Kate Smith: A Biography, With a Discography, Filmography and List of Stage Appearances [Hardcover]

Richard K. Hayes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1995 | ISBN-10: 0786400536 | ISBN-13: 978-0786400539

To many, Kate Smith is now remembered as the big woman with the large voice who made "God Bless America" a second national anthem. It is often forgotten that her 50-year career included Broadway shows, records, film, television, and many concert appearances. With her five-octave range, Smith recorded more than twenty records selling over a million though she never had a singing lesson and could not read music. But it was radio that truly made Smith one of the country's most popular entertainers in the 1930s and 1940s, particularly during World War II, when she sold over $600 million in war bonds. Her success carried over into television. There she was a pioneer in daytime programming, starring in her own top-rated variety show for four years. Through detailed research, access to the singer's correspondence, and interviews with Smith and others, the author has told a remarkable story.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[a] massive amount of data here" -- Past Times

"much valuable data" -- Classic Images

"this informative life story...also provides an informal look at radio and early days of television...exhaustive research.... Extensive appendixes" -- Library Journal

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub (July 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786400536
• ISBN-13: 978-0786400539
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,162,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An exhaustive personal & professional bio of Kate Smith, June 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Kate Smith: A Biography, With a Discography, Filmography and List of Stage Appearances (Hardcover)

I approached this book with the purpose of obtaining enough information to facilitate a performance characterization of Miss Smith for a theatrical endeavor. I was to portray her in a concert setting, imitating her vocally and physically. What I found, to my delight, was a fond but honest look into the life of one of our most cherished national treasures. A look beyond the stage and into the heart, Mr.Hayes painstakingly entices us with detailed program dialogue, amusing anecdotes, personal moments shared with Kate, and private moments of personal pain she endured. I came away surprised, delighted, and absorbed in the life and career of Miss Kate Smith. It is a "must read" for any fan.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Songbird Not Just of the South, March 25, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kate Smith: A Biography, With a Discography, Filmography and List of Stage Appearances (Hardcover)

It's amazing how many years after her passing Kate Smith remains an American icon, with her voice still daily heard on radio, her recordings still available in the stores. This wonderful book, which deserves major-league publishing, tells the whole story of this strong, determined and extremely bright woman. Besides being a totally natural and exemplary singer she was an executive, a producer and a sports team owner. She also was a prominent national commentator. Kate sang elegantly and beautifully but she was never a sentimental type who cooed sweet nothings. She was incredibly well-informed, distinctly verbal and spoke her mind. No wonder America loved her. She stood for common sense, independence and strong ethics and morality. She lived life to the fullest. Her weight, always an issue with the critics but never an issue with her, never kept her from doing anything, including dressing gorgeously (especially in the later years). When rock and roll came in she didn't run but joined in and forged a whole new career on T.V. shows like Cher's (where she did a Beatles medley with Cher and Tina Turner) and Tony Orlando's. Her later concerts gathered her numerous hits into a medley and otherwise addressed new music--the Beatles, Michel LeGrande and so on. Kate was kind to her fans beyond what most artists are willing to do--friendly and accessible but, true to form, clearheaded. She didn't need adulation; she knew just who she was. This is a splendid book, well worth the price, and oh how it recreates an inimitable era in American entertainment right on the mark!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Kate Smith: America's Greatest Star?", November 29, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Oneonta, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kate Smith: A Biography, With a Discography, Filmography and List of Stage Appearances (Hardcover)

If you love show-business, this is a definitive and highly readable book about one of the greatest stars of the twentieth century--Miss Kate Smith. Nostalgic, historical, exciting, and wonderful, Richard Hayes has really captured the essence of "The Songbird of the South."

Hayes, a longtime personal friend of Miss Smith, has tapped into a mother-lode of personal recollections from hundreds of celebrities, friends, co-workers and fans to create a full picture of this important American. A veritable joy-ride through the world of entertainment as we now know it, Hayes chronicles Miss Smith's fifty year career from vaudeville to radio (where she was the medium's greatest star) through recordings and concerts and then television (where Kate was a female pioneer). Nostalgia buffs will tear through the pages of this book in a delicious frenzy!

Hayes exhaustively produces a discography that is archival in every sense. He captures Kate's spirit with a confidant familiarity and paints an honest picture of this well-proportioned country girl who reigned supreme as "America's First Lady of Song" throughout most of this century. This book is a real treat!