Harold Arlen : rhythm, rainbows, and blues
Arlen's career in music included being a band leader, a vaudeville songwriter, a Broadway composer, and a writer of film music. His songs include "Over the Rainbow" and "Stormy Weather." This engaging biography charts the course of his brilliant career, from band leader in his native Buffalo, New York, to songwriter and vocalist in vaudeville, to composer of Broadway musicals and revues at Harlem's Cotton Club, to writer of the everlasting music in The Wizard of Oz and other films. Drawing on a treasure trove of family documents and memorabilia, the author vividly describes Arlen's life, including his loving but troubled marriage to Anya, the strained relationship with his father and brother, his alcoholism and illnesses, and his friendship with Marlene Dietrich. Populated with such greats as Johnny Mercer, George and Ira Gershwin, E. Y. Harburg, Bert Lahr, and Judy Garland, the book also captures the spirit of Arlen's times and conveys a sense of the inner workings of the music business
Print Book, English, ©1996
Northeastern University Press, Boston, ©1996