Entries by Norman Warwick

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BOOKING BING CROSBY

book 1 The first biography we bought was Bing Crosby by Jerry Andrade that carries the strap-line ´Unveiling the Legacy, controversies and enduring influence of the iconic entertainer´. The author says of Bing Crosby that he was ´a true legend´. Throughout the text the author reminds us that Crosby effectively the country’s first superstar, much acclaimed both domestically and abroad. Crosby was a celebrity both on and off stage because of his catchy songs, memorable name, and easy-going, endearing nature.

When Bing Crosby first came to California as a young man with little, he quickly rose to fame. Even though these words may appear exaggerated, they aren’t. Over the course of his lengthy career, he appeared in over 70 films and cut almost 1,600 songs. Bing Crosby could be heard at stations as far away as India, according to soldiers who returned from World War II; his music had a magnetic effect on just about everyone who heard it. The life that is detailed in this book is examined in great detail.

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LOWRY: HEART & SOUL OF SALFORD QUAYS

The creation of The Lowry was one of the first attempts in the UK to place a cultural institution at the heart of a social and economic regeneration project. Since it opened in 2000, The Lowry has been at the heart and soul of an area which has dramatically transformed since it opened. It has welcomed an incredible 18.5m people through its doors, with the 2023/24 season being the most successful they have had to date.

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2011:  NORTHERN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA with MARTYN JACKSON (Violin)

Sidetracks & Detours are so pleased that Rochdale Music Society are streamlining and archiving their existing reviews, stretching back fifteen years and more, that they invited me to select some favourites from these archives for us to publish occasionally in in our Monday to Friday daily blogs. Today´s review was written in 2011 by Shirley Mitchell who, over several decades, served RMS in a number of capacities.

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MEMORIES OF JOHN HARTFORD

MEMORIES OF JOHN HARTFORD
by Bob Carlin (Author)
(American Made Music Series) Paperback

photo 1 hartford My Memories Of John Hartford is a memoir about author Bob Carlin’s years working alongside singer, songwriter, banjoist, and fiddler John Hartford (1937-2001) (left). Throughout his short life, Hartford was a hit tunesmith, festival headliner, and godfather of newgrass music. He also made contributions to the film and television industry as a star in The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour and helped create the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou?

photo 2 Bob Carlin (right) and Hartford first met when Carlin interviewed the entertainer for Fresh Air with Terry Gross. From this first meeting over microphones developed a sixteen-year affiliation. Six years into their friendship, a working collaboration grew between the two. Carlin first accompanied John Hartford on several albums, eventually becoming his project manager for audio and video recordings. Finally, Carlin was recruited into John Hartford’s last Stringband, for which he also served as the de facto road manager and right-hand guy.

we´re gonna need a bigger bookshelf

photo 3 book My Memories Of John Hartford opens with an overview of the years before Hartford and Carlin’s friendship, then details the last fifteen years of John Hartford’s life. Included are in-depth descriptions of Hartford’s lifestyle, as well as his philosophies about music, performing, recording, and living as he expressed them to the author or to those around him, with some road stories thrown in for good measure. And, those last fifteen years of his short life, while tempered by available information, are viewed here through the impressionist lenses of the author’s own experience

There are plenty of books on these musicians and others like them at Amazon.com

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