Back in the 30's and 40's, the dance you did to 'swinging' jazz and big band music was the Lindy Hop. Jazz of course was the precursor to many of the musical forms that developed in the 70 years since.
Frankie Manning was born in the South but was part of the great migration, and settled down in Harlem in the 20's. He used to hang around and dance at the ballrooms there, which were the home to Count Base, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and pretty much every major African-American musician of that era. He sets off on a showbiz career though it takes a pause in the 40's as America goes to war. He fights in the Pacific, and when he returns to the US he sees the popularity of swing music decrease as other forms become more popular. He then takes up a job in a post office in Manhattan and works there for 30 years. All of a sudden, in the 1980's swing has a revival, and guess what he becomes one of the primary figures in it. He died a couple of months back at the young age of 95.
'Frankie Manning : Ambassador of Lindy Hop', is a wonderful autobiography. It feels almost like an history of blacks in 20th century America. Always cheerful and upbeat, despite all the racial bigotry he had to face early on in his life. If you enjoy a good story, you will enjoy this.
PS: If you are planning to read the Twilight series or Dan Brown, please consider reading this instead. :)
Frankie Manning was born in the South but was part of the great migration, and settled down in Harlem in the 20's. He used to hang around and dance at the ballrooms there, which were the home to Count Base, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and pretty much every major African-American musician of that era. He sets off on a showbiz career though it takes a pause in the 40's as America goes to war. He fights in the Pacific, and when he returns to the US he sees the popularity of swing music decrease as other forms become more popular. He then takes up a job in a post office in Manhattan and works there for 30 years. All of a sudden, in the 1980's swing has a revival, and guess what he becomes one of the primary figures in it. He died a couple of months back at the young age of 95.
'Frankie Manning : Ambassador of Lindy Hop', is a wonderful autobiography. It feels almost like an history of blacks in 20th century America. Always cheerful and upbeat, despite all the racial bigotry he had to face early on in his life. If you enjoy a good story, you will enjoy this.
PS: If you are planning to read the Twilight series or Dan Brown, please consider reading this instead. :)
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