Ray Charles
Man and Music, Updated Commemorative Edition
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- 42,99 €
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- 42,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
Ray Charles: Man and Music is a complete biography of this seminal singer/pianist who has been active on the American music scene since the mid-'50s. Originally published in 1995 by Penguin Books, and universally hailed as the definitive biography, this new edition will bring Charles's life up to date, covering the last 7 years of his life.There are only a few legendary singers who have developed mass audiences while pursuing their own artistic visions: Sinatra is one; Ella Fitzgerald another. Ray Charles undoubtedly belongs in this pantheon of major musical stars. Ray Charles: Man and Music begins with Charles's impoverished childhood in Greenville, Florida, where tragedy struck early when the young Charles went blind at age 6 and was orphaned at age 14. Driven by his enormous talent and determination, Charles landed work playing some of the toughest juke joints in the state, fought heroin addiction, and finally landed a recording contract with Atlantic Records. Unlike other R&B singers, Charles took control of his career from its earliest days, moving on from his gospel-soul stylings of the mid-'50s to break through musical barriers, recording two country albums in the late '50s (at a time when the black presence in country music was barely felt), pure jazz, and then the powerful pop hits of the '60s. Famed music journalist Michael Lydon - a founding editor of RollingStone - is uniquely qualified to document Charles's career, having interviewed Charles and followed the star's performances since the 1960s. Originally published in 1995, and universally hailed as the definitive biography, this new edition brings Charles's life up to date, covering the last 7 years of his life. It coincides with the release of a made-for-TV movie starring Jamie Fox as Charles, currently in production by Taylor Hackford. Charles has also issued a new CD recently and remains active as a touring artist throughout the world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The singer, pianist and composer Ray Charles is such a fixture on the American music scene that a fan once told a reporter "I can't even remember when there wasn't a Ray Charles." His sensual growl responding to the Raelets sultry church choir, his nostalgic crooning of "Georgia on My Mind," his memorable performances of "America the Beautiful" at both Republican and Democratic presidential inaugurations, all have made him a star of almost unparalleled magnitude and longevity. Lydon (Boogie Lightning) is informative and engaging when discussing Charles's prolific output--his 1963 album Ingredients in a Recipe of Soul is described as "musical meat-and-potatoes blended in a stew of blues-jazz-C&W-R&B-and-pop"--and the discography he includes is a useful guide to a career spanning 50 years. His examination of Charles's life is just as enlightening. A driven businessman, according to Lydon, Charles is also cruel and insensitive to those close to him, never faithful to any woman ("a venerable joke declares, to be a Raelet, a lady must let Ray") and a tyrant to musicians in his band, paying them little and fining them $50 for being late to rehearsal. Lydon depicts him as stubborn and controlling, as when he netted an unheard-of contract with ABC Records in 1959 that allowed him to own his master tapes, making him the exemplary "artist as a businessman-producer." The singer's independence and resistance to musical trends didn't always pay off: they caused his recording career to nosedive two decades ago. However, at almost 70, he's still touring and still a star, and fans of Brother Ray--and of soul music more generally--will appreciate this comprehensive portrait.
