Last Balladeer

In The Last Balladeer, author Gregg Akkerman skillfully reveals the life-long achievements and occasional missteps of Johnny Hartman as an African-American artist dedicated to his craft. In the first full-length biography and discography to chronicle the rhapsodic life and music of Johnny Hartman, the author completes a previously missing dimension of vocal-jazz history by documenting Hartman as the balladeer who crooned his way into so many hearts. Backed by impeccable research but conveyed in a conversational style, this book will interest not only musicians and scholars but any fan of the Great American Songbook and the singers who brought it to life.

Gregg Akkerman is a performer, educator, and writer. Since 2004, Dr. Akkerman has held the position as Director of Jazz Studies and Commercial Music at the University of South Carolina Upstate in Spartanburg.

The Last Balladeer: The Johnny Hartman Story By Gregg Akkerman Table of Contents Acknowledgments Forward: Kevin Mahogany Introduction: Where's Johnny? Prologue: "Exactly How I Meant It" Chapter 1: Growing Up in Chicago: 1923-1942 Chapter 2: The Singing Soldier: 1943-1946 Chapter 3: With Earl Hines: 1946-1947 Chapter 4: With Dizzy Gillespie: 1948-1949 Chapter 5: Going Solo: 1950-1954 Chapter 6: Star of Bethlehem: 1955-1958 Chapter 7: "Two Weeks" in England: 1959-March 6, 1963 Chapter 8: The Mythology Of A Classic: March 7, 1963 Chapter 9: Almost Famous: March 8, 1963-1966 Chapter 10: A Long Dry Spell: 1967-1971 Chapter 11: American Lounge Act-Japanese Icon: 1972-1974 Chapter 12: Looking Bright: 1975-1977 Chapter 13: Once in Every Life: 1978-1980 Chapter 14: Leave Them Wanting More: 1981-1983 Chapter 15: Bridges to a Legacy Epilogue: Thank You for Everything Appendix 1: Session-Based Discography Appendix 2: Complete Listing of All Songs Recorded by Johnny Hartman Appendix 3: Timeline Bibliography Index About the Author