And They All Sang: Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey

Studs Terkel

Oct 2018 · New Press/ORIM

About this ebook

The Pulitzer Prize–winning historian talks with some of twentieth century's most iconic musicians—"Riveting . . . Just about every interview has a revelation" ( San Francisco Chronicle).

Through the second half of the twentieth century, Studs Terkel hosted the legendary radio show "The Wax Museum," presenting Chicago's music fans with his inimitable take on music of all kinds, from classical, opera, and jazz to gospel, blues, folk, and rock. Featuring more than forty of Terkel's conversations with some of the greatest musicians of the past century, And They All Sang is "a tribute to music's universality and power" ( Philadelphia Inquirer). Included here are fascinating conversations with Louis Armstrong, Leonard Bernstein, Big Bill Broonzy, Bob Dylan, Dizzy Gillespie, Mahalia Jackson, Janis Joplin, Rosa Raisa, Pete Seeger, and many others.

As the esteemed music critic Anthony DeCurtis wrote in the Chicago Tribune, "the terms 'interview' or 'oral history' don't begin to do justice to what Terkel achieves in these conversations, which are at once wildly ambitious and as casual as can be." Whether discussing Enrico Caruso's nervousness on stage with opera diva Edith Mason or the Beatles' 1966 encounter in London with revered Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar, "Terkel's singular gift for bringing his subjects to life in their own words should strike a chord with any music fan old enough to have replaced a worn-out record needle" ( The New York Times).

"Whether diva or dustbowl balladeer, Studs treats them all alike, with deep knowledge and an intimate, conversational approach . . . as this often remarkable book shows, Studs Terkel has remained mesmerized by great music throughout his life." — The Guardian

"[Terkel's] expertise is evident on every page, whether debating the harmonic structure of the spirituals or discerning the subtleties of Keith Jarrett's piano technique . . . As ever, he is the most skillful of interviewers." — The Independent

"What makes And They All Sang a rousing success isn't just Terkel's phenomenal range and broad knowledge, it's his passionate love of the music and his deep humanity." — San Francisco Chronicle

About the author

Considered by many the greatest figure in American music, Leonard Bernstein was a charismatic and controversial conductor, a gifted teacher, an accomplished pianist, and a highly admired composer. As a teacher, Bernstein communicated his love for music, whether classical or popular, through his Young People's Concerts, many of which were televised. At the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts, he taught many students who are now present-day conductors of American symphony orchestras. As a composer Bernstein is best known for his popular works, including the Broadway musicals West Side Story (1958), Candide (1956), and Wonderful Town; the film score for On the Waterfront ; and the ballet Fancy Free (1958). However, it was as a conductor with an exuberant, dynamic, and dramatic style that Bernstein captured the attention of the American public. Born to Russian-Jewish immigrants in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1918, Bernstein started taking piano lessons at the age of 10, using his own allowance to pay for the lessons. He continued his musical studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, in Philadelphia, where he quickly displayed his varied talents as a pupil of renowned conductor Fritz Reiner. At the age of 25, Bernstein became an overnight sensation when he substituted for an ailing conductor during a concert. In 1958, when he was named musical director of the New York Philharmonic, Bernstein became the first native-born American to head a symphony orchestra. His association with the New York Philharmonic lasted until 1969, when he resigned to concentrate on composing. Bernstein died in 1990. Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. He is a singer-songwriter and artist. He emerged on the New York music scene in 1961. He has recorded 38 studio albums including Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde, Blood on the Tracks, Oh Mercy, Time Out Of Mind, Love and Theft, and Modern Times. His songs include Blowin' in the Wind, The Times They Are a-Changin', and Like a Rolling Stone. He has published poetry and prose including a collection entitled Tarantula in 1971, a memoir entitled Chronicles: Volume One in 2004, and The Lyrics: 1961-2012 in 2016. He has received numerous awards including eleven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award. In 1988, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2008, the Pulitzer Prize jury awarded him a special citation for "his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power." In 2012, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. In 2016, Dylan received the Nobel Prize in Literature "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."