Book Review: Sinatra- Behind The Legend by J. Randy Taraborrelli

Title: Sinatra- Behind The Legend
Author: J. Randy Taraborrelli
Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Review:

Francis Albert Sinatra — a musical genius and the greatest male interpreter of Broadway melodies — is a name that all but a few do not know of. He was America’s greatest vocalist: a consummate artist who redefined the possibilities of popular music, bringing to it an intimacy, an urban swagger and an emotional vulnerability. He sang with uncommon tenderness about loneliness and yearning articulating the heartache and existential solitude of the human condition with more conviction than any singer on the planet.

This legendary singer’s career spanned decades, as he continually explored his gifts and tried to adapt to changing times. The challenges of capturing the magic of his art and the contradictions of his life is a daunting task but in his book, ‘Sinatra: Behind the Legend,’ J. Randy Taraborrelli, the veteran showbiz biographer, has gracefully delivered the challenge. It’s an honest examination of a talented man who lived quite a life. 

In 1997, six months before the legendary entertainer’s death at the age of 82, Taraborrelli wrote his first book on Sinatra. Now, with Sinatra’s 100th anniversary looming in December, Taraborrelli has revised his original text and added two decades’ worth of new research and interviews. ‘Sinatra: Behind the Legend,’ is the result of that effort. The readers get the full Sinatra story here, from his romances with Jackie O and Marilyn, all the way to the details of the feud between Sinatra’s fourth and final wife, Barbara, and his daughters from his first marriage, Nancy and Tina. 

But some of the details are missing. Why couldn’t Taraborrelli have included more about Sinatra’s music and films? He has portrayed the legend as a womanizer, brawler, and a person with mafia ties, but has provided not much of the essence that made up the man as ‘the voice.’ This has turned out to be the story of Sinatra’s more private life. While I’m not complaining about this exclusion, I really was looking forward to reading about Sinatra’s musical adventures.

Amidst the facts about Sinatra’s four marriages, countless affairs and fist fights, somewhere the man with the glorious voice gets lost. I did miss the singer. That part of his life is more of a ‘peek-a-boo’ variety. Nonetheless, what Taraborrelli offers is funny, warm and sweet and for that I’d recommend the book to all the Sinatra fans out there.

Buy Link: 

Amazon

About the Author:

J. Randy Taraborrelli is the bestselling author of Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness, Madonna: An Intimate Biography, The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth, Once Upon a Time: The Story of Princess Grace, Prince Rainier and Their Family and Call Her Miss Ross.

* I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

** Picture courtesy: Amazon.in 

Blog Tour - Made in India by Biddu

About the Book:

As a child, Biddu dreamt of going west and making it big as a composer. At the age of sixteen, he formed a band and started playing in a cafe in Bangalore, his home town, At eighteen, he was part of a popular act at Trinca's, a nightclub in Calcutta devoted to food, wine and music, At nineteen, he had college students in Bombay dancing to his music. 

In his early twenties, he left the country and ended up hitchhiking across the Middle East before arriving in London with only the clothes on his back and his trusty guitar. What followed were years of hardship and struggle but also great music and gathering fame. From the nine million selling "Kung Fu Fighting" to the iconic youth anthem of "Made in India" and the numerous hits in between. Biddu's music made him a household name in India and elsewhere. 
In this first public account of all that came his way: the people, the events, the music tours and companies Biddu writes with a gripping sense of humor about his remarkable journey with its fairy tale ending. Charming, witty, and entirely likable, Biddu is a man you are going to enjoy getting to know.



Book Links:
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Interview with Biddu:

Tell us a bit about your early days…
It’s all there in the book.

How would you sum up your experiences with Bollywood?
I haven’t had much to do with Bollywood apart from’ Qurbani’ and ‘Star’. I don’t see Hindi movies so have no real idea what they throw up. It serves a market I suppose, but have noticed that it’s children of stars who are getting the gigs, nothing to do with merit.

How would you summarize your experiences abroad? How different are your experiences in India from that of other countries?
Living abroad means clean air, hygiene, pavements, proper roads, no adulterated milk, sugar or water, law and order, no religious fanaticism (I’m talking UK and Spain, the two places where I have homes)  and best of all, a minimum of corruption.

What advice would you like to pass on to aspiring music composers?
The youth in India live in controlled societies. Usually by their mother or father. Giving rein to their dreams is not often encouraged. It is better to have a moment of adventure than a lifetime of regret.

If you could go back and change one thing about your life, what would you change and why?
I am six foot. But I would like to be six foot two inches. I’m okay looking but I’d like to look like Brad Pitt. I’m okay money wise but I’d like to be as rich as Bill Gates and give the money to the poor.

What is the biggest lesson that life has taught you?
The biggest lessen was when I had my first number 1 in Japan with a group called the tigers. I had no contract with the record company altho’ my name was on the record. The chairman of the record company would not give me even a penny because I had no written contract. The lesson I learned was to always be nice and kind to people.

Looking back upon your life, what was the greatest accomplishment for you?
I think the biggest accomplishment was breaking thru in the music biz in the western world. Till then Indians only worked in the accounts office of companies or cleaned the toilets at Heathrow.

What is the one thing that you want your readers to take away from your memoir?
The spirit of adventure and the realising of dreams.

About the Author:

Biddu was born in India, where he started his career playing in a pop band whose influences lay in the classic repertoire of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Following his early success, he decided to hear West and move into the international music arena. He struck gold, signing the unknown Carl Douglas and producing "Kung Fu Fighting?" which went on to become a hit all over the world. He also wrote and produced hits for Tina Charles and soul legend Jimmy James. 

Around this time, Biddu became involved in Indian music: he composed the cult "Aap Jaise Koi" for the film Qurbani which set a new landmark for sales in India He followed this up with a pop album, Disco Deewane, with Nazia Hassan, which became the largest selling pop album in Asian history, and was the first Indian album to hit the charts in fourteen countries. In 1995, Biddu wrote and produced the three-million-selling album Made in India with the singer Alisha Chinai. To date, Biddu has sold over thirty-eight million records worldwide.

For more details on Biddu, Visit the Wikipedia Page

Giveaway:
- 1 Gift Voucher : $10 Amazon GV or INR 500 Flipkart GV (Winner’s Choice)
- 1 Signed copy of Curse of the Godman by Biddu
- Paperback copy of Made in India by Biddu

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