Garry Stevens

with Stephen Fratallone

Band Singer

Bookstand Publishing (2006)

        This is the story of Garry Stevens, a vanishing breed known as a band singer. Stevens sang with the bands of Charlie Spivak and Tex Beneke during the 1940s, recording a number of chart-topping tunes with each aggregation. After the popularity of the big bands faded away, he went on to host his own musical television variety show throughout the 1950s. 

Stevens talks about his professional life as a vocalist in intimate detail in his newly-published book, Band Singer (Bookstand Publishing), and about the many musicians, bandleaders, and personalities that he rubbed shoulders with during his eight-decade career. Co-written by Stephen Fratallone, publisher of Jazz Connection Magazine, the 200-page book includes over twenty pages of photos and complete discographies of Stevens' work with the Spivak and Beneke orchestras.

In a Billboard poll conducted in 1942, Stevens was listed as one of the top four male vocalists to sing with bands, trailing Frank Sinatra (with Tommy Dorsey), Dick Haymes (with Harry James), and Bob Eberly (with Jimmy Dorsey). In 1948, during his stint with Beneke, Stevens once again took top honors in another Billboard poll of favorite male band vocalists, following Vaughn Monroe, Don Cornell (with Sammy Kaye), and Stuart Foster (with Tommy Dorsey).

As a pioneer performer in the early days of television, Stevens became a popular fixture in the Albany-Schenectady, New York-area for nine years. His stories about the challenges of doing live television are not only interesting but extremely entertaining.

Whether he was performing on the bandstand during the heyday of the Big Band Era or in front of a camera during television's "Golden Age," Stevens was there, "in the trenches," making it happen.

Even now, at age 90, Stevens continues to make things happen on the bandstand. He often refers to himself as the oldest living self-taught band singer in the business who is still singing. He remains active during his "twilight years" by singing with local big bands based throughout Northern California, and serves as a mentor to the Benicia High School Jazz Band in Benicia, CA.

Band Singer is a must-have book for the Big Band aficionado who yearns for vivid insights as to what it was like to sing with bands during that romantic time period in America's musical history, and for the television buff who clamors for an in-depth look at what went on behind the scenes during TV's infancy.

Rating:  ****

Band Singer is $15 plus $2.50 for shipping and handling for a total of $17.50. The book comes in paperback only. To order, e-mail jazzconnection@hotmail.com , or log on to Ebookstand at http://www.ebookstand.com/books.grp/ST2002.html  

Read what others have to say about Band Singer:

" ...the story is full of 'Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah' as Stevens works to 'Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate-the-Positive.' It's a fun book."

                                                                                                                                     - Dan Barnett, Book Columnist, The Buzz, Chico, CA

"This book is worth examining for several historical considerations... It's a good read for big band enthusiasts."

                                                                                                                                    - John Tumpak, Big Band Historian, L.A. Jazz Scene News

"Garry's tome doesn't skimp on anecdotes... Good reading."

                                                                                                                                    - David Bernhart, President, Big Band Academy of America

*****