One of Jamaicas most prolific and innovative performers and a recent inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Jimmy Cliff has been hailed as the first true superstar of Jamaican music. As a uniquely talented singer-songwriter, he is one of the first artists responsible for disseminating reggae music to a global audience. With over 25 studio albums to his name, Cliff is the only living musician to hold the Order of Merit for his contributions to Jamaican culture. But the road to international acclaim has not been a straightforward one. Born James Chambers into an underdeveloped country town near Jamaicas north coast, Cliff has battled poverty, controversy, and prejudiceindeed, his starring role as Ivan in the ground-breaking film The Harder They Come drew on aspects of Jimmys own youthful experiences.
A fascinating account of the music and epic social change of 1973, a defining year for David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Eagles, Elvis Presley, and the former members of The Beatles. 1973 was the year rock hit its peak while splintering—just like the rest of the world. Ziggy Stardust travelled to America in David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane. The Dark Side of the Moon began its epic run on the Billboard charts, inspired by the madness of Pink Floyd's founder, while all four former Beatles scored top ten albums, two hitting #1. FM battled AM, and Motown battled Philly on the charts, as the era of protest soul gave way to disco, while DJ Kool Herc gave birth to hip hop in the Bronx. The glam rock of the New York Dolls and Alice Cooper split into glam metal and punk. Hippies and rednecks made peace in Austin thanks to Willie Nelson, while outlaw country, country rock, and Southern rock each pointed toward modern country. The Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, and the Band played the largest rock concert to date at Watkins Glen. Led Zep’s Houses of the Holy reflected the rise of funk and reggae. The singer songwriter movement led by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell flourished at the Troubadour and Max’s Kansas City, where Bruce Springsteen and Bob Marley shared bill. Elvis Presley’s Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite was NBC’s top-rated special of the year, while Elton John’s albums dominated the number one spot for two and a half months. Just as U.S. involvement in Vietnam drew to a close, Roe v. Wade ignited a new phase in the culture war. While the oil crisis imploded the American dream of endless prosperity, and Watergate’s walls closed in on Nixon, the music of 1973 both reflected a shattered world and brought us together.
Reader, I present . . . the humour, craft and eloquence of the University of the West Indies (Mona) Orator, Professor Edward Baugh! Our man of words at Mona is a distinguished poet and actor, a master of gesture, tone and tempo. It is his mission to write and perform the convocation citations to honorary graduates. This book is a spirited collection of speeches delivered between November 1985 and April 1998. The magic of the voice on the page conjures images and sounds in virtual reality. Chancellor, I Present . . . is a public record of one of the most rewarding occasions in the University calender - the drama of convocation. The subject of this book - the honorary graduates - inspire the orator's artistry: singer, statesman, soldier, actor, politician, diplomat, cleric, educator, entrepreneur. The accomplishments of these exceptional men and women are lauded here in grand style. The opportune publication of this book, much requested over the years, coincides with the extraordinary convocation to mark the University's fiftieth anniversary. It is a most fitting symbol of the intellectual vigour of our celebrated institution.
Alice Randall, award-winning professor, songwriter, and author with a “lively, engaging, and often wise” (The New York Times Book Review) voice, offers a lyrical, introspective, and unforgettable account of her past and her search for the first family of Black country music. Country music had brought Randall and her activist mother together and even gave Randall a singular distinction in American music history: she is the first Black woman to cowrite a number one country hit, Trisha Yearwood’s “XXX’s and OOO’s”. Randall found inspiration and comfort in the sounds and history of the first family of Black country music: DeFord Bailey, Lil Hardin, Ray Charles, Charley Pride, and Herb Jeffries who, together, made up a community of Black Americans rising through hard times to create simple beauty, true joy, and sometimes profound eccentricity. What emerges in My Black Country is a celebration of the most American of music genres and the radical joy in realizing the power of Black influence on American culture. As country music goes through a fresh renaissance today, with a new wave of Black artists enjoying success, My Black Country is the perfect gift for longtime country fans and a vibrant introduction to a new generation of listeners who previously were not invited to give the genre a chance.
Dwight Little's Hollywood career includes directing and producing major motion pictures for multiple studios, acclaimed television series and even video games. In this memoir, he takes readers along on a movie-making adventure that is by turns funny and brutally honest. There are many on-set interactions with well-known producers and stars along with detailed descriptions of film shoots from the wilds of India to the banks of the River Kwai. Included are tales from the jails of Madrid to the jungles of Fiji and the cold war streets of Budapest. The work seamlessly connects the Golden Age of Hollywood to the highly successful premium television of today. Make or break creative battles, Hollywood intrigues, unpredictable studio executives, and temperamental actors are all documented in colorful detail. Whether the reader is an aspiring filmmaker or just a movie lover, this book has it all, including a unique insight into television directing in the new streaming age and 41 photos, many on-set.
Road Trippin is a peek behind the curtain of a comedian on the road, making strangers laugh while trying to deal with his demons...female fans. In this book, Jeff Hodge, a veteran stand-up comic, talks about his road experiences; events that "civilians" could never truly imagine. However, as Jeff takes his readers on this journey of fun and laughter, one begins to wonder; do the highs outweigh the lows? Does the fun top the danger? And what does it all mean when the stage lights are turned off and the next city waits? Road Trippin examines and answers these questions as we track Jeff from his middle class, Caribbean Island upbringing to America where his dreams of performing were realized along with the adulation of female fans everywhere. But all the girls in the world can't seem to fill the loneliness he carries with him, moving from town to town bringing the life to the party, but secretly wishing for that one special lady that he can truly call his own.
Jimmy Porter, frustrated and bitter in his drab flat, lives with his middle-class wife, Alison. Also sharing the flat is Cliff who keeps things tenuously together. Alison's friend Helen arrives and persuades her to leave Jimmy only to fall for him herself. When Alison becomes pregnant, Helen leaves the couple. This play originally opened at the Royal Court Theatre in 1956 and has since proved to be a milestone in the history of theater.
Works of art were created in the England of the 50s and 60s which are of extraordniary topicality today. This applies particularly to the Independent Group which included artists, photographers as well as architects. Its members strove to achieve an authenticity close to the grass roots of life, to discover the essence of the everyday, to arouse a sensitivity to life in the raw as against a touched-up version of reality, to bring out both its hardships and its charm. The book is about architecture and art and photography. It seeks rather to show the unmediated impact and direct appeal of a refractory aesthetics.
"Zambian Music Legends is a marathon journey into the history of Zambian music. This journey surveys the wonderful art from its traditional function in the distant past to the presenet era where 'Zam-ragga' and hip hop have taken root. The book also plays tribute to the often unsung heroes who have devoted their lives and careers to the growth of the music industry. Music is an essential mass media tool that contributes to the socio-cultural development of society. As a result of this the book further attemps to look at the role music has played in shaping the socio-cultural and economic development of the country"--Cover.
