American Songbook: The Singers, Songwriters & the Songs

By: Bloom, Ken

Presented in the striking format of Ken Bloom's successful Broadway Musicals , this rich visual history of popular song covers all of the prominent figures behind the music, in front of the bandstand,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1579124488
• ISBN13: 9781579124489
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 5.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 10.8" x 12.8"

Customer Reviews

The singers and the song writers of the great era in American music

This is a large and beautiful coffee table type book that cover the great singers, the big bands, and the song writers of that great era in music, the great American songbook. It is a very enjoyable book, with lots of pictures and facts. A couple of complaints: in the singers section, the author lists Louie Prima & Keely Smith and Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme under a two page chapter entitled Husband & Wife Teams. I'm sorry, but Steve & Eydie deserve, at the very least, their own chapter together, if not individually. They have been very successful and talented singers, both individually and together for more than 50 years...they deserve more respect. Same with Keely Smith. Great singer, great voice, deserved her own chapter. Louie Prima deserved his own chapter under Big Bands. And finally, no chapter on Buddy Clark? His career was cut tragically short in a plane crash, but he had a fine voice and was quite popular in the late '40's. If you're going to have a chapter on Russ Columbo (whose career was also tragically cut short) you have to do the same with Buddy Clark. You will enjoy this book very much, despite these complaints.

Beautiful and entertaining book!

I bought this book to contribute to the music education of my 13 year old drummer grandson, who happens to love jazz, big band and American standards. This book was just perfect. Beautiful pictures, well written biographys of the American music greats. Wonderful tidbits and background on everyone in the American popular music business, from the singers, band leaders, songs, and songwriters. Very fun, entertaining, and educational.

The secret on page 51

I loved the book, especially when I noticed the review of Darlene and Jonathan Edwards' work, on page 51. They are in my fairly extensive LP library and I thought I was one of a very few who had ever heard of them---and knew their secret. The owner of a radio station I worked for years ago wasn't acquainted with them, and when he listened he was, to say the least, astonished. Obviously (I hope) Ken Bloom does know all about them. If he does not, my opinion of his book may take a change for the worse. Buy the book! It's great!

The American Songbook by Ken Bloom

This is a superb "dipper-inner"! If you are into the songs that have become American standards, you will find in this book a wealth of entertainment. The photos are chosen for interest and the anecdotal material--gossipy, behind-the-scenes stories about singers and songwriters--is fascinating. The book is pretty darn comprehensive with short pieces on the more obsucre songwriters and singers and in depth pieces on the greatest American singers and songwriters of the 20s,30s,40s and 50s. The index is thorough and very useful. Allen Johsnon, Jr. - Kid's writer and jazz guitarist

A fine contribution

"Ken Bloom's superb The American Songbook has the unique quality of service to two distinct audiences. Readers of a certain age will enjoy hours of pleasure recalling the music of their lives and responding to the inevitable impulse to listen to records they haven't played for years. Young people like those in my university musical theater courses will encounter the music and the people who made it- in their historical contexts- and will be led maze-like to new experiences as they seek out films and recordings in libraries and nostalgia bins. And not least, The American Songbook will help extend the great contributions of Bloom's subjects into the new century."