Afbeelding auteur

Chris Albertson (1931–2019)

Auteur van Bessie

5+ Werken 124 Leden 1 Geef een beoordeling Favoriet van 1 leden

Over de Auteur

Christiern Gunnar Albertson was born in Reykjavik, Iceland on October 18, 1931. He became a disc jockey for Armed Forces Radio in Keflavik before moving to the United States in 1957. He worked as a disc jockey at a radio station in Philadelphia. He moved to New York in the 1960s and became a toon meer producer for Riverside Records. He spent one year as a radio station manager in 1964. He was also writing liner notes for jazz albums and was a critic with Stereo Review magazine. He produced a multivolume reissue of Bessie Smith's recordings. The five two-disc sets were released between 1970 and 1972. He received a Grammy Award for best liner notes for Bessie Smith: The World's Greatest Blues Singer. His biography, Bessie, was published in 1972. He was found dead on April 24, 2019 at the age of 87. (Bowker Author Biography) toon minder

Werken van Chris Albertson

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A good biography of a fascinating person. Albertson does a good job of giving a rounded picture of Bessie Smith, although most of the interest and vitality comes from the verbatim memories of Ruby Walker, Smith's niece by marriage, who toured extensively with her in the 1920's and 30's. Albertson readily admits that without Ruby there wouldn't be a book, and her words definitely communicate much about Bessie that would otherwise be lost: her rollicking sense of humor, her mood throughout different eras, and what it was like to just hang out with her. Her famous temper probably would have come through, but maybe not how quick she often was to forgive and forget. Albertson's prose seems slightly dated (originally published in 1971, it seems to belong somewhat to an older, less engaging school of nonfiction writing). But it gives good structure and some commentary to the anecdotes related by Ruby and his other sources, some of which are amazing: the account of Smith cussing out Ku Klux Klan members who were trying to sabotage her performance tent, and creating such a formidable spectacle that the men slunk off into the night, was what turned me on to Albertson's book to begin with. There's lots more where that came from, but Smith is never painted as infallible or flawless. All in all, an enjoyable and educational read!… (meer)
 
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emily_morine | Nov 25, 2008 |

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Statistieken

Werken
5
Ook door
1
Leden
124
Populariteit
#161,165
Waardering
½ 3.7
Besprekingen
1
ISBNs
13
Talen
1
Favoriet
1

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