James Gavin Celebrates George Michael, Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Chet Baker on The Jim Masters Show

Called “a killer biographer” in the Hollywood Reporter, James Gavin is the author of five acclaimed books and dozens of New York Times features; he is a worldwide public speaker, a Grammy nominee, and a recipient of two ASCAP Deems Taylor-Virgil Thomson Awards for excellence in music journalism. James joins award-winning television, radio, multimedia personality and host Jim Masters for an amazing conversation on this episode of The Jim Masters Show LIVE series.
Gavin's fifth book, George Michael: A Life (Abrams, June 2022), has been hailed as the definitive telling of the tumultuous life story of the troubled pop superstar. People chose it as one of its top 10 summer reads; the New York Times called it "engrossing … a thorough and well-rounded view of Michael's artistry and personal chaos." USA Today termed it "probing, definitive."
In her New York Times review of Gavin's previous book, Is That All There Is?: The Strange Life of Peggy Lee (Atria Books/Simon & Schuster, 2014), Anita Gates called the biography “eminently readable ... fascinating, suspenseful, musically detailed and insightful.” The Hollywood Reporter's Tim Appelo chose it as one of the top ten music books of 2014.
Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne (Atria Books, 2009) was termed “magnificent ... gripping, marvelously written” by Liz Smith, who added: “[It] may just be one of the best biographies about show business, race, love, sex, and music ever written.” In the New York Times, David Hajdu described Gavin’s Deep in a Dream: The Long Night of Chet Baker (Knopf, 2002; republished by Chicago Review Press in 2011) as “almost unbearably vivid.” The Hollywood Reporter proclaimed it “a landmark in entertainment biography.”
Gavin’s first book, Intimate Nights: The Golden Age of New York Cabaret (Grove Weidenfeld, 1991; Back Stage Books, 2006) won Gavin his first ASCAP Deems Taylor-Virgil Thomson Award, along with raves from Liz Smith (“a treasure trove … a real beat of the heart of New York”), John S. Wilson of the New York Times (“vividly reported ... etched in acid”), and Gerald Nachman of the San Francisco Chronicle (“Wild and wistful ... a remarkably informed, insightful, definitive look at Manhattan nightlife”).
Manhattan-born and a graduate of Fordham University, Gavin is a much-published freelance journalist. Aside from the New York Times, he has written for Vanity Fair, Time Out New York, and the Daily Beast. Gavin's 2015 feature for JazzTimes, “The Gates of the Underworld: Inside Slugs’ Saloon, Jazz’s Most Notorious Nightclub," earned him his second ASCAP Deems Taylor-Virgil Thomson Award. He has contributed liner notes to over 500 CDs; his essay for the GRP box set Ella Fitzgerald - The Legendary Decca Recordings was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Gavin has appeared in several documentaries, including an E! True Hollywood Story on Doris Day and Anita O’Day: The Life and Times of a Jazz Singer. He wrote and narrated a French TV documentary, Chet by Claxton, on legendary jazz photographer William Claxton and his muse, Chet Baker. Gavin has made hundreds of radio appearances, including multiple interviews on NPR, the BBC, and Australia’s ABC Network; he has been seen on the Today show, Good Morning America, and PBS NewsHour. From 2011 through 2017, Gavin toured as narrator, host, and author of Stormy Weather: The Life and Music of Lena Horne, a show that starred former Supreme Mary Wilson.
Subscribe to our TH-cam channel and click the notification bell.
#jamesgavin #georgemichael #peggylee #leanhorne #jimmasterstv #thejimmastersshow

[@marybishop9310]

Really enjoyed tonight’s conversation with James. Definitely some must read books by Him! Thanks Jim❤️

[@christineclifton4731]

What a deep meaningful conversation with James! I love his passion and desire to learn about & celebrate the lives of these iconic figures in his biographies! It seems he presents a well-rounded picture of their joys & struggles in these books. It was kind for James to open up about his life to us. Congrats on all his fascinating books! Thanks for this interesting show Jim. ❤️

[@jameswalberg3265]

A great unhurried interview. Love James Gavin and this is the best interview that I have heard. A so thrilled to find this channel.