The Last Balladeer
Author | : Gregg Akkerman |
Publisher | : Scarecrow Press |
Total Pages | : 393 |
Release | : 2012-06-14 |
ISBN-10 | : 9780810882812 |
ISBN-13 | : 0810882817 |
Rating | : 4/5 (12 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: In The Last Balladeer, author Gregg Akkerman skillfully reveals the life-long achievements and occasional missteps of Johnny Hartman as an African-American artist dedicated to his craft. In the first full-length biography and discography to chronicle the rhapsodic life and music of Johnny Hartman, the author completes a previously missing dimension of vocal-jazz history by documenting Hartman as the balladeer who crooned his way into so many hearts. Backed by impeccable research but conveyed in a conversational style, this book will interest not only musicians and scholars but any fan of the Great American Songbook and the singers who brought it to life.