Continuation of this thread: http://prince.org/msg/8/372911

This is a new book that's interesting. It says that Ben Bart was the main person who began the crossing over of R&B acts to pop radio.

[Edited 5/29/12 21:12pm]

MickyDolenz said:

This is a new book that's interesting. It says that Ben Bart was the main person who began the crossing over of R&B acts to pop radio.

[Edited 5/29/12 21:12pm]

I was wondering who was his manager when he first started... so basically Ben was the reason that songs like "Please Please Please" and "Try Me" sold over a million even though it wasn't really "big hits" on the Hot 100?

[Edited 5/29/12 23:09pm]

Timmy84 said:

I was wondering who was his manager when he first started... so basically Ben was the reason that songs like "Please Please Please" and "Try Me" sold over a million even though it wasn't really "big hits" on the Hot 100?

According to the book, The Flames first manager was Berry Trimier in 1954. Later, in 1955, the group met Little Richard, and Richard recommended that they talk to his manager Clint Brantley. Clint accepted to represent them. Ben Bart comes into the picture in 1956, although Brantley still booked them in the south at first. Ben was based in New York, and so helped The Flames in the north, when they had previously just played in the south. Brantley was the one who got the group a record deal with King Records in early 1956 (before they met Ben). Ben Bart was the person who basically broke up the original group, by pushing James to the front, when beforehand there was no "leader". Everyone sang leads in the show and was equal. I think Ben had more to do with James success than King Records, as Sydney Nathan always seemed to be fighting James. But Nathan did that with all of his acts, but would take the credit for any success.

MickyDolenz said:

Timmy84 said:

I was wondering who was his manager when he first started... so basically Ben was the reason that songs like "Please Please Please" and "Try Me" sold over a million even though it wasn't really "big hits" on the Hot 100?

According to the book, The Flames first manager was Berry Trimier in 1954. Later, in 1955, the group met Little Richard, and Richard recommended that they talk to his manager Clint Brantley. Clint accepted to represent them. Ben Bart comes into the picture in 1956, although Brantley still booked them in the south at first. Ben was based in New York, and so helped The Flames in the north, when they had previously just played in the south. Brantley was the one who got the group a record deal with King Records in early 1956 (before they met Ben). Ben Bart was the person who basically broke up the original group, by pushing James to the front, when beforehand there was no "leader". Everyone sang leads in the show and was equal. I think Ben had more to do with James success than King Records, as Sydney Nathan always seemed to be fighting James. But Nathan did that with all of his acts, but would take the credit for any success.

I see!

Timmy84 said:

MickyDolenz said:

According to the book, The Flames first manager was Berry Trimier in 1954. Later, in 1955, the group met Little Richard, and Richard recommended that they talk to his manager Clint Brantley. Clint accepted to represent them. Ben Bart comes into the picture in 1956, although Brantley still booked them in the south at first. Ben was based in New York, and so helped The Flames in the north, when they had previously just played in the south. Brantley was the one who got the group a record deal with King Records in early 1956 (before they met Ben). Ben Bart was the person who basically broke up the original group, by pushing James to the front, when beforehand there was no "leader". Everyone sang leads in the show and was equal. I think Ben had more to do with James success than King Records, as Sydney Nathan always seemed to be fighting James. But Nathan did that with all of his acts, but would take the credit for any success.

I see!

It's like Ben saw James as "Michael Jackson" and the rest of the group as unimportant and nobody was coming to see them. Which fed into James ego. He wanted to be the leader.

[Edited 5/30/12 12:08pm]

MickyDolenz said:

Timmy84 said:

I see!

It's like Ben saw James as "Michael Jackson" and the rest of the group as unimportant and nobody was coming to see them. Which fed into James ego. He wanted to be the leader.

[Edited 5/30/12 12:08pm]

No wonder lol

I read this one last week. It's kinda more about the culture than the music itself though.

Here is a good book about the history of mariachi music and has lots of pictures too.

Mariachi looks like a good book. I'm a fan of the music. I picked up a couple of Pepe Aguilar CD's he's good. I have those 2 Elvis books but never read them.

JoeBala said:

Mariachi looks like a good book. I'm a fan of the music. I picked up a couple of Pepe Aguilar CD's he's good. I have those 2 Elvis books but never read them.

I didn't buy them, I just checked them out at the library when they came out. They're kinda long. Here's some trivia from the James Brown book. The studio that made the movie Black Caesar first asked Stevie Wonder to do the soundtrack. Stevie screened some of the footage and thought the movie was too violent and declined. So then James was asked and he accepted. Stevie also turned down performing at the Rumble In The Jungle fight.

This book is about the studio sessions of the Fab Four.

Guitarist Presents: BB King King Of The Blues on sale now!

[Edited 7/5/12 14:30pm]

This is a new book about Afrocentric records during 65-75. There is also a record/CD of a few songs mentioned in the book, but it's sold separately.

MickyDolenz said:

Shaolin325 said:

Is that Huey P. Newton on the cover? Did he make music? .

Yes it is, but some of the records mentioned in the book are not music. Some are recordings of speeches, poetry, and sermons.

I read this back in college, really liked it. Great stories about other musicians/personalities, touring, concerts, how certain sounds and styles developed, about that era in American history (segregation, African-American "Great Migration," African-American expatriates in Paris, etc.), and of course his own interesting personal history.

Here's a wikipedia description of the book: To BE or Not to BOP: Memoirs of Dizzy Gillespie is a book written by jazz musician, composer and band leader Dizzy Gillespie. He is known for being the father of the music Bebop. This book tells about his life, and what he went through to make this music flourish. The book introduces Dizzy and his friends like Charlie "Bird" Parker as they struggled to make money by playing. Later on it tells of how Dizzy became a great trumpeter and even the origin of his signature bent trumpet.

MickyDolenz said:

This book is about the studio sessions of the Fab Four.

Heyo!

Universally acknowledged as one of the most influential of all jazz pianists. Bill Evans (1929-1980) brought an unequaled finesse of touch to the keyboard. Classically trained on flute, violin, and piano, Evans chose jazz - specifically, the jazz piano trio - as the medium for his life's achievement. Peter Pettinger's biography tells Evans's story for the first time. Based on extensive research and conversations with many of Evans's friends and colleagues, as well as Pettinger's firsthand memories of performances at the Village Vanguard in New York and Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London, it describes the life, the musicmaking, and the legacy of this major American jazz artist. Pettinger assesses Evans's recordings and analyzes his expressive technique, tone production, approach to group playing, and compositional methods. With a full discography and dozens of photographs, the volume will be welcomed by jazz fans and general readers alike.

[Edited 7/6/12 8:53am]

The only music books Ive ever read were:

[Edited 7/6/12 12:37pm]

I borrowed this book from the library for my daughter, but I finished reading it myself today and I HIGHLY recommend it (pic from amazon.com):

What I really enjoyed was reading about how new music changed the instrument making, and how the instrument makers (inventions/improvements) changed the music - how they've both influenced each other and evolved to the music and instruments we hear and enjoy today. There's history, but it's interesting for musicians to understand some more about how & how the instruments came to be.

Lots of photos, illustrations, side-bars (it's supposed to be for middle-schoolers), and only 130 pgs.

The instrument makers profiled are: Zildjian (cymbals - among others, the hi-hat!), Steinway (pianos), C.G. Conn (brass), Martin (guitars), Ludwig (drums - among others, the bass pedal!), Hammond (electric organ), Leo Fender (electric guitar -among others, telecasters & stratocasters!), Moog (synthesizers).

Here's a review I found on a blog:

Fender probably isn’t a household name for most people, but if you happen to be married to a “guitar geek” (as I am), the name not only rings a bell but you can also tell the difference between a Telecaster and a Jazzmaster. Thanks to Raggin’ Jazzin’ Rockin’: A History of American Musical Instrument Makers, I can tell the difference and tell you the names of the various versions that the Fender Telecaster went through before becoming the Tele we know today. Perfect for impressing my husband and our musician friends!

Leo Fender is just one of many instrument makers profiled in this book. Others were familiar to me, like Ludwig (drums) and Zildjian (cymbals), and others I vaguely recognized but didn’t know much about, like Steinway (pianos), Conn (brass instruments), and Hammond (organs). The stories behind the companies are stories of craft or invention. Leo Fender was not a guitar player; he was an inventor with an interest in electronics. Avedis Zildjian was a craftsman who passed the secret formula for his cymbals down to his sons for generations.

They are also stories of history and economics. These companies had to change a lot through the years to make it through wars, the Great Depression, or family changes. There were mergers, buy-outs, and even buy-backs. It’s a lot of ground to cover in such a small book (especially considering the copious sidebars about the musicians who played the instruments under discussion), but veteran music writer VanHecke (Rock ‘n’ Roll Soldier with Dean Ellis Kohler) keeps the narrative focused with interesting stories and irresistible trivia.

Give this book to the musicians all of ages in your life, but don’t stop there. History buffs, inventors, and others are also likely to find this book fascinating.

...

Enjoyed these recently....

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...

Bought this used on amazon for about 5 bucks after seeing it at the library and on a recent thread about him. Have not read it yet.

In April 2003, Vandross suffered a devastating stroke. When he opened his eyes from his comatose state almost one month later, Vandross added yet one more page to the many chapters in his life: later in the year, his song "Dance with My Father" won a Grammy. Seymour, a music critic for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, chronicles the mercurial ups and downs of the golden-throated singer in this superficial biography. Seymour recounts Vandross's lifelong love of music and the singer's early infatuations with girl groups, particularly Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles and Dionne Warwick. Vandross enrolled in Western Michigan University, but eventually dropped out to pursue a career as a composer. His first big break came when he met David Bowie and composed the chorus for Bowie's "Young American." Vandross's fame as a composer and backup singer, which he preferred to the spotlight of a soloist, steadily grew until he was producing such acts as Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker and En Vogue. In spite of his success, the singer struggled with his insecurities, which often led him to seek solace in overeating, and he battled obesity and its attendant health problems throughout his career. Vandross's life and career, however, often get lost in Seymour's mini-profiles of the many musicians who helped him along his way.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

producing such acts as Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker and En Vogue

Luther didn't have anything to do with En Vogue's records, they just went on a tour with him.

MickyDolenz said:

This book is about the studio sessions of the Fab Four.

I have an older version of this book. I have read it a dozen times! I actually just picked it up again the other night!