Margaret Cheney

Mabel Mercer remains one of the most influential stylists of American popular song, yet few people today know her music or her name. This centennial biography by Margaret Cheney tells the fascinating story of her rise to international stardom. Born into a bohemian theatrical family in the English Midlands in 1900 she was abandoned to nuns by her stage-struck mother. She never knew her African-American father, for whom she searched all her life. As a teenager, she sang her way through European music halls, becoming a star in the exciting era of 1920s "Lost Generation" Paris. Composers such as Porter, Gershwin, Hammerstein, Rodgers & Berlin sought her unique style to introduce their favorite works. With the rise of the Nazis, Mabel fled to America where she found work in New York night clubs & overcame the humiliation of racial prejudice. She gained enormous popularity, on any given night, celebrities like Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner, Duke Ellington, Bogart & Bacall were in her audience. Mabel's honest interpretation of lyrics attracted many of America's stars to learn from her, such as Frank Sinatra, Bobby Short, Tony Bennett,Billie Holiday & opera singers Leontyne Price & Eileen Farrell. And what they learned transformed American culture. Midnight at Mabel's explores the singer's extraordinary style & character. It recounts the rise of "Mabel Mercer Madness" in the '70s & '80s. No understanding of American popular song is complete without knowing Mabel Mercer.

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