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Tim Brooks
TIMOTHY C FABRIZIO(EDITOR)
JIM FARRINGTON(EDITOR)
By Darryl Glenn Nettles. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2003. 185pp (softcover). Illustrations, Discography, Index. ISBN 0-7864-1467-7. $39.95
Having just written a book about the earliest African American recording artists, several of whom were concert singers, I was curious to see what this new book might add to our store of knowledge about these pioneers, as well as those who did not record. Whether you come to the book already familiar with the field, or simply someone curious about names you may have heard, African American Concert Singers Before 1950 is a decidedly mixed bag, with both strengths and glaring weaknesses.
First, the strengths. The book is a collection of short (one- to two-page) biographical sketches of about 80 artists who were active from the 1800s to 1950. The obvious stars are here -- Roland Hayes, Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson, Leontyne Price (who just makes the cut, having begun her career around 1950) -- but so are many obscure names such as Florence Cole Talbert and Edward Boatner. Nineteenth century pioneers including Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield (''The Black Swan''), Mme. Sissieretta Jones (''Black Patti'') and the Hyers Sisters are acknowledged alongside more recent performers. A picture of Carol Brice, a contralto active from the 1940s to the 1960s, graces the cover. The coverage is wide ranging, including a few, like Inez Clough, who were arguably better known for their theatrical than their concert work. [Actually, practically everyone from the 1930s-on seems to have appeared in a production of Porgy and Bess at...