Gil Scott-Heron--Pieces of a Man

October 20, 2014
Best known for his ingenious, cutting, and satiric 1970 song, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” Scott-Heron (1949–2011) never received full recognition for his brilliant writing across many genres, including poetry and fiction, and his canny weaving of black history into his volatile moment. In this straightforward, honest book, journalist Baram draws a poignant portrait, if somewhat fawning, of the artist as a black man struggling to make sense of his culture from the 1960s to his death. Baram draws on Scott-Heron’s autobiographies—and on his own friendship with Scott-Heron—to chronicle the poet and musician’s journey from his childhood in segregated Jackson, Tenn., and his youth in New York City to his college days at Lincoln University, where he grew increasingly more active in matters related to social justice. Baram then discusses Scott-Heron’s first album, his pivotal and mostly warm relationship with Columbia Records’ president, Clive Davis, and his eventual descent into a world of drug addiction that killed him. A gifted artist, Scott-Heron always deflected attention from himself as he pointed to the long river of people and ideas on whose backs he swam: Baram writes, “There could be no Gil Scott-Heron if there’d been no LeRoi Jones ... no Langston Hughes, no Paul Dunbar, no Phillis Wheatley.” Baram’s appreciative biography offers a glimpse into the complex feelings and thoughts of this Renaissance man we lost much too soon.

October 1, 2014
The first full-length biography of the legendary poet/musician famous for his socially conscious lyrics.A revered figure of both hip-hop and the counterculture, Gil Scott-Heron (1949-2011) was an artist who defied easy classification. Born in Chicago but raised predominately in the small town of Jackson, Tennessee, Scott-Heron experienced firsthand the hypocrisy of segregation and the blues' "pathos and gut-wrenching emotional honesty," which would provide him with a rhythm to which to set his evocative lyrics. International Business Times managing editor Baram, who knew his subject during his life, claims that Scott-Heron's unique style "would emphasize certain words on certain beats, anticipating by a decade the revolution of hip-hop." Though indebted to blues, his two major influences were Langston Hughes and John Coltrane. Scott-Heron had always considered himself a writer who used music as a way to perform his poetry, and it was Coltrane's vision and drive that inspired Scott-Heron to focus on his writing. While at Lincoln University, Scott-Heron transformed from a somewhat reserved though passionate observer to an outspoken advocate of social justice. His music reflected this change in the narratives he sang of ghetto life, such as "The Bottle," as well his bitter critique of American culture and power, "Winter in America." The polemical "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" would define his career, though Scott-Heron often harangued its misinterpretation, despite licensing the song to Nike. Scott-Heron sought to raise awareness of and legitimize the black experience in America, only to witness the malaise and apathy of the late 1970s erode the progressive spirit that inspired him. He continued to record, but without longtime friend and collaborator Brian Jackson, his sales and critical reception waned. Retreating into a severe cocaine addiction, resulting in several arrests and jail sentences, Scott-Heron made a final recording in 2010 before dying in 2011. Controversial and enigmatic, the tragic trajectory of Scott-Heron's life and career is expertly examined in this testament to one of the last great radical artists.

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2014

Singer/songwriter/activist Gil Scott-Heron (1949-2011) kept singing about change, justice, and revolution long after many artists had switched gears, or "sold out." His roster of songs, books, and poems included "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," "Winter in America," "Whitey on the Moon," "Lady Day and John Coltrane," "Johannesburg," "Home Is Where the Hatred Is," "The Bottle," and many more. He used razor-sharp commentaries and illuminating stories to shine light on injustice, poverty, racism, revolution, struggle, and consumerism, as well as the ironies and lies of America, all told with love through singing, poetry, and music. Baram (managing editor, International Business Times) seems an unlikely choice to write the story of an artist who was less about making money and more about sharing art, wit, and knowledge. The author takes from multiple sources, including Scott-Heron's 2012 The Last Holiday: A Memoir, which was published posthumously. Not included is any sort of FBI file, because "the FBI claimed that it did not have a file on him in its records." However, Baram deftly illustrates the ways in which the artist's life experience and who he was played into his creative output. VERDICT Described as a combination of John Coltrane and Malcolm X, and credited with inspiring rap music, Scott-Heron is still relevant and revolutionary. Recommended for public and academic libraries.--Lani Smith, Ohone Coll. Lib., Fremont, CA

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2014
Songwriter and performer Gil Scott-Heron made his indelible mark with such scorching songs as The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, The Bottle, and Johannesburg. His memoir, The Last Holiday (2012), was published a year after his death at age 62. Now Baram presents the first complete biography of this intense, haunted, outspoken yet elusive trailblazer, this revolutionary prophet, griot, and stand-up comic. Abandoned by his famous soccer player father, Scott-Heron was raised by his stalwart maternal grandmother in segregated Jackson, Tennessee, and his tough and witty mother in the Bronx. Acutely aware of social injustice and hypocrisy, inspired by Langston Hughes, and buoyed by scholarships, Scott-Heron became an audacious novelist and poet, formed a band, wrote galvanizing lyrics, and developed a spoken-word style that presaged rap and hip-hop. Baram vividly chronicles Scott-Heron's independent political thinking, great empathy, gift for combining radicalism with humor, legendary appearances, the anguish behind his catastrophic crack addiction and long silence, and his resurgent final album, I'm New Here (2010). Baram's exacting, intimate, and sensitive portrait preserves and honors Scott-Herron's unique genius and essential legacy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)