Wilfred Sheed is the author of six novels, two of which, Office Politics and People Will Always Be Kind, were nominated for National Book Awards. He has written three collections of criticism, one of which was nominated by the National Book Critics Circle. Among his other books is a notable memoir of Clare Boothe Luce, who told him that Irving Berlin was the vainest man she ever met and George Gershwin one of the most basically modest. He lives with his wife, Miriam Ungerer, in North Haven, New York
Sheed (The Boys of Winter; Office Politics) has produced a loving, idiosyncratic look at the classic era of American popular song from the "piano era" of Irving Berlin and George Gershwin to the post-World War II era. In chapters focusing on individual composers, Sheed discusses (among others) Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers. The essays are delightfully witty, perceptive portraits-certainly not full biographies. Sheed's love for the music shines on every page, yet he can also write in a slightly acerbic vein, as he does in his essay on Richard Rodgers. Sheed notes that this is not a work of scholarship; there are no footnotes or endnotes. There is, however, "A Note on Sources" listing the many conversations and interviews Sheed has had over the years with songwriters and their acquaintances. While this will not replace any of the many scholarly works on this era or on the individual songwriters, it is a valuable commentary on an essential slice of Americana. Highly recommended.-Bruce R. Schueneman, Texas A&M Univ.-Kingsville Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
Sheed (Office Politics), who won a 1987 Grammy Award for Best Album Notes (for Sinatra's The Voice), spoke over the decades with many of these Great American Songbook creators and their families. In this book, he employs an informal, anecdotal approach as he looks back at the top tunesmiths of Tin Pan Alley, Broadway and Hollywood. Composer Arthur Schwartz recalled that he "dashed off the tune in 20 minutes" after lyricist Howard Dietz casually remarked, "What is life but dancing in the dark?" Beginning with Gershwin and Irving Berlin, Sheed quotes numerous lyrics throughout his lilting, witty profiles (of Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, Frank Loesser, Johnny Mercer, Richard Rodgers and others), plus brief comments on 57 more. Since Hurricane Katrina, Louis Alter's "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?" has served as a national anthem, so the curt dismissal of Alter ("more a swinging musician than a songwriter proper") is curious amid the many choruses of praise. Sheed soars on the wings of song with scintillating, lyrical writing. (July 3) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
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