Additional information
by Kurt Dietrich (Author)
"Singer Al Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth child of a minister father and a piano-playing mother. Growing up Black in the inner city, he attended Lincoln High School, where he was a prominent student leader, athlete and musician. He earned degrees in psychology and counseling at Ripon College and the University of Iowa. Al moved to San Francisco, where he was a counselor by day and a jazz singer by night. Quitting his day job, he forged a successful life as a club singer, including a year and a half on the Playboy Club circuit. Finally "discovered" in 1975 (at age 35) by Warner Brothers Records, he recorded 13 albums in 20 years for Warners. He became a "star" in the early '80s, crafting best-selling albums with a unique combination of jazz, pop and R&B. Ultimately, he was the first artist to win Grammy Awards in those three categories. Stardom in the world of popular music can be fleeting, however, and as records sales waned, Al had to adjust to new, sometimes harsh, realities. Al Jarreau follows Al's career and music through contemporary articles, filmed documentaries and extensive interviews with family members, fellow musicians, friends and associates"--
Author Biography
Kurt Dietrich is professor emeritus of music at Ripon College, where he was also Barbara Baldwin DeFrees Chair in the Performing Arts. He has written many articles and three books on jazz, including Wisconsin Riffs: Jazz Profiles from the Heartland from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. He earned degrees from Lawrence University, Northwestern University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He plays trombone with various groups around Wisconsin.
