Now is the time when those of us who compile summer reading lists start looking for good books to page through. Whether in search of an easy beach read, musical inspiration, or in-depth study, this column offers three different options of new publications for summertime perusal.
Ellis Nassour interacted with many famous musicians in his previously held public relations role for MCA Music, including Loretta Lynn, Dean Martin, The Who, and Elton John, to name a few. He even wrote the first biography of country star Patsy Cline. The subject of his latest book, however, is a “superstar” of an entirely different sort.
In Jesus Christ Superstar: Behind the Scenes of the Worldwide Musical Phenomenon (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024), Nassour presents the origin story of the mega-musical written by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice. From the release of the concept album to its progression to Broadway, the West End, and national tours to the making of the film adaptation, he chronicles the conversations, characters, and near-catastrophes surrounding the show and its historic popularity.
Nassour reveals many little-known details about Jesus Christ Superstar and the process of how it came together. For instance, he describes how a seventeen-year-old John Travolta auditioned for the Broadway production, leading one panelist to fortuitously write in his notes, “This kid will be a star one day.” Bette Midler was seen for the role of Mary Magdalene and even brought her own pianist to the audition—Barry Manilow. Ben Vereen, who originated the role of Judas on Broadway, overslept and almost missed opening night. Similar trivia and engrossing tidbits appear throughout the book.
To accompany the text, many photos are included featuring rehearsal and production shots from the show’s Broadway premiere, original costume sketches, backstage antics, and even the opening night after-party.
Fifty-five years after Jesus Christ Superstar’s first inception, Nassour’s book answers the question, “What’s the buzz?” by reliving the excitement around the musical’s introduction to the world. Part journalism, part historical record, and part tell-all, Nassour provides an entertaining read that devoted fans will adore and even casual fans will appreciate.
Long before James Brown’s relentless touring and performance schedule earned him the title of “the hardest working man in show business,” there was another figure for whom the designation would also have been appropriate. George M. Cohan (1878-1942) may be best remembered as the composer of well-known, toe-tapping songs like “Over There,” “Give My Regards to Broadway,” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” A recently published book, however, profiles his wide-ranging and sometimes controversial career. Yankee Doodle Dandy: George M. Cohan and the Broadway Stage (Oxford University Press, 2024) is written by musicologist and professor Elizabeth T. Craft.
As described in the foreword by Geoffrey Block, Series Editor of Oxford’s Broadway Legacies series, Cohan wrote the book, lyrics, and music for most of his 40+ Broadway shows—tasks often completed by three different people. For many of these shows, he also performed on stage as an actor, singer, and dancer. Add director, theater owner, and producer to his list of career credits, and his impact on the genre and influence on the era is undeniable.
Craft divides the chapters according to many of Cohan’s identities: patriot, entertainer, Irish American, and celebrity, among others. Though she claims the book is not a biography—and, as such, makes no attempt to be comprehensive in covering Cohan’s work—it is still remarkably thorough, touching upon major events and compositions as well as lesser-known contributions of note.
As Craft highlights, Yankee Doodle Dandy is the first book dedicated to Cohan in more than 50 years, despite his many claims to fame (including being the only Broadway artist with a statue in the greater Times Square area). She identifies her intention to be both “inviting and engaging to broad audiences” with her writing while also entering into “scholarly dialogues,” providing citations and sources where readers can dig deeper. Like Cohan, Craft displays her own multifaceted skills through research, historical writing, biographical writing, storytelling, and song analysis, all while providing important context for a modern audience in this fascinating volume.
In its simplest definition, “vocology” is the science and practice of voice habilitation. An intentionally interdisciplinary field, it brings together all those with an interest in vocalization: performers, teachers, researchers, and those in the medical field. A new, collaboratively written book presents current understandings, gleaned from the research literature, on the impact of vocalization on general health. Sing and Shout for Health: Scientific Insights and Future Directions for Vocology (National Center for Voice and Speech, 2024) is edited by Ingo Titze and Elizabeth Johnson but includes 25 other co-authors (Full disclosure: I am a co-author of the first chapter).
Each chapter of the book essentially serves as a literature review of how voicing may affect a particular aspect of physical health. Summarizing hundreds of research studies, the authors explore the potential relationships between vocalization and heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory efficiency, the vagus nerve, connective tissues, immune system function, hormone upregulation, cerebrospinal fluid, fluid viscosity in organs and tissues, head and neck wound healing, pre-birth stimulation of the fetus, and even how cancer cells may be affected by voice and sound.
All co-authors of the book are members of the Pan American Vocology Association, an organization founded in order to study all forms of vocalization. As stated in the foreword, “The book is intended to be a starting point for new and exciting research conducted by current and future vocologists.” As such, although it is a summary of what is currently known, its greater purpose is as a launching point for further research. A more dense read than the other books highlighted in this column, it will no doubt be of interest to those who are curious about the connection between vocalization and general health.
