Stardust Melody : The Life and Music of Hoagy Carmichael

georgia On My Mind, Rockin' Chair, Skylark, Lazybones , And Of Course The Incomparable star Dust —who Else Could Have Composed These Classic American Songs But Hoagy Carmichael? He Remains, For Millions, The Voice Of Heartland America, Eternal Counterpoint To The Urban Sensibility Of Cole Porter And George Gershwin. Now, Trumpeter And Historian Richard M. Sudhalter Has Penned The First Book-length Biography Of The Man Alec Wilder Hailed As The Most Talented, Inventive, Sophisticated And Jazz-oriented Of All The Great Songwriters—the Greatest Of The Great Craftsmen. stardust Melody Follows Carmichael From His Roaring-twenties Indiana Youth To Bandstands And Recording Studios Across The Nation, Playing Piano And Singing Alongside Jazz Greats Jack Teagarden, Benny Goodman, Tommy And Jimmy Dorsey, And Close Friends Bix Beiderbecke And Louis Armstrong. It Illuminates His Peak Hollywood Years, Starring In Such Films As to Have And Have Not And the Best Years Of Our Lives , And On Radio, Records And Tv. With Compassionate Insight Sudhalter Depicts Hoagy's Triumphs And Tragedies, And His Mounting Despair As Rock-and-roll Drowns Out And Lays Waste To The Last Days Of A Brilliant Career. With An Insider's Clarity Sudhalter Explores The Songs Themselves, Still Fresh And Appealing While Reminding Us Of Our Innocent American Yesterdays. Drawing On Carmichael's Private Papers And On Interviews With Family, Friends And Colleagues, He Reveals That The Old Music Master Was Almost As Gifted A Wordsmith As A Shaper Of Melodies. In All, stardust Melody Offers A Richly Textured Portrait Of One Of Our Greatest Musical Figures, An Inspiring American Icon. publishers Weekly this First Full Biography Of Hoagy Carmichael (1899-1981), A Major Jazz Singer/songwriter, Is A Dense Labor Of Love. Sudhalter (lost Chords: White Musicians And Their Contributions To Jazz) Admits To Being Driven By Thoughts Of Obsolescence: How Quick We Are To Discard, To Expunge What's Not Immediately Relevant To Us, He Laments. Surely It Wasn't All That Long Ago That Hoagy Carmichael Wise, Thoughtful, Casual In A Grown-up, Seen-it-all Way Was A Familiar, Even Reassuring, Presence In Our Midst. Sudhalter Skillfully Blends Cultural And Personal History, Demonstrating How Growing Up In Indiana, A Racial And Musical Crossroads For Myriad Touring Musicians And Entertainers, Profoundly Influenced Carmichael. Sudhalter Paints Vivid Pictures, Trying To Divine The Biographical Inspiration For Such Carmichael Hits As Ole Buttermilk Sky, Georgia On My Mind And Lazy River. At Times, Sudhalter's Detailed Notes On Composition Weigh Heavily On The Narrative. It's Hard To Imagine That The New Audience Sudhalter Hopes To Entice Would Derive Much Pleasure From His Scholarly Dissections. Thankfully, The Stiff Bits Are Drummed Between Long Runs Of Imaginative Exposition. Sudhalter Draws From Numerous Interviews, Archival Material, Recorded Music And Carmichael's Personal Papers To Show That The Laid-back Man At The Piano, Cigarette Dangling From His Lips, Was, For The Most Part, Image. Carmichael, Far From Being Carefree, Embodies The American Myth Hardworking, Self-taught, Recognized For His Efforts And Pushed Aside By The Next Big Thing: Rock And Roll. (apr.) Fyi: This Biography Is Being Released In Conjunction With Three Recordings Stardust Melody, Featuring Some Of Carmichael's Most Famous Songs Along With Rare And Previously Unreleased Tracks (rca/victor, Mar.); Stardust Melody Beloved And Rare Songs, Compiled By Sudhalter (challenge Records, Feb.); And A Five-cd Set (jsp Records, Apr.). Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information. Georgia on My Mind, Rockin' Chair, Skylark, Lazybones , and of course the incomparable Star Dust --who else could have composed these classic American songs but Hoagy Carmichael? He remains, for millions, the voice of heartland America, eternal counterpoint to the urban sensibility of Cole Porter and George Gershwin. Now, trumpeter and historian Richard M. Sudhalter has penned the first book-length biography of the man Alec Wilder hailed as "the most talented, inventive, sophisticated and jazz-oriented of all the great songwriters--the greatest of the great craftsmen." Stardust Melody follows Carmichael from his roaring-twenties Indiana youth to bandstands and recording studios across the nation, playing piano and singing alongside jazz greats Jack Teagarden, Benny Goodman, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, and close friends Bix Beiderbecke and Louis Armstrong. It illuminates his peak Hollywood years, starring in such films as To Have and Have Not and The Best Years of Our Lives , and on radio, records and TV. With compassionate insight Sudhalter depicts Hoagy's triumphs and tragedies, and his mounting despair as rock-and-roll drowns out and lays waste to the last days of a brilliant career. With an insider's clarity Sudhalter explores the songs themselves, still fresh and appealing while reminding us of our innocent American yesterdays. Drawing on Carmichael's private papers and on interviews with family, friends and colleagues, he reveals that "The Old Music Master" was almost as gifted a wordsmith as a shaper of melodies. In all, Stardust Melody offers a richly textured portrait of one of our greatest musical figures, an inspiring American icon. Stardust Melody Follows Carmichael From His Roaring-twenties Indiana Youth In Campus Jazz Bands To Bandstands And Recording Studios Across The Nation, Playing Piano And Singing Alongside Hot Music Greats Jack Teagarden, Benny Goodman, Tommy And Jimmy Dorsey, Bing Crosby, And Close Friends Bix Beiderbecke And Louis Armstrong. It Illuminates His Peak Years In Hollywood, During Which He Starred In Such Films As To Have And Have Not And The Best Years Of Our Lives And On Radio, Records, And Tv. With Insight And Infinite Compassion Sudhalter Depicts Hoagy's Triumphs And Tragedies And His Mounting Despair As Rock-and-roll Drowns Out, And Ultimately Lays Waste To, The Last Days Of His Brilliant Career. With An Insider's Clarity Sudhalter Enters The Music, Exploring Songs That Remain Fresh And Appealing Even While Reminding Us Of Shared, Perhaps More Innocent, American Yesterdays. Drawing Freely On Carmichael's Private Papers And On New Interviews With Family, Friends, And Colleagues, He Reveals That The Old Music Master (to Borrow The Title Of One Of Hoagy's Most Treasured Songs) Was Almost As Gifted A Wordsmith As A Shaper Of Melodies.--jacket. Daybreak -- Discovery -- Initiation -- Sunshine And Sock-time -- Monk -- Bix -- Washboard Blues -- Stardust Melody -- Big Town Blues -- Coming Of Age -- Bread, Gravy, And Cream -- Paradise Perceived -- Quests Failed And Fulfilled -- A Poke In His Pocket ... -- Movie Star -- Tide: Rise And Ebb -- Period Of Adjustment -- Loss -- Ev'ntide. Richard M. Sudhalter. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. CONTENTS......Page 8 INTRODUCTION......Page 10 I: Daybreak......Page 20 II: Discovery......Page 32 III: Initiation......Page 49 IV: Sunshine and Sock-Time......Page 61 V: Monk......Page 71 VI: Bix......Page 86 VII: Washboard Blues......Page 102 VIII: Stardust Melody......Page 120 IX: Big Town Blues......Page 141 X: Coming of Age......Page 162 XI: Bread, Gravy, and Cream......Page 181 XII: Paradise Perceived......Page 200 XIII: Quests Failed and Fulfilled......Page 222 XIV: A Poke in His Pocket . . .......Page 242 XV: Movie Star......Page 266 XVI: Tide: Rise and Ebb......Page 285 XVII: Period of Adjustment......Page 306 XVIII: Loss......Page 327 XIX: Ev'ntide......Page 348 NOTES......Page 364 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 418 CREDITS......Page 422 B......Page 426 C......Page 428 E......Page 430 G......Page 431 H......Page 432 K......Page 434 M......Page 435 O......Page 437 R......Page 438 S......Page 439 W......Page 441 Z......Page 443 D......Page 446 L......Page 447 S......Page 448 Y......Page 449 A biography of Hoagy Carmichael, composer of classic American songs such as ""Georgia on My Mind"", ""Rockin' Chair"", ""Skylark"", ""Lazybones"", and ""Star Dust"". The book follows Carmichael from his roaring-20s Indiana youth to Hollywood legend Anyone wanting to drive from Indianapolis to Richmond, Indiana, these days simply picks up Interstate 70, which bisects the city, heads east, and steps on the gas.