In celebration of his one-hundredth birthday, a charming, irresistibly readable, and handsomely packaged look back at the life and times of the greatest entertainer in American history, Frank Sinatra. Sinatra's Century is an irresistible collection of one-hundred short reflections on the man, his music, and his larger-than-life story, by a lifetime fan who also happens to be one of the poetry world's most prominent voices. David Lehman uses each of these short pieces to look back on a single facet of the entertainer's story-from his childhood in Hoboken, to his emergence as "The Voice" in the 1940s, to the wild professional (and romantic) fluctuations that followed. Lehman offers new insights and revisits familiar stories-Sinatra's dramatic love affairs with some of the most beautiful stars in Hollywood, including Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, and Ava Gardner; his fall from grace in the late 1940s and resurrection during the "Capitol Years" of the 1950s; his bonds with the rest of the Rat Pack; and his long tenure as the Chairman of the Board, viewed as the eminence grise of popular music inspiring generations of artists, from Bobby Darin to Bono to Bob Dylan. Brimming with Lehman's own lifelong affection for Sinatra, the book includes lists of unforgettable performances; engaging insight on what made Sinatra the model of American machismo-and the epitome of romance; and clear-eyed assessments of the foibles that impacted his life and work. Warm and enlightening, Sinatra's Century is full-throated appreciation of Sinatra for every fan.

This book offers a series of biographical portraits of the young performers who have reached superstardom in today's popular culture. Who are the superstar icons of the new century-the singers and actors who are captivating today's audiences? Get to know them in this exciting and informative new resource. In a series of biographical essays, Superstars of the 21st Century: Pop Favorites of America's Teens explores the lives of these extraordinary talents, giving readers an up-close look at their upbringings and families, their professional beginnings, and the remarkable accomplishments of their careers. Did you know singing star Rhianna was a member of her high school military cadet corps? That despite earning millions for her movie roles, Dakota Fanning has never received an allowance? That Twilight's Robert Pattinson was routinely dressed up as a girl by his sisters? The biographies included in Superstars of the 21st Century are filled with little-known facts like these, as well as career highlights and real insights into the daily lives of this generation's iconic figures. Chapters on the young superstars who are today's teen icons Photographs of the young superstars of this generation An extensive bibliography of additional sources in print and online A comprehensive index

For Bob Dylan enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in the history of music. This, the third book in the Troubadour Tales series takes us back to Minnesota and Dylan's hometown of Duluth. Bob Dylan born in Duluth in Minnesota, grew up in Hibbing, Minnesota and cut his musical teeth in the folk scene of Dinkytown, Minnesota. This guide brings together wonderful stories from each of these key locations and provides detailed information about the roots and the early life of Bob Dylan. We travel back in time to hear stories from his early teacher, tales of the mysterious wandering rabbi, eye-witness accounts from early Dinkytown musical collaborators, as well as being privy to secrets from behind the scenes of the classic Blood On The Tracks album. Fascinating insights into the history and life of one of the most important songwriters in music history and told with Minnesota voices, each with their own personal stories to tell.

For years John Dark was one of Britain's leading film producers. His films include the first 'Casino Royale'. 'There's a Girl in my Soup', 'The Land That Time Forgot' and 'Shirley Valentine'. 'Dark at the Top of the Stairs' is his no-holds-barred, no-feelings-spared autobiography. A master raconteur, John Dark introduces us to his world of hunting for Orson Welles's noses in Hong Kong, of nude photo-shoots with Ursula Andress, of private concerts given by Liza Minnelli - and of despair at the debacle that was 'El Dorado'. But he also introduces us to the private John Dark - John the son, the wartime evacuee, the conscript in Kenya, the drapery salesman; John the lover, husband, father, friend. 'Dark at the Top of the Stairs' will tell you what the words 'Produced by .' really mean - not just in terms of the job's responsibilities, its perks and privileges, but in terms too of the sometimes tremendous cost it exacts. In one of his conversations with Orson Welles, the screen legend refers to film-making as a "fascinating business". 'Dark at the Top of the Stairs' is a fascinating read about that fascinating business.

Maureen Stapleton is recognized as a leading star of stage, screen and television. Her career spans four decades during which she has received the highest acclaim for her great emotional power and versatility. A charter member of the renowned Actors Studio, Ms. Stapleton has won the top honors granted to performing artists, including the Oscar, Emmy and Tony Awards. Few actors have been so successful in all media. Maureen Stapleton: A Bio-Bibliography is the first book dedicated to the career of this consummate actress. A biographical narrative provides information on Ms. Stapleton's artistic development and significant events in her personal and professional life. A chronological summary demonstrates how effortlessly this actress has moved back and forth between stage and screen. Three comprehensive chapters, Stage Performances, Filmography, and Television Appearances, provide production information, cast lists, script synopsis, commentary and critical response. Each listing in these chapters has a separate number for cross-referencing throughout the volume. An annotated bibliography, appendix of awards and honors, and an index complete the volume. Part of Greenwood Press' ongoing series of Bio-Bibliographies in the Performing Arts, the work is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the career of this preeminent American artist.

The Silent Hurt portrays a young poor country girl with a disability who was labeled harshly by society. Even so, through strong determination and a powerful inner spirit, she refused to accept those labels. Jo Ann Coleman was born in the forties and lived in a very small town in Louisiana. At age five, she started school and soon realized that she was not like the other boys and girls in her class. Struggling first in elementary school, where she was immediately labeled as retarded, she eventually lost sight in her right eye. She grew up among cousins, without her parents, and constantly felt depressed and alone, facing name-calling from her peers. She graduated from high school and received a scholarship to attend nursing school-only to lose the scholarship due to missing an important letter. Because of her silent depression as a child, she eventually attempted suicide. Her disability and low self-esteem made her feel that no one cared. When she finally let Jesus Christ direct her life, however, everything turned around. She turned adversity into triumph and now seeks to inspire those afflicted by physical, emotional, and mental handicaps and low self-esteem. Although she made many mistakes and had her flaws, those flaws would eventually become her joy, peace, and contentment. With the true peace that comes from knowing Jesus Christ, she discovered the life she had been dreaming of since childhood.

This remarkable collection of wit, wisdom, and quotes of Clara "Gussie Bee" Kilgore has been compiled over the course of a lifetime. Combined with full color images and a completely unique text design ... this work of art by Cloyd Kilgore, Jr. offers you countless reasons to reflect, remember, and smile."THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO GOD AND THE MOTHERS OF THE WORLD ... This book is dedicated to God for my life at this time on this planet and for bringing all these wonderful angels into my life for my life lessons. Thank you Ms.Linda Jones, a very dear friend that without her love, belief and finance, this book would not be publishd at this time. Linda died 7- 14-10. I will miss and forever remember your love. Thank you."You are never alone, God is always with you.There is no right, there is no wrong; there are just lessons and perceptions.YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED;YOU HAVE GOD.GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES.NEVER TURN DOWN A FREE OFFER OF HELP; IT IS A GIFT FROM GOD.God Loves Everyone And Everything, You Should Too.BLESS THE GIVER AND THE GIFT."www.rev-press.com

A historian's task is a voyage of discovery, and in these personal reminiscences Ivor Guest allows the reader to share the romance of recreating times past. Since his first published article appeared in the 1940s he has vastly expanded and enriched our knowledge of ballet in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries through more than a score of books, many of them definitive works, that are a rare blend of scrupulous scholarship and readability. The story of his involvement in the world of ballet is a romance in itself. When he was drawn to the study of ballet history, comparatively little serious research had been done, and he found himself working in virtually virgin soil - the fulfillment of an historian's dream. The Paris Opera, with its library and archives, became his mecca, where he returned year after year to unearth the material on which were based his classic chronicles of the French ballet. In time his pre-eminence was to be recognised when he - an Englishman - was commissioned to write the official history of the Paris Opera Ballet. For him all this was a labour of love - almost in a literal sense, for as he reconstructed the lives of long-dead ballerinas through his patient research and deductive sleuthing, he fell under their spell like a man in love. His biographies are written with an easy style that conceals the toil that went into them, but in this book he tells of his quests for characters who were often maddeningly elusive, such as his 'first love', Fanny Cerrito. The account of his search for the date of her death is told with a touch of fine comedy, and culminates in the discovery of her descendants. These 'Adventures' are concerned mainly with Ivor Guest's work as a writer, but this is by no means the whole story. He played a crucial part in the creation of Frederick Ashton's 'La Fille mal gardee', discovering the early scores from which the music for this evergreen ballet was adapted, and his marriage to Ann Hutchinson led him up new paths as they combined their talents, hers as a specialist in dance notation, to recreate several choreographic gems from the past, including Fanny Elssler's famous Cachucha. And, to emphasise that his life is not all spent at his desk or in dusty archives, he tells the story of his involvement with the Royal Academy of Dance, as Chairman of its Executive Committee from 1969, when it was on the verge of bankruptcy, to the 1980s when it was riding high as the largest and most vital association of ballet teachers in the world. These reminiscences illuminate an aspect of the dance world that seldom comes into the limelight, yet is of great importance for its cultural significance. Scholars and writers who lift the curtain on the past work quietly in the background. This book tells the story of one of them, who in the field of dance scholarship is internationally recognised for his work.

Ann Sothern was often quoted as saying she had played every venue in show business except fairs. For over 60 years, she has captivated audiences from the stage, on radio and television, in film, and as a recording artist. This book is the first full-length examination of Miss Sothern's life and career. In addition to individual chapters on each facet of her life, the book features an extensive annotated bibliography of articles by and about Miss Sothern. The book includes a filmography and discography, as well as comprehensive lists of Miss Sothern's stage, radio, and television appearances. Schultz has done a magnificent job of documenting Ann Sothern's career. Classic Images Ann Sothern was often quoted as saying she had played every venue in show business except fairs. Ann Sothern: A Bio-Bibliography is proof that her statement was not far from wrong. For over 60 years, she has captivated audiences from the stage, on radio and television, in film, and as a recording artist. This book is the first full-length examination of Miss Sothern's life and career. In addition to individual chapters on each facet of her life, the book features an extensive annotated bibliography of articles by and about Miss Sothern. The book includes a filmography and discography, as well as comprehensive lists of Miss Sothern's stage, radio, and television appearances. Ann Sothern: A Bio-Bibliography is the first full-length examination of Miss Sothern's life and career. In addition to individual chapters on each facet of her career, the book features an extensive annotated bibliography of articles by and about Miss Sothern. The book includes a filmography and discography, as well as comprehensive lists of Miss Sothern's stage, radio, and television appearances. It is the first source to include a complete episode guide for Miss Sothern's television series, Private Secretary, The Ann Sothern Show, The Lucy Show, and My Mother the Car. An appendix lists products which were endorsed by Miss Sothern or which used her likeness in promotion. The book utilizes sixteen photographs, including four from Miss Sothern's personal collection, which she donated to the Ketchum Community Library in Ketchum, Idaho. A great library reference source, this book will be of interest to film scholars and fans of Miss Sothern.

"Leontyne Price: Highlights of a Prima Donna" is a collector's item. It was published in 1973 and covers some of the most essential years of her life and career. It has circulated extensively via libraries and has been cited in a variety of magazine articles, books and encyclopedias such as: "The Music of Black Americans: A History by Eileen Southern," 2nd Ed., 1985, W.W. Norton and Company, Inc.; "Biographical Dictionary of Musicians," 1992; "Current Biography," 1992; and "Opera In America" by John Dizikes, Yale University Press, 1993. "The life-story of Leontyne Price is told by Hugh Lee Lyon in "Highlights of a Prima Donna." He provides his reader with a candid view of her personal life. He brings into forefront some of the interesting hours spent at Wilberforce University and how she became an attraction in college."-"Earl Calloway, Chicago Daily Defender, Chicago Metrolitan Area, Illinois" "There is much to commend in the biography, "Leontyne Price: Highlights of a Prima Donna." The author has done considerable research into the salient points of the life of this opera star and concert artist. He interviewed family, friends and early teachers of Miss Price in her birthplace, Laurel Mississippi."-"William Duncan Allen, Performing ARTS, Berkeley, California" "Hugh Lee Lyon presents Leotyne Price in a warm and sympathetic light as he tells of the shy girl from Laurel, Mississippi, who became a world opera star. He gives us valuable information on an infrequently studies area of the Black musical experience and presents a bouquet to the diva."-"ENCORE"

This is the definitive biography of rap supergroup and cultural icons, Wu-Tang Clan (WTC). Heralded as one of the most influential groups in modern music-hip hop or otherwise-WTC created a rap dynasty on the strength of seven gold and platinum albums that launched the careers of such famous rappers as RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and more. During the '90s, they ushered in a hip-hop renaissance, rescuing rap from the corporate suites and bringing it back to the gritty streets where it started. In the process they changed the way business was conducted in an industry known for exploiting artists. Creatively, Wu-Tang pushed the boundaries of the artform dedicating themselves to lyrical mastery and sonic innovation, and one would be hard pressed to find a group who's had a bigger impact on the evolution of hip hop. S.H. Fernando Jr., a veteran music journalist who spent a significant amount of time with The Clan during their heyday of the '90s, has written extensively about the group for such publications as Rolling Stone, Vibe, and The Source. Over the years he has built up a formidable Wu-Tang archive that includes pages of unpublished interviews, videos of the group in action in the studio, and several notepads of accumulated memories and observations. Using such exclusive access as well as the wealth of open-source material, Fernando reconstructs the genesis and evolution of the group, delving into their unique ideology and range of influences, and detailing exactly how they changed the game and established a legacy that continues to this day. The book provides a startling portrait of overcoming adversity through self-empowerment and brotherhood, giving us unparalleled insights into what makes these nine young men from the ghetto tick. While celebrating the myriad accomplishments of The Clan, the book doesn't shy away from controversy-we're also privy to stories from their childhoods in the crack-infested hallways of Staten Island housing projects, stints in Rikers for gun possession, and million-dollar contracts that led to recklessness and drug overdoses (including Ol' Dirty Bastard's untimely death). More than simply a history of a single group, this book tells the story of a musical and cultural shift that started on the streets of Shaolin (Staten Island) and quickly spread around the world. Biographies on such an influential outfit are surprisingly few, mostly focused on a single member of the group's story. This book weaves together interviews from all the Clan members, as well as their friends, family and collaborators to create a compelling narrative and the most three-dimensional portrait of Wu-Tang to date. It also puts The Clan within a social, cultural, and historical perspective to fully appreciate their impact and understand how they have become the cultural icons they are today. Unique in its breadth, scope, and access, From The Streets of Shaolin is a must-have for fans of WTC and music bios in general.

Born Isidore Iskowitz in 1892, Eddie Cantor became one of the greatest entertainers of Depression-era America. The star of such films as Roman Scandals (1933) and Kid Millions (1934), he symbolized the ordinary person who falls into extraordinary circumstances. Off-screen or on, Cantor exuded a spirit of charity and hopefulness. His life was marked by numerous humanitarian achievements and a strong commitment to political and social causes. On October 29, 1995, as part of a nationwide celebration of the 75th anniversary of radio, he was posthumously inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame at Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communication. Despite his significant achievements and enormous popularity with his public, Eddie Cantor is today among the most overlooked performers of the golden age of American entertainment. This reference book provides detailed information on his extensive stage, film, radio, television, and musical work and includes an extensive bibliography. The volume begins with a carefully documented biography that discusses Cantor's upbringing, his rise as a vaudeville star, his social and political activism, and his success as a film, radio, and television personality. A chronology then highlights the most memorable achievements in his remarkable career. The chapters that follow are devoted to his stage, film, radio, and television work. Each chapter lists Cantor's performances in a particular medium and provides detailed material, such as cast and credit information, plot synopses, review excerpts, and a critical commentary. The volume also includes entries for his various recordings and for sheet music bearing his name or image. Appendices cite his newsreel appearances and cartoons featuring his likeness. An extensive bibliography of works by and about Cantor concludes the book.

From the New York Times bestselling author comes the definitive and most psychologically revealing biography of one of the world's most iconic stars, Miss Marilyn Monroe.

"Francis Poulenc: A Bio-Bibliography" is a thorough presentation of the works of this often performed and critically appreciated 20th-century composer. George R. Keck traces events in Poulenc's life and offers a list of works and performances with the primary focus on those facts and influences which contributed to the development of the composer's distinctive musical style. Included in the text is a substantial discography as well as annotated entries by and about the composer which cover every phase of his career and affirm Poulenc's place in 20th-century music.

The highly selective annotated bibliography comprises the major portion of the text. Since Keck's documentation of the development of Poulenc's style covers only representative works, he includes a list of all of Poulenc's compositions, arranged both alphabetically and chronologically, in the two appendixes. A complete index of names, places, and titles concludes the book.

Beast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin is the first-ever biography of the iconic John Bonham, considered by many to be one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) rock drummer of all time. Bonham first learned to play the drums at the age of five, and despite never taking formal lessons, began drumming for local bands immediately upon graduating from secondary school. By the late 1960s, Bonham was looking for a more solid gig in order to provide his growing family with a more regular income. Meanwhile, following the dissolution of the popular blues rock band The Yardbirds, lead guitarist Jimmy Page sought the company of new bandmates to help him record an album and tour Scandinavia as the New Yardbirds. A few months later, Bonham was recruited to join the band who would eventually become known as Led Zeppelin-and before the year was out, Bonham and his three bandmates would become the richest rock band in the world. In their first year, Led Zeppelin released two albums and completed four US and four UK concert tours. As their popularity exploded, they moved from ballrooms and smaller clubs to larger auditoriums, and eventually started selling out full arenas. Throughout the 1970s, Led Zeppelin reached new heights of commercial and critical success, making them one of the most influential groups of the era, both in musical style and in their approach towards the workings of the entertainment industry. They added extravagant lasers, light shows, and mirror balls to their performances; wore flamboyant and often glittering outfits; traveled in a private jet airliner and rented out entire sections of hotels; and soon become the subject of frequently repeated stories of debauchery and destruction while on tour. In 1977, the group performed what would be their final live appearance in the US, following months of rising fervor and rioting from their fandom. And in September of 1980, Bonham-plagued by alcoholism, anxiety, and the after-effects of years of excess-was found dead by his bandmates. To this day, Bonham is posthumously described as one of the most important, well-known, and influential drummers in rock, topping best of lists describing him as an inimitable, all-time great. As Adam Budofsky, managing editor of Modern Drummer, explained, "If the king of rock 'n' roll was Elvis Presley, then the king of rock drumming was certainly John Bonham."

Malcolm Arnold's music encompassed a variety of forms from opera and ballet through orchestral and chamber music to film scores. His most famous film score, for which he won an Oscar award in 1957, is The Bridge on the River Kwai. In 1953 he was commissioned to compose Homage to the Queen, a ballet to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Arnold was knighted by the Queen in 1993 in honor of his contributions to English music. As with the other volumes in the Greenwood Bio-Bibliographies in Music series, this work includes a brief biography, discography, complete list of works and performances, and an annotated bibliography. Music scholars, musicians, and those with an interest in the music of Malcolm Arnold will appreciate the extensive information gathered in this one volume. Since Malcolm Arnold has retired from composing, this book features the most complete list of his compositions, including some of his newly discovered early works. The works are listed alphabetically within genre. The author also provides a chronological listing of the works through which trends and developments in Arnold's compositions may be traced. Sir Malcolm Arnold's input with the project assures the accuracy and completeness of this bio-bibliography.