Star Dust, the Bible of the Big Bands - Softcover

Richard Grudens

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0976387751 ISBN 13: 9780976387756

Publisher: Celebrity Profiles Inc, 2008

Synopsis

The complete Big Band Bible covering the Bands, the bandleaders, the musicians, the vocalists, the arrangers, the singing groups of most of the previous century told through a collection of personal profiles featuring the twentieth century's greatest musical stars with a foreword by Frankie Laine and an introduction by Kathryn Crosby, Mrs. Bing Crosby. The book will include the history of the song Stardust, bandleader Van Alexander's 'So You Want to Lead a Band.' The lists will document every known band and its theme song, as well as two lists documenting every girl and boy singer who ever sang with a band or bands. Features: Your Lucky Strike Hit Parade, The Cotton Club, Big Band Million sellers, Presentation of the First Gold Record, Great Moments in Big Band History, WNEW radio polls, the Recording Ban, Anecdotes and Fables, interviews with almost every Big Band Leaders and their vocalists. Vignettes of every known singing group, Big Band Associates like Mitch Miller and John Hammond, a chapter on the songwriters, the arrangers, the broadcasters, the Ghost-tribute bands and their tours of today, a list and interviews with the current crop of singers, The Music of Your Life story, 50 pages devoted to the bands of England and Europe, the complete alphabetical list of all known bands 1920-1980's, Big Band organiztions, clubs, and publications. Big Band Anecdotes and Non de Plumes; the performers real names, and much more. The book has over 300 photos, many never before published.

About this title

Review

Well, here it is, Richard Grudens' long awaited Bible of the Big Bands. Not only is he the ideal craftsman to envision and create such a project, in my mind, he's the only one. Coverage of forty of our twentieth century's big bands, including Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Les Brown, Stan Kenton, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Harry James, Van Alexander, Jack Teagarden, Ben Grisafi, Lionel Hampton, many of their most famous musicians, over 50 of our greatest vocalists, including my own Bing and Frank Sinatra, their associates and arrangers, together with their predecessors, followers, and European counterparts, demands a scope which no other writer could presume to possess. Largely, as a consequence of my marriage to Bing, I was acquainted with perhaps a score of the celebrities whom you will encounter in this book, I could have recognized them on the street, and that was about it. Richard Grudens, on the other hand, has the greatest breadth of anyone who has ever undertaken to describe the giants of our musical world. Here you will meet, in intimate detail, the leading performers of our finest era, and I trust you will enjoy the brilliant narrative as much as I did. Read on, my friends. Kathryn, Mrs. Bing Crosby --Kathryn, Mrs. Bing Crosby

ANN JILLIAN: A great book about our musical heroes past and present, for certain. I m sure the very talented and professional musical artists in the world will agree that Richard Grudens books about them and their music is, without a doubt, the only history of the industry that is so well researched and well-presented that it not only acts as a clearing house, more, it s the factual history of it all that we must have. I loved this book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys music and the stars that made that music. Richard Grudens has another hit with Stardust. --Ann Jillian --Ann Jillian

RICHARD GRUDENS scores again with another musical biography of the music of the Big Bands for all to enjoy. He is one of the most talented authors I have ever interviewed on GMMY Radio. The book shines and is capable of bringing the reader onto a beautiful highway of nostalgic memories. Here is describes the giants of our treasured musical world. Here you will meet the leading performers of our best musical era, the Big Band Era and Beyond. I trust you will enjoy this book as much as I did. You ll love it. It s pure Gold. The man did his homework in compiling exhaustive information about all the wonderful artists. We happily endorse this magical book. --GMMY radio Frank E. Dee, Host. --GMMY radio Frank E. Dee, Host.

About this edition

• Publisher: Celebrity Profiles Inc
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0976387751
• ISBN 13: 9780976387756
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 700