Author: Jeff Pearce
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141965932
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 297
Book Description
The poor boy who made his fortune . . . not just once but twice. Little Jeff Pearce grew up in a post-war Liverpool slum. His father lived the life of an affluent gentleman whilst his mother was forced to steal bread to feed her starving children. Life was tough and from the moment Jeff could walk he learned to go door to door, begging rags from the rich, which he sold down the markets. Leaving school at the age of fourteen, he embarked on an extraordinary journey, and found himself, before the age of thirty, a millionaire. Then, after a cruel twist of fate left him penniless, he, his wife and children were forced out of their beautiful home . . . With nothing but holes in his pockets, Jeff had no alternative but to go back down the markets and start all over again. Did he still have what it took? Could he really get back everything he had lost? A Pocketful of Holes and Dreams is the heartwarming true story of a little boy who had nothing but gained everything and proof that, sometimes, rags can be turned into riches . . . ______________ 'An inspirational tale of hard work and determination' 5* Reader review 'I just loved this book from the first chapter - I was gripped' 5* Reader review
A Pocketful of Holes and Dreams
Author: Jeff Pearce
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141965932
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 297
Book Description
The poor boy who made his fortune . . . not just once but twice. Little Jeff Pearce grew up in a post-war Liverpool slum. His father lived the life of an affluent gentleman whilst his mother was forced to steal bread to feed her starving children. Life was tough and from the moment Jeff could walk he learned to go door to door, begging rags from the rich, which he sold down the markets. Leaving school at the age of fourteen, he embarked on an extraordinary journey, and found himself, before the age of thirty, a millionaire. Then, after a cruel twist of fate left him penniless, he, his wife and children were forced out of their beautiful home . . . With nothing but holes in his pockets, Jeff had no alternative but to go back down the markets and start all over again. Did he still have what it took? Could he really get back everything he had lost? A Pocketful of Holes and Dreams is the heartwarming true story of a little boy who had nothing but gained everything and proof that, sometimes, rags can be turned into riches . . . ______________ 'An inspirational tale of hard work and determination' 5* Reader review 'I just loved this book from the first chapter - I was gripped' 5* Reader review
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141965932
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 297
Book Description
The poor boy who made his fortune . . . not just once but twice. Little Jeff Pearce grew up in a post-war Liverpool slum. His father lived the life of an affluent gentleman whilst his mother was forced to steal bread to feed her starving children. Life was tough and from the moment Jeff could walk he learned to go door to door, begging rags from the rich, which he sold down the markets. Leaving school at the age of fourteen, he embarked on an extraordinary journey, and found himself, before the age of thirty, a millionaire. Then, after a cruel twist of fate left him penniless, he, his wife and children were forced out of their beautiful home . . . With nothing but holes in his pockets, Jeff had no alternative but to go back down the markets and start all over again. Did he still have what it took? Could he really get back everything he had lost? A Pocketful of Holes and Dreams is the heartwarming true story of a little boy who had nothing but gained everything and proof that, sometimes, rags can be turned into riches . . . ______________ 'An inspirational tale of hard work and determination' 5* Reader review 'I just loved this book from the first chapter - I was gripped' 5* Reader review
American Popular Song Lyricists
Author: Michael Whorf
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786490616
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
In this volume (a companion to American Popular Song Composers), 39 leading American lyricists from the Tin Pan Alley, Hollywood and Broadway of the 1920s to the 1960s discuss their careers and share the stories of creating many of the most beloved songs in American music. Interviewed for radio in the 1970s, they include such writing teams as Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, and such individuals as Harold Adamson, E.Y. Harburg, Gus Kahn, Leo Robin and Paul Francis Webster. Photographs and rare sheet music reproductions accompany the interviews.
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786490616
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
In this volume (a companion to American Popular Song Composers), 39 leading American lyricists from the Tin Pan Alley, Hollywood and Broadway of the 1920s to the 1960s discuss their careers and share the stories of creating many of the most beloved songs in American music. Interviewed for radio in the 1970s, they include such writing teams as Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, and such individuals as Harold Adamson, E.Y. Harburg, Gus Kahn, Leo Robin and Paul Francis Webster. Photographs and rare sheet music reproductions accompany the interviews.
Lyrical Satirical Harold Rome
Author: Tighe E. Zimmers
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786470267
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
Harold Rome was a composer and lyricist on Broadway, starting with Pins and Needles in 1937. His biggest hits included Call Me Mister, Wish You Were Here, Fanny, Destry Rides Again, and I Can Get It for You Wholesale and he continued on Broadway through 1965 with The Zulu and the Zayda. His early career, after two Yale degrees, featured songs of "social significance," lyrics for the common man filled with satire. His later works were songs well adapted to the book musicals of the day, and his words and music became more lyrical. Rome worked with Moss Hart, George S. Kaufman, Jerome Weidman, Joshua Logan, David Merrick and others, and wrote songs for such stars as Pearl Bailey, Ezio Pinza, Walter Slezak and Barbra Streisand (among many). Politically involved, and left-wing, he attracted the attention of conservative organizations and the FBI. His song writing contributed to the home front efforts for World War II, as a civilian and then as a corporal in the Army. Showing yet another side, his paintings were critically praised and he amassed an impressive collection of African art.
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786470267
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
Harold Rome was a composer and lyricist on Broadway, starting with Pins and Needles in 1937. His biggest hits included Call Me Mister, Wish You Were Here, Fanny, Destry Rides Again, and I Can Get It for You Wholesale and he continued on Broadway through 1965 with The Zulu and the Zayda. His early career, after two Yale degrees, featured songs of "social significance," lyrics for the common man filled with satire. His later works were songs well adapted to the book musicals of the day, and his words and music became more lyrical. Rome worked with Moss Hart, George S. Kaufman, Jerome Weidman, Joshua Logan, David Merrick and others, and wrote songs for such stars as Pearl Bailey, Ezio Pinza, Walter Slezak and Barbra Streisand (among many). Politically involved, and left-wing, he attracted the attention of conservative organizations and the FBI. His song writing contributed to the home front efforts for World War II, as a civilian and then as a corporal in the Army. Showing yet another side, his paintings were critically praised and he amassed an impressive collection of African art.
Broadway North
Author: Mel Atkey
Publisher: Dundurn
ISBN: 1554881080
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 326
Book Description
Did you know that the idea behind the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes was first tried out in Toronto? That Canada produced the world’s longest-running annual revue? Few people realize the Canadian influences that are at the heart of American and British culture. Author Mel Atkey’s research for Broadway North included interviews with Norman and Elaine Campbell and Don Harron, creators of Anne of Green Gables-The Musical; Mavor Moore, founder of the Charlottetown Festival and of Spring Thaw; John Gray, author of Billy Bishop Goes to War; Ray Jessel and Marian Grudeff, Spring Thaw writers who had success on Broadway with Baker Street; Dolores Claman, composer of the Hockey Night In Canada theme, who also wrote the musicals Mr. Scrooge and Timber!!; and Galt MacDermot, the composer of Hair who started out writing songs for the McGill University revue My Fur Lady. Included is the phenomenal success of The Drowsy Chaperone. Atkey also draws on his own experience as a writer and composer of musicals, and tells the story of why a show that should have starred James Doohan (Star Trek’s Scotty) didn’t happen. Composer, lyricist and author, Mel Atkey is currently based in the U.K. Proud of his Canadian cultural roots, he has long been fascinated with the notion of a distinctive Canadian musical theatre.
Publisher: Dundurn
ISBN: 1554881080
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 326
Book Description
Did you know that the idea behind the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes was first tried out in Toronto? That Canada produced the world’s longest-running annual revue? Few people realize the Canadian influences that are at the heart of American and British culture. Author Mel Atkey’s research for Broadway North included interviews with Norman and Elaine Campbell and Don Harron, creators of Anne of Green Gables-The Musical; Mavor Moore, founder of the Charlottetown Festival and of Spring Thaw; John Gray, author of Billy Bishop Goes to War; Ray Jessel and Marian Grudeff, Spring Thaw writers who had success on Broadway with Baker Street; Dolores Claman, composer of the Hockey Night In Canada theme, who also wrote the musicals Mr. Scrooge and Timber!!; and Galt MacDermot, the composer of Hair who started out writing songs for the McGill University revue My Fur Lady. Included is the phenomenal success of The Drowsy Chaperone. Atkey also draws on his own experience as a writer and composer of musicals, and tells the story of why a show that should have starred James Doohan (Star Trek’s Scotty) didn’t happen. Composer, lyricist and author, Mel Atkey is currently based in the U.K. Proud of his Canadian cultural roots, he has long been fascinated with the notion of a distinctive Canadian musical theatre.
Easy to Remember
Author: William Zinsser
Publisher: David R. Godine Publisher
ISBN: 9781567923254
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 300
Book Description
In this warm and affectionate book, William Zinsser describes his lifelong love affair with American popular song and the American musical theater.
Publisher: David R. Godine Publisher
ISBN: 9781567923254
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 300
Book Description
In this warm and affectionate book, William Zinsser describes his lifelong love affair with American popular song and the American musical theater.
Let's Do It
Author: Bob Stanley
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1639362517
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 458
Book Description
The must-read music book of the year—and the first such history bringing together all musical genres to tell the definitive narrative of the birth of Pop—from 1900 to the mid-1950s. Pop music didn't begin with the Beatles in 1963, or with Elvis in 1956, or even with the first seven-inch singles in 1949. There was a pre-history that went back to the first recorded music, right back to the turn of the century. Who were these earliest record stars—and were they in any meaningful way "pop stars"? Who was George Gershwin writing songs for? Why did swing, the hit sound for a decade or more, become almost invisible after World War II? The prequel to Bob Stanley’s celebrated Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!, this new volume is the first book to tell the definitive story of the birth of pop, from the invention of the 78 rpm record at the end of the nineteenth century to the beginnings of rock and the modern pop age. Covering superstars such as Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra, alongside the unheralded songwriters and arrangers behind some of our most enduring songs, Stanley paints an aural portrait of pop music's formative years in stunning clarity, uncovering the silver threads and golden needles that bind the form together. Bringing the eclectic, evolving world of early pop to life—from ragtime, blues and jazz to Broadway, country, crooning, and beyond—Let's Do It is essential reading for all music lovers. "An encyclopaedic introduction to the fascinating and often forgotten creators of Anglo-American hit music in the first half of the twentieth century."—Neil Tennant (The Pet Shop Boys)
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1639362517
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 458
Book Description
The must-read music book of the year—and the first such history bringing together all musical genres to tell the definitive narrative of the birth of Pop—from 1900 to the mid-1950s. Pop music didn't begin with the Beatles in 1963, or with Elvis in 1956, or even with the first seven-inch singles in 1949. There was a pre-history that went back to the first recorded music, right back to the turn of the century. Who were these earliest record stars—and were they in any meaningful way "pop stars"? Who was George Gershwin writing songs for? Why did swing, the hit sound for a decade or more, become almost invisible after World War II? The prequel to Bob Stanley’s celebrated Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!, this new volume is the first book to tell the definitive story of the birth of pop, from the invention of the 78 rpm record at the end of the nineteenth century to the beginnings of rock and the modern pop age. Covering superstars such as Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra, alongside the unheralded songwriters and arrangers behind some of our most enduring songs, Stanley paints an aural portrait of pop music's formative years in stunning clarity, uncovering the silver threads and golden needles that bind the form together. Bringing the eclectic, evolving world of early pop to life—from ragtime, blues and jazz to Broadway, country, crooning, and beyond—Let's Do It is essential reading for all music lovers. "An encyclopaedic introduction to the fascinating and often forgotten creators of Anglo-American hit music in the first half of the twentieth century."—Neil Tennant (The Pet Shop Boys)
Lullabies of Hollywood
Author: Richard Fehr
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 392
Book Description
Through interviews with many of the leading lyricists, aided by years of research, the authors provide a survey of the leading popular and theme songs written exclusively for Hollywood--from sheet music for silent movies through contemporary soundtracks--concentrating on both the music and its role in the development of the movie musical. Also discussed are the writers and stars.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 392
Book Description
Through interviews with many of the leading lyricists, aided by years of research, the authors provide a survey of the leading popular and theme songs written exclusively for Hollywood--from sheet music for silent movies through contemporary soundtracks--concentrating on both the music and its role in the development of the movie musical. Also discussed are the writers and stars.
Bing Crosby
Author: Gary Giddins
Publisher: Back Bay Books
ISBN: 0316091561
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 426
Book Description
From Bing Crosby's early days in college minstrel shows and vaudeville, to his first hit recordings, from his 11 year triumph as star of America's most popular radio show, to his first success in Hollywood, Gary Giddins provides a detailed study of the rise of this American star.
Publisher: Back Bay Books
ISBN: 0316091561
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 426
Book Description
From Bing Crosby's early days in college minstrel shows and vaudeville, to his first hit recordings, from his 11 year triumph as star of America's most popular radio show, to his first success in Hollywood, Gary Giddins provides a detailed study of the rise of this American star.
Television Variety Shows
Author: David M. Inman
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476608776
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 428
Book Description
For the few hundred television viewers in 1946, a special treat on the broadcast schedule was the variety show called Hour Glass. It was the first TV program to go beyond talking heads, cooking demonstrations, and sporting events, featuring instead dancers, comics, singers, and long commercials for its sponsor, Chase and Sanborn coffee. Within two years, another variety show, Texaco Star Theatre, became the first true television hit and would be credited with the sales of thousands of television sets. The variety show formula was a staple of television in its first 30 years, in part because it lent itself to a medium where everything had to be live and preferably inside a studio. Most of the early television stars--including Jackie Gleason, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Ed Sullivan, Red Skelton, Dinah Shore, and Arthur Godfrey--rose to prominence through weekly variety shows. In the 1960s, major stars such as Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Judy Garland and Danny Kaye were hosting variety shows. By the 1970s, the format was giving way to sitcoms and dramas, but pop music stars Sonny and Cher, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and Donny and Marie Osmond hosted some of the last of the species. This book details 57 variety shows from the 1940s through the 1990s. A history of each show is first provided, followed by a brief look at each episode. Air date, guest stars, sketches performed, and a listing of songs featured are included.
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476608776
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 428
Book Description
For the few hundred television viewers in 1946, a special treat on the broadcast schedule was the variety show called Hour Glass. It was the first TV program to go beyond talking heads, cooking demonstrations, and sporting events, featuring instead dancers, comics, singers, and long commercials for its sponsor, Chase and Sanborn coffee. Within two years, another variety show, Texaco Star Theatre, became the first true television hit and would be credited with the sales of thousands of television sets. The variety show formula was a staple of television in its first 30 years, in part because it lent itself to a medium where everything had to be live and preferably inside a studio. Most of the early television stars--including Jackie Gleason, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Ed Sullivan, Red Skelton, Dinah Shore, and Arthur Godfrey--rose to prominence through weekly variety shows. In the 1960s, major stars such as Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Judy Garland and Danny Kaye were hosting variety shows. By the 1970s, the format was giving way to sitcoms and dramas, but pop music stars Sonny and Cher, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and Donny and Marie Osmond hosted some of the last of the species. This book details 57 variety shows from the 1940s through the 1990s. A history of each show is first provided, followed by a brief look at each episode. Air date, guest stars, sketches performed, and a listing of songs featured are included.
Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depression
Author: Morris Dickstein
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393338762
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 625
Book Description
A cultural history of the 1930s explores the anxiety, despair, and optimism of the period, exploring how the period culture provided a dynamic lift to the country's morale.
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393338762
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 625
Book Description
A cultural history of the 1930s explores the anxiety, despair, and optimism of the period, exploring how the period culture provided a dynamic lift to the country's morale.