to pursue another career, going back to college and renting her condo to her youngest brother. But when a $10,000 bill for violations and fines showed up from her condo association, Nova knew the rug had been swept from under her feet.

Forced to take action, Nova sued her brother on the Judge Joe Brown show. It was just the beginning. She won the lawsuit, but huge legal fees remained. Determined to expunge them, Nova embarked on a journey of justice that left her entangled in personal and professional conflict. It was then that she learned the true meaning of life as an African American woman.

Spanning the course of five years, "Finally Unrestricted" is a brutally honest memoir of betrayal, redemption, and what it means to have a dream-and then lose it.

Actress playwright screenwriter and iconic sex symbol Mae West (1893-1980) created a scandal and a sensation on Broadway with her play ESexE in 1926. Convicted of obscenity she was sentenced to ten days in prison. She went to jail a convict but emerged a star. Later in Hollywood she was the number one box-office attraction during the 1930s and saved Paramount Studios from bankruptcy. Her films included some notorious one-liners a which she wrote herself a that have become part of Hollywood lore. But behind the clever quips was Mae's deep desire decades before the word feminism was in the news to see women treated equally with men. She saw through the double standard of the time that permitted men to do things that women would be ruined for doing. Her cause was sexual equality and she was shrewd enough to know that it was perhaps the ultimate battleground.THIn EShe Always Knew HowE Charlotte Chandler draws on a series of extensive interviews that she conducted with Mae West just months before the star's death. Chandler also spoke with actors and directors who knew and worked with Mae the man with whom she lived for the last twenty-seven years of her life and her close assistant. Their insights enrich this fascinating book.

Still a highly visible figure, Joan Baez has long been known for social activism and her support of people victimized by poverty and political misfortune. To trace her career is comparable to tracing the social history of her time, and it is often difficult to separate the political activist from the musician. This volume is a comprehensive reference guide to her life and career. A biography concisely summarizes her achievements, while annotated entries detail her work in music and film. Entries provide critical commentary, and a bibliography cites and annotates additional works.

In 1960, when Joan Baez was just 19 years old, she had already signed a contract with Vanguard Records and released her first, and perhaps most influential, album of folk songs, DEGREESIJoan Baez DEGREESR. Her rapid rise in music seemed effortless, and she quickly became a symbol of the blossoming youth culture. She easily filled a niche within the music industry and became the first female artist to achieve massive international success as a folk singer. Still a highly visible figure, she has long been known for social activism and her support of people victimized by poverty and political misfortune.

Through a concise biography and extensive annotated entries, this volume is a comprehensive guide to Joan Baez's tremendous contribution to music and to American social history. The opening biography explores the formative years of her career, her early successes, and her continuing achievements as an artist who has grown with the times and who continues to record compelling new music. Because it is so difficult to separate the activist from the musician, it also discusses her political contributions and her lasting influence. The chapters that follow are devoted to her recordings and to her films, with entries in each chapter providing full information for individual performances. Entries include release dates, songs, songwriters, musicians, production credits, review excerpts, and critical commentary.

The American singer and guitarist Ramblin' Jack Elliott (1931- ) is a seminal figure in the folk music revivals of the United States and Great Britain. Declared an American treasure by former President Bill Clinton, Elliott has traveled and performed for more than 50 years, and his life and career neatly parallel the ascension of folk music's "renaissance" from the 1940s through the present day. Ramblin' Jack Elliott: The Never-Ending Highway is the first complete biography of this important figure in the history of folk music. Elliott's music and Beat-era sensibility influenced countless artists in the fields of folk, rock, and country and western music, and Hank Reineke provides the full story of Elliott's relationships and influences. Most notably, his associations with Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan are well-documented: Elliott is considered Guthrie's most famous protege and Elliott mentored Dylan in his early career. Reineke also recounts how Elliott's life intersected with Derroll Adams, Jack Kerouac and the Beats, Princess Margaret, James Dean, and scores of others. The book examines the full breadth of Elliott's career, discussing how the rough-edged cowboy singer survived in the music industry and eventually won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Recording and the prestigious National Medal of the Arts. In addition to the biography, Reineke has amassed the first exhaustive and comprehensive discography of albums from the singer's notable back-catalog (1955-2009), including nearly 60 LP and CD issues, many rare and sought-after 78rpm discs, EPs, and 45rpm recordings, as well as a number of contributions to compilations, soundtracks, festival recordings, and guest appearances. This impressive volume is rounded out with a bibliography, an index, and more than 30 photographs, making this a must-have for scholars and fans of American folk music."

This book is the account of the author's eight and a half years of prosecuting for the State of Alabama. The reader will meet the prosecutors, (the "white hats) the defense attorney's, (the black hats) as well as the cops, the detectives and the bad men and blood spillers that plague our society. The book is not bereft of humor, with the reader being introduced to the court hangers on who are present in various incarnations in every jurisdiction in the country. The authour recounts some of the many cases that he tried and a few that were tried by other prosecutors. It is a fascinating account of people at their best and at their very worst. All in all, it is a terrific read that is absolutely true but reads like the best of crime fiction.

ABOUT THE BOOK: My Jonah Journey: Developing an Attitude of Gratitude is the true story of Linda M. Brandt's triumphant journey through a series of Job-like catastrophic experiences: the tragic death of her teenaged son, the discovery of a rare brain tumor and the precarious surgery that followed, the horrendous episode of spinal meningitis, and then her own near-death experience. For four minutes and with doctors working frantically, Linda lay heart-stopped and unbreathing on a cold hospital table next to the MRI tunnel where her son, Scottie, had been sent to bring her home. But God had other plans. Now for the first time in book form, Linda M. Brandt shares her three-year "Jonah journey," describing how she replaced fear and despair with an attitude of gratitude as she learned to walk again, to drive, to paint, to undertake normal day-to-day activities, and then finally to do them alone. Of course, Linda is the first to say she never really was alone. Doctors told her, "We never see people like you again. They just go into their houses and go away." But because of God's grace, Linda's was a different journey. My Jonah Journey: Developing an Attitude of Gratitude will inspire even the most skeptic among us and reveal the One who loves us very, very much. **** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Linda M. Brandt is a Christian, wife, mother, author, and renowned artist with an undeniable love for God and life. Against all odds and medical prognoses, Ms. Brandt not only survived brain surgery, spinal meningitis, and a near-death experience, but she thrived, regaining full physical and mental function, including her remarkable skills as a world-renowned artist whose paintings have been displayed from Paris to London and from New York City to Laguna Beach. In this new book, My Jonah Journey: Developing an Attitude of Gratitude, Ms. Brandt presents her miraculous story along with stunning original artwork she created to illustrate her journey.

Sidemen-professional musicians hired to perform with groups of which they are not regular members-are essential to bands and orchestras, but most remain anonymous for their entire lives. A few music aficionados might know their names, and sometimes a sideman becomes a star for compositions or for exceptional performances. Even so, few ever achieve fame or an identity separate from the organizations with whom they perform. My Best to You ...captures a glimpse of Kasper "Stranger" Malone, a musician struggling to survive in the early days of recorded music. In his own words, Malone documents, names, places, and personalities of that era. He played in every musical genre, from early recorded country music with Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers to silent movie orchestras, from live radio to jazz recordings with Benny Goodman, Pee Wee Hunt, and Jack Teagarden. He played with symphony orchestras in San Francisco, Denver, Tucson, and Rome, Georgia, finally ending his long career full circle playing folk and bluegrass in North Georgia. With a Founder's Award from the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame, a Guinness World Records acknowledgement of his unprecedented seventy-seven year recording history, and a recently released documentary of his life, in his old age he found he had achieved an uncomfortable fame. Presented here is his history and biography, edited by his daughter, Patricia Poos and filled with fascinating details of a long and historic career.

5 C Hero is the inspirational story of Joel Stephens, a truly gifted athlete and devout Christian, who lived the values of Christianity, Courage, Compassion, Character, and Commitment. With the brightest of futures ahead of him, Stephens lost his battle with a rare form of cancer in 1998 at the age of 22. D'Aloisio, as coach, mentor, and friend, knew Stephens better than most. In this book, he chronicles the record-setting athletic exploits of Joel throughout his high school years as well as his professional career as a baseball player in the Baltimore Orioles organization, and his decision to accept a scholarship to play Division I football for Syracuse University. In many ways, Joel's story parallels that of Ernie Davis, the "Elmira Express," who was the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy. More important than any athletic achievements, Joel's faith and his concern for others are the qualities that define Joel Stephens. D'Aloisio takes the reader on a painful odyssey as Joel accepts his illness yet valiantly struggles to overcome it. This tragic story is told with humor, intensity, and great warmth. It is remarkable that Stephens touched so many lives in such a short period of time. Even after his death, his legacy continues to grow through the Joel Stephens Foundation and other charitable organizations and events held in his honor. For those who knew Joel, this book will bring them even closer to an old friend; for those who never had the opportunity to meet Joel in person, this book will help you realize what you missed.

"The Gilded Leaf" is the riveting, dramatic saga of the R. J. Reynolds tobacco family, one of America's richest and most intensely private clans. R.J. was the original founder of the company that became part of RJR Nabisco, which in 1988 was involved in the largest business takeover in history. Spanning three generations, the Reynolds's story moves from the triumphs of founder and corporate genius R. J. to the dissipation, scandal, and tragedy that plagued his children and grandchildren. There is a redemptive close, with grandson Patrick Reynolds founding Smokefree America and becoming a leading anti-smoking advocate.

"The Gilded Leaf" presents, for the first time, a "complete" account of the family who captured, spent and redeemed the American dream.

An important new reference source for students of western musical culture, this volume directs the user to all pertinent, substantive, and accessible information concerning the life and works of Sir Michael Tippett, widely recognized as one of this century's most significant composers. The book is divided into four main sections: a biography, an annotated list of works and performances, a discography, and an extensive bibliography. Five appendices provide additional information for the researcher including a chronological list of compositions, a classified list of published compositions, honors and awards won by the composer, ballet and television productions, and resources available. The brief biography which begins the volume provides a convenient source for basic factual information about Tippett's life. The works and performances section presents in one alphabetical sequence all known musical works by Tippett, including early unpublished compositions. Each citation includes information about year of composition, duration, genre, instrumentation, additional statements of responsibility, commissions and dedications, location of existing manuscripts, published editions, and a selected list of performances. The discography contains all known commercial recordings of Tippett's music along with information about performers, date and place of recording, and a chronological listing of all issues of the performance. Divided into three sections, the bibliography covers writings by Tippett, books and articles about Tippett, and reviews of his works culled from the Times (London), the New York Times, and a variety of major and local newspapers around the world. Taken as a whole, this is amasterful contribution to the reference works available on the great composers of the twentieth century.

Many Classical music lovers are familiar with George Frideric Handel's famous oratorio, "Messiah," but are not aware his preferred area of composition was Italian opera seria. Biographical books explore his career as an opera composer and the rise of the new pious genre when Italian opera was no longer popular in London, but rarely do we find detailed accounts or discussions on that tempestuous period in the 1730s when this shift in populaity forced Handel to leave the Haymarket theatre and join with John Rich at Covent Garden where he tried to carry on the Royal Academy opera company in competition with the new Opera of the Nobility venture founded by the Prince of Wales before he was finally forced to abandon opera in favour of oratorio. This book explores this rocky transition period and how it affected Handel's work, namely, his inclusion of French elements to his operas and other novel innovations in order to regain his chagrined public. There are discussions exploring the possibility Handel was his own worse enemy with regards to his business decisions as impresario-composer, alienating the Italians of London and his public, which nearly cost him his career. A fascinating study for Handel admirers.

..". There were so many details raised and questions asked which make the reader really excited and interested in the period and what was happening. ... There are many, many details which just suddenly bring home to you, 'My goodness, (opera production) was different in those days ' ... There are many things that jumped out of this book at me ..." - David Adams, 'Into the Evening', Lyric FM Classical Music Radio Ireland

(Applause Books). Now in paperback, the complete story of the actor's career, including his secret gay life. Raymond Burr (1917-1993) was an enigma. A film noir regular known for his villainous roles in movies like Rear Window, he eventually became one of the most popular stars in television history as the lead actor on two top-rated dramas, Perry Mason and Ironside, which between them ran virtually uninterrupted for 20 years. But Raymond Burr was leading a secret gay life at a time in Hollywood when exposure would have been career suicide. To protect his secret, Burr fabricated a tragic past for himself as a grieving husband and father. He claimed to have been twice widowed he said his first wife had died in a plane crash, and his second marriage had ended with his wife's early death from cancer. And there was also a dead son 10-year-old Michael, who lost his battle with leukemia. Neither of the wives nor Michael ever existed. But that didn't stop these lies from being perpetuated again and again, even in Burr's New York Times obituary. Hiding in Plain Sight examines the totality of Raymond Burr's career and his personal life, including his 35 years with partner Robert Benevides. The author interviewed over 30 people who knew or worked with Burr, including Angela Lansbury, Barbara Hale, Robert Wagner, Gale Storm, and more.

With a lifelong love of music dating back to his childhood, author Don Tolle dreamed about achieving fame as a recording artist. But it was in 1973, after a tour in Vietnam, that he finally took the leap, picked up the telephone, and called record companies about his songs. It was a fateful day in his career, one that reverberates even today. In For the Record, Tolle shares his career as a music man, beginning in the record business of the wide-open 1970s, when everything seemed possible. The story follows his career from its beginnings in an entry-level position at a record company to his eventual founding of a record company and production of his own hit records, winning multiple awards in the process. Tolle also shares the story of his precipitous fall from the summit of success. For the Record describes his walk through the long shadows of the valley, where he wandered lost and alone before staging a remarkable comeback that ultimately led to his greatest triumph and the realization of the misplaced, but not forgotten, dream of his youth. Filled with the experiences, memories, revelations, and reflections of an amazing career during the golden age of the music business, this memoir offers an insider's view of the music world filled with unique personalities.

Fans of classic comedy and Old Time Radio will be enthralled by Fred Allen's autobiographical tale of his early days in radio. From the host of a small comedy-variety show to national fame with Allen's Alley, here is the story of his trials, tribulations, and ultimate successes as one of the great radio comedians -- not to mention one of the great wits -- of the 20th century!