From her stage debut in 1922 to her final professional appearance in 1996, Elisabeth Welch was an important figure in the world of popular song. In 1923 she launched the Charleston and throughout the Jazz Age, she was associated with some of the great names of the Harlem Renaissance, including Josephine Baker, Adelaide Hall, Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson, and Ethel Waters. On Broadway she popularized Cole Porter's scandalous song "Love for Sale." After settling in London in 1933, she introduced the classic torch song "Stormy Weather" to British audiences, and that same year she began a career in English musical theatre (Cole Porter's Nymph Errant) that lasted sixty years. In 1930s Britain, Ivor Novello wrote songs for her, Paul Robeson was her leading man in films, and she enjoyed popularity as a cabaret star of London's cafe society. Remaining in her adopted country for the duration of the war (1939-45), Elisabeth entertained the troops and the British public, alongside such theatrical giants as Sir John Gielgud. In the post-war years she reigned supreme in sophisticated revues in London's West End. In 1979 Elisabeth's appearance in Derek Jarman's film version of William Shakespeare's The Tempest (in which she sang "Stormy Weather") won her a whole new legion of fans. At the age of 81, she returned to the Broadway stage and her performance in Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood earned her a Tony nomination. In Elisabeth Welch: Soft Lights and Sweet Music, author Stephen Bourne celebrates the stage, screen, and radio career of this sophisticated African American actress and singer, who always defied categorization. Spanning almost a century of popular music, she did not fit the definition of jazz, torch, pop or ballad singer but defined her art quite simply as "telling a story in song." Whatever she sang, she demonstrated that she had no peer in the art of interpreting songs by the likes of Cole Porter, Noel Coward, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern. Includes more than 25 photos.

About the Author
Stephen Bourne, one of Britain's leading authorities on Black history, is a regular contributor to Black Filmmaker magazine and has been interviewed in several documentaries, including Black Divas (1996) and Paul Robeson: Here I Stand (1999). He is the author of Black in the British Frame: The Black Experience in British Film and Television (2001).

Reviews
...a sterling celebration of Welch as a musical artist and a vibrant personality, and as such is definitive. Bourne's daunting research has resulted in appendices that are sensationally good - comprehensive listings of the star's radio performances, her theatre work - in New York, Paris and the provinces as well as the West End, her films (with cast lists and song titles), her television work (nearly 100 titles), and her concerts, plus a discography, and even the records she chose on her two appearances on Desert Island Discs. * What's On In London *
Stephen Bourne's highly readable biography of Welch (with a warm introduction by her friend and the Oldie's memorial writer, Ned Sherrin) traces the life of this unique entertainer whose talent transcended the generation gap. When Welch was in her eighties she was still appearing in sell-out concerts in London and New York where her fans included young and old alike. * The Oldie *
...Welch led a fascinating life, all of which is captured in this charming biography...An affectionate tribute full of fascinating anecdotes, this will delight fans of the star, as well as those with an interest in popular song. FOUR STARS!> * Film Review *
Stephen Bourne's book serves as a classy tribute to a classy lady. * British Pictures *
Elisabeth Welch was an important figure in the world of African American entertainment in the inter-war years and as such was long overdue a biography. This book neatly covers the facts... * VJM's Jazz and Blues Mart, No. 146 (Summer 2007) *
She had a longer recording career than Sinatra or Elvis, recording in every decade from the 1920s to the 1990s. In America, she shared the stage with the legendary Josephine Baker, popularized Cole Porter's Love For Sale, and introduced Stormy Weather (in 1979, she sang it at the end of Derek Jarman's The Tempest) to British audiences. She launched the Charleston, for heaven's sake, yet so few of us remember this massively important figure, Britain's first black star. This timely biography by Welch's close friend and uber-fan, Bourne, should hopefully go some way to addressing her absence. * Gay Times *
...Welch led a fascinating life, all of which is captured in this charming biography...An affectionate tribute full of fascinating anecdotes, this will delight fans of the star, as well as those with an interest in popular song. FOUR STARS! * Film Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780810854130
Author Stephen Bourne
Format Paperback
Page Count 200
Imprint Scarecrow Press
Publisher Scarecrow Press
Weight(grams) 318g
Dimensions(mm) 227mm * 164mm * 13mm