Description
Book SynopsisPerforming in a country rife with racism and segregation, the tenor Roland Hayes was the first African American man to reach international fame as a concert performer and one of the few artists who could sell out Town Hall, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Hall, and Covent Garden. His trailblazing career carved the way for a host of African American artists, including Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson. Performing the African American spirituals he was raised on, Hayes's voice was marked with a unique sonority which easily navigated French, German, and Italian art songs. A multiculturalist both on and off the stage, he counted among his friends George Washington Carver, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ezra Pound, Pearl Buck, Dwight Eisenhower, and Langston Hughes. This engaging biography spans the history of Hayes's life and career and the legacy he left behind as a musician and a champion of African American rights. It is an authentic, panoramic portrait of a man who was as complex as the music he performed.
Trade ReviewLargely forgotten today outside specialist circles, the African-American tenor Roland Hayes (1887–1976) was a much admired and internationally celebrated artist during his lifetime. As the authors of this substantial and well-documented new biography suggest, a reluctance to broadcast and a relatively limited recording career have prevented wider circulation of his fame in our own day. . . The authors detail his long career meticulously, as well as his complicated private life.
* BBC Music Magazine *
Well researched, with several primary sources and newspapers cited, the volume includes 48 illustrations of Hayes and other musicians. . . . Highly recommended.
* Choice *
An impressive work of scholarship, shedding light on a significant figure in American music and the time in which he lived.
* Epoch Times *
What we have here is a thorough and well-documented account of the life of a most interesting artist, one who was both a racial pioneer and a fine interpreter of both European art music and African-American spirituals.
* ARSC Journal *
With moving contributions from tenor George Shirley and bass Simon Estes, this text captures the essence of [Hayes's] career thoughtfully compiled with the accuracy of historian Christopher Brooks and the music depth of baritone Robert Sims. This book is a wonderful journey through Hayes' performances, racial plight and acceptance.
* Examiner.com *
Offers a gripping, sensitive, and balanced story of this historical icon and musician.
* The Atlanta Voice *
Table of ContentsForeword
Introduction: "I'll Make Me a Man"
Prologue
1. A New Jerusalem (1887-1911)
2. Roland's World in Boston (1911-1920)
3. Roland Rules Britannia (1920-1921)
4. "Le Rage de Paris" (1921-1922)
5. You're Tired, Chile (1923)
6. The Hayes Conquest (1923-1924)
7. Roland and the Countess (1924-1926)
8. The Conquest Slows (1926-1930)
9. Hard Trials, Great Tribulations (1930-1935)
10. Return to Europe (1936-1942)
11. Rome, Georgia—1942
12. "You can tell the World about This!" (1942-1950)
13. Struggles in Remaining Relevant (1950-1959)
14. I Wanna Go Home (1960-1977)
Epilogue: The Hayes Legacy (1977- )
Afterword
Roland Hayes: Repertoire
Bibliography
Notes
Index
