Babs Gonzales

Babs Gonzales
Gonzales, by William Gottlieb
Gonzales, by William Gottlieb
Background information
Birth nameLee Brown
Born(1919-10-27)October 27, 1919
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Died(1980-01-23)January 23, 1980
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
GenresVocal jazz, spoken word, comedy
OccupationVocalist

Babs Gonzales (October 27, 1919 – January 23, 1980),[1] born Lee Brown, was an American bebop vocalist, poet, and self-published author.[2][3][4] His books portrayed the jazz world that many black musicians struggled in, portraying disk jockeys, club owners, liquor, drugs, and racism.[3] "There are jazz people whose influence can be described as minor," wrote Val Wilmer, "yet who are well-known to musicians and listeners alike ... You'd have to be hard-pressed to ignore the wealth of legend that surrounds Babs Gonzales."[5] Jazz writer Jack Cooke explained that Gonzales "assumed the role of spokesman for the whole hipster world... [becoming] something more than just a good and original jazz entertainer: the incarnation of a whole social group."[6]

  1. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 994/5. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^ "Babs Gonzales Discography". Discogs.com.
  3. ^ a b "Obituary - Babs Gonzales, a Singer Of Be-Bop Jazz Era". The New York Times. January 24, 1980. p. 23.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Valerie, Wilmer (1970). Jazz People. London: Allison & Busby. pp. 93, 95. ISBN 0-85031225-6.
  6. ^ Cooke, Jack (1963). "In Person - Babs Gonzales". Jazz Monthly, Vol. 9, No. 7.