William Warfield: My Music & My Life [Hardcover]

William Warfield (Author), Alton Miller (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0915611406 | ISBN-13: 978-0915611409 | Publication Date: September 1991 | Edition: First Edition

Warfield's mastery of the concert stage was established with his first Town Hall recital and confirmed by countless appearances in all parts of the world. He has achieved a mythic identification with the baritone roles in Porgy and Bess and Show Boat. Television and film have recorded his triumphs as singer and actor. Critical opinion regards him as one of the great singer-actors of the century.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Warfield's story is unusual for a modern show business biography--he demonstrates that good planning, hard work, honesty, and clean living can bring happiness and success. Born in Arkansas and raised in Rochester, Warfield used the G.I. Bill and nightclub earnings to pay for classical music training. Success came on stage in Porgy and Bess and in the film version of Showboat (1951). However, Warfield's fondest achievement was performing on the world's great concert stages as the leading African American baritone of his day. It was not all triumph. The strain of two busy careers cost him his marriage to Leontyne Price, and his dedication to his art left him very little time for other personal relationships. Yet even through the later stages of his life as a teacher, he retained the joy and awe of music that led him to accomplish so much as an artist and as a man. Recommended.
- Dan Bogey, Clearfield Cty. P.L. Federation, Curwensville, Pa.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

William Warfield

Product Details

• Hardcover: 229 pages
• Publisher: Sagamore Pub Llc; First Edition edition (September 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0915611406
• ISBN-13: 978-0915611409
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,484,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Uncle Bill's image lives in his bio, October 8, 2010

By 

bernie d. "bernie" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: William Warfield: My Music & My Life (Hardcover)

A wonderful book of reminiscences from this wonderful man, and beloved friend of thousands of students, friends and fans. bd

3.0 out of 5 stars William, I Hardly Knew You, September 12, 2009

By 

Geneva Lewis (Planet Earth) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: William Warfield: My Music & My Life (Hardcover)

Have you had chills run down your spine when you hear William Warfield sing? Think "Old Man River", "Porgy and Bess", etc. Well, I had to read the autobiography of this immensely talented singer. I really enjoyed hearing him recount his early years with a seasoning in Arkansas but largely in New York State. His father, a minister, set lofty standards for his boys, and his mother was a dedicated caregiver and orchestrator of the family needs. Mr. Warfield's asides in the book are often as fascinating as anything; he has a keen mind for details and insight from what could be seen as small events. This is a reassuring thread in the book; he does not preach his story, or create a legend or myth but truly tells us how challenging it is for a performer, no matter how talented, to make his way in the entertainment/performing world. We follow him through high school and college, army life, and eventual transition from an academic pathway to entertainment , then back full circle as he accepted a tenured professorship in music at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Brief detours to Hollywood shed a revealing look behind the bright lights. He is a gentleman and reveals very little about his marriage and subsequent divorce from Leontyne Price. Racial strife and bigotry is lightly but meaningfully touched upon. My complaint is that despite the respectful, carefully crafted story, I don't feel as if I truly know what made this man tick. It seems too polite and restrained. The book brought up more questions than it answered. I guess I will have to be content with hearing his spectacular voice, and say simply, Thank you.