Queen of bebop : the musical lives of Sarah Vaughan / Elaine M. Hayes.

Title:

Author:

Hayes, Elaine M.

ISBN:

9780062364685

0062364685

Edition:

First edition.

Publication Info:

New York, NY :

Description:

x, 419 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Contents:

Part I: An artist is born, 1924-1947. "There was no sign of any kind of voice" ; "Ah mon vieux, this chick is groovy!" ; "I'm not singing other people's ideas" ; "The most talked about voice in America" -- Part II: A star is born, 1948-1958. "The girl with the magic voice" ; "She's vaughanderful. She's marvelous" ; "Sarah Vaughan and her Pygmalion" ; "Sarah Vaughan is finally on the way to the pot of gold" ; "The high priestess of jazz" -- Part III: A career is reborn, 1959-1990. "They say you can't teach new tricks to old dogs--so get new dogs!" ; "The no. 1 singer of a decade ago" ; "I'm not a jazz singer. I'm a singer" ; "Here I go again" ; "The Marian Anderson of modern jazz" ; "I'm just coming into my prime" -- Epilogue: "The greatest vocal artist of our century"

Summary:

An account of the life of the influential jazz singer and civil rights advocate shares insights into her contributions as an African-American artist, drawing on inside sources to discuss her creative process and challenge misperceptions about her character.

Personal Subject:

Vaughan, Sarah, 1924-1990.

Subject(s):

Jazz singers -- United States -- Biography.

African American women -- Biography.

Holds: Copies (not including on-order items):

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Call Number	Shelf Location	Status	Item Holds
Searching... Penrose Library	Book	782.42165 VAUG	Nonfiction	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2017

Washington Post Best Book of 2017

Amazon Editors' Top 100 Pick of the Year

Amazon Best Humor and Entertainment Pick of the Year

Booklist Top Ten Arts Book

Queen of Bebop brilliantly chronicles the life of jazz singer Sarah Vaughan, one of the most influential and innovative musicians of the twentieth century and a pioneer of women's and civil rights

Sarah Vaughan, a pivotal figure in the formation of bebop, influenced a broad array of singers who followed in her wake, yet the breadth and depth of her impact--not just as an artist, but also as an African-American woman--remain overlooked.

Drawing from a wealth of sources as well as on exclusive interviews with Vaughan's friends and former colleagues, Queen of Bebop unravels the many myths and misunderstandings that have surrounded Vaughan while offering insights into this notoriously private woman, her creative process, and, ultimately, her genius. Hayes deftly traces the influence that Vaughan's singing had on the perception and appreciation of vocalists--not to mention women--in jazz. She reveals how, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Vaughan helped desegregate American airwaves, opening doors for future African-American artists seeking mainstream success, while also setting the stage for the civil rights activism of the 1960s and 1970s. She follows Vaughan from her hometown of Newark, New Jersey, and her first performances at the Apollo, to the Waldorf Astoria and on to the world stage, breathing life into a thrilling time in American music nearly lost to us today.

Equal parts biography, criticism, and good old-fashioned American success story, Queen of Bebop is the definitive biography of a hugely influential artist. This absorbing and sensitive treatment of a singular personality updates and corrects the historical record on Vaughan and elevates her status as a jazz great.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Drawing on exclusive interviews with Sarah Vaughan's friends and former colleagues, jazz-historian Hayes (a former editor of Earshot Jazz magazine) has written a lively and moving portrait of the passionate and tenacious jazz singer. Hayes gracefully narrates Vaughan's life, from her childhood-church-choir days in 1930s Newark, N.J., and her first major performance at age 18 at Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem to her career of singing bebop with Billy Eckstine, Earl Hines, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie Parker. Hayes traces Vaughan's growth as a successful pop artist-which she dictated on her own terms-as well as her failed marriages and her canny ability to make a range of musical styles her own. Vaughan dealt with shady business managers and unscrupulous producers who wanted to shape her in their image, but she held strong and continued to focus on her singing, which, as Hayes astutely explains, represented for her "autonomy, independence, and an opportunity for self-realization... it was her salvation." Hayes's blending of the cultural history of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s with his lucid critical insights into Vaughan's recordings and her life makes this book a detailed look at a fearless singer who constantly moved into new musical territories and left a legacy for younger musicians. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* Music historian Hayes elucidates with expertise and finesse the precise nature of Sarah Vaughan's artistic genius. No mere girl singer, Newark-born Vaughan was a serious, hard-working, gutsy musician with a dazzling four-octave range, perfect pitch, and technical prowess matched by an unfettered musical imagination. Vaughan dropped out of high school to school herself in jazz, graduating with a triumphant performance on amateur night at the Apollo Theater, which delivered her to Earl Hines' band in 1943, a group that included Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Billy Eckstine. At 18, Vaughan was on the road at the dawn of bebop, holding her own on and off the stage as the only woman with 16 men as they faced brutal racial discrimination. Cussing and battling, Vaughan earned the nicknames Sailor and Sassy. Two years later she launched her roller-coaster solo career. Tireless researcher Hayes chronicles with passionate precision Vaughan's galvanizing performances around the world, her recording successes and debacles, and her musical innovations, from her forays into pop to her singing with symphonies. Hayes' interviews with musicians, meticulous jazz history, incisive coverage of the ridiculous publicity campaigns the performer endured, and frank coverage of Vaughan's emotionally and financially disastrous marriages and her repeated rising from the ashes cohere in a deeply illuminating and unforgettable biography of a true American master.--Seaman, Donna Copyright 2017 Booklist

Library Journal Review

Performer Sarah Vaughan (1924-90), born in Newark, NJ, set the course for modern jazz singing. At 18, she won amateur night at the Apollo singing "Body and Soul," which launched her career. She spent the rest of her life in music, touring early on with musicians such as Earl "Fatha" Hines, Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie Parker, who were on the verge of changing jazz and creating bebop. Throughout her career, she maintained her creativity and fearlessness about venturing into new musical conversations, pushing herself and others to be constantly innovative. This title treads some of the same ground as Leslie Gourse's Sassy: The Life of Sarah Vaughan, but music historian and Vaughan expert Hayes focuses more on the music and looks at the role racism and imposing notions of femininity played. The author combines research and interviews, deftly outlining that by becoming a "crossover" artist, Vaughan helped create spaces for others and shifted perceptions of "how white America heard, understood, and interacted with the black female voice." VERDICT This inspiring book about an artist who disliked being labelled traces Vaughan's life and its intersection of music with race and gender. [See Prepub Alert, 1/23/17.]-Lani Smith, Ohone Coll. Lib., Fremont, CA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Prologue	p. 1
Part I An Artist Is Born, 1924-1947	p. 9
1 "There Was No Sign of Any Kind of Voice"	p. 15
2 "Ah Mon Vieux, This Chick Is Groovy!"	p. 37
3 "I'm Not Singing Other People's Ideas"	p. 65
4 "The Most Talked About Voice in America"	p. 83
Part II A Star Is Born, 1948-1958	p. 99
5 "The Girl with the Magic Voice"	p. 107
6 "She's Vaughanderful. She's Marvelous"	p. 129
7 " Sarah Vaughan and Her Pygmalion"	p. 145
8 "Sarah Vaughan Is Finally on the Way to the Pot of Gold"	p. 163
9 "The High Priestess of Jazz"	p. 183
Part III A Career Is Reborn, 1959-1990	p. 213
10 "They Say You Can't Teach New Tricks to Old Dogs-So Get New Dogs!"	p. 219
11 "The No. 1 Singer of a Decade Ago"	p. 243
12 "I'm Not a Jazz Singer. I'm a Singer"	p. 265
13 "Here I Go Again"	p. 283
14 "The Marian Anderson of Modern Jazz"	p. 299
15 "I'm Just Coming into My Prime"	p. 321
Epilogue: "The Greatest Vocal Artist of Our Century"	p. 357
Acknowledgments	p. 367
Notes	p. 371
Index	p. 403

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Summary

Summary

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents