 The
Ladies Who Sing With the Band by Betty Bennett
Betty Bennett
presents a valuable addition to the literature of jazz on several
levels. This book is an entertaining and unpretentious chronicle
of a life in American popular music, recounted with wit and honesty.
Bennett evokes a bygone era when "territory" and "name"
bands--each with its own "girl singer"--crisscrossed
the country. Bennett's account will evoke memories for those who
lived through the time and provide valuable insight for those
too young to remember. The author's career intersected with many
of the icons of jazz and popular music, among them Nat King Cole,
Dizzy Gillespie, Georgie Auld, Claude Thornhill, Charlie Ventura,
Benny Goodman, and Charlie Barnet. Bennett provides many anecdotes
about these personalities which enlighten and entertain, as does
her entirely unselfconscious discussion of her marriage to Andre
Previn and her relationship with her husband, guitar great Mundell
Lowe. Along the way, Ms. Bennett offers many insights into the
mechanics of singing as well as the complex interplay between
lead singer and accompanists. Finally, the book deals with several
issues that transcend music. The entertainment industry--particularly
the jazz world--was an early era of black/white professional and
personal interaction. Moreover, the traveling big band represented
a unique instance of women in an all-male workplace. Ms. Bennett
confronts these issues of race and gender in a refreshingly forthright
manner.
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