When the Music Stopped

Woods worked his way up from errand boy to music editor at Variety at the height of the big band era. Here he presents what are essentially his memoirs. Not a music historian-or even a musician himself-Woods instead offers a collection of music business reminiscences and anecdotes. His subjects range from the big bands of Benny Goodman, the Dorsey brothers, and Ralph Flanagan (whom Woods also managed) to crooners and canaries like Perry Como, Frand Sinatra, and Dinah Shore. But don't think this is a sugarcoated, days-of-innocence portrayal. There is frank sexual content-apparently, it wasn't called the "swing era" for nothing-and Woods is chatty and gossipy and not afraid to offer strong opinions. While some, like Goodman, earn high praise, others, like Glenn Miller, are treated differently: Miller is revealed as a first-rate putz who wasn't smart enough to butter his own bread. With new books on this era so rare, this entertaining remembrance is recommended for public libraries, especially those serving a significant pre-baby boom patronage.