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Average customer rating:

This is my introduction to Jimmy Scott
Needed to peel more layers off this onion
A gripping biography which reads like a novel

Faith in Time: The Life of Jimmy Scott
David Ritz
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0306812290
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Book Description

The first biography of one of the most influential singers in jazz, whose ethereal voice and uncanny phrasing have inspired performers from Nancy Wilson to Marvin Gaye to Frankie Valli.

Born in Cleveland in 1925, "Little" Jimmy Scott lost his mother at age thirteen, the same year he was diagnosed with Kallman's syndrome. The disease stunted his growth and earned him his nickname, but it also left him with a haunting voice, a mesmerizing voice. He soon built a following as a singer touring with Lionel Hampton's great orchestra in the '40s, then performed with many of the stars of the '50s, from Lester Young to Charlie Parker to Dinah Washington, and was signed by Savoy Records. He thought he had his big break when, in 1962, Ray Charles produced what was by all accounts Jimmy's best work, Falling in Love Is Wonderful. But when it was forced off the shelves by contract disputes, Scott worked as an orderly and clerk in Cleveland for almost two decades. Fans thought he was dead-until songwriter Doc Pomus's funeral in March of 1991.

As Pomus had instructed in his will, Jimmy sang over his friend's coffin. High-pitched and androgynous, his voice seemed to come out of thin air, transcending gender and age, evoking pure heartbreak. No one knew who he was-heads turned, celebrities conferred, record executives were reduced to tears-until finally Lou Reed turned around and whispered, "He's Jimmy Scott, the greatest jazz singer in the world." And so he was. By the next morning, he had a record deal with Sire that relaunched his career with the masterpiece All the Way, and he has been performing to packed clubs ever since. With full cooperation from Jimmy, his siblings, spouses, and colleagues from Ray Charles to Ruth Brown, Faith in Time is at once an intimate biography, an invaluable history of a life that spanned big band to bebop to pop, and the poignant story of a man whose voice will live forever.

Customer Reviews:

This is my introduction to Jimmy Scott.......2005-09-30

Lemme say I was not that big nor was a fan to Jimmy until I got to know instanly. This marks as a first-time lover or beginner to the legendary of Jazz, Blues and all other types of music, Mr. Jimmy Scott. Everybody's been talking 'bout him. 'Cuz he sure has a sweet and sensational voice, one's whose range that can stand tall from anybody. Nobody gonna get this or learn more about the man unless they read this book 'cuz it'll take further than is has. I once dug him while singing a song on David Sanborn's CD "Pearls" and it's pretty amazing on how he sounds 'cuz I thought at 1st it was a lady singing like Oleta Adams or so but now it's a male who can sing like a lady blues singer or a jazz singer. I'm talkin' bout Jimmy Scott man!!! To me, I've been thinking 'bout bein' a journalist or writer somehow in the future if that's what's on my mind a minute ago. 'Cuz I'ma be like the black version or next coming of David Ritz, Gary Giddins, Quincy Troupe, Mike Dyson, Nelson George, among others.

Bravo to Bro. David Ritz for doing such a good job on this extradionary book. I wish more from him in the future.

Needed to peel more layers off this onion.......2004-04-14

Very interesting read about Jimmy Scott and the times in which he lived.I do feel he comes across somewhat "wimpy".He never seems to get tough with the people that constantly take advantage of him, and he always finds excuses concerning his "faults", blaming others.
He grew up in a very dysfunctional family(especially after his mother was killed)...he married several women who ran out on him(prostitution), his father was a real self-serving lout!and he gets screwed over by greedy music execs again and again.
The author, Ritz, never really gets to the nitty gritty of just WHO Scott is...treating him with kids gloves despite the many references to drinking bouts,pot smoking,wife beating, mood swings, and wierd behavior.Though this book is not a "puff piece" read,it seems to tolerate behaviour which (to put it bluntly)hints that Jimmy Scott is an obnoxious s.o.b.
I got so frustrated with Ritz's portrayal of Scott's attitude I wanted to grab him(Scott) by the scruff o' the neck and smack some sense into him!
The man can sing though.He can really sing.

A gripping biography which reads like a novel.......2003-11-14

Musicians will also enjoy David Ritz's Faith In Time, a survey of the life of Jimmy Scott. Orphaned as a teen and suffering from a syndrome which kept his voice unnaturally high, he toured with Lionel Hampton in the 1940s and achieved a career breakthrough twenty years later - then went back to being an orderly and shipping clerk. Faith In Time recounts his rise and fall, providing a gripping biography which reads like a novel with its action and insights.

Average customer rating:

Faith in Time: The Life of Jimmy Scott
David Ritz
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSPI8M

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