Synopses & Reviews
Acclaimed RandB singer Bettye LaVette celebrates her storied career in show business with her stunning memoir,
A Woman Like Me, and her new album,
Thankful N' Thoughtful.
As a teenager in Detroit, Bettye LaVette had a hit single with and#147;My Manand#151;Heand#8217;s a Lovinand#8217; Man.and#8221; By the time she was twenty, she had faded back into obscurity and was barely surviving in New York City. For the next forty years, despite being associated with legends such as Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, and James Brown, she remained relatively unknown outside a circle of devoted fans. Every time it seemed that her dream of stepping into the spotlight was finally coming true, bad luck smashed her hopes, again and again. Then, after a lifetime of singing in clubs and lounges, her unforgettable televised performances at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors and at President Obamaand#8217;s pre-Inaugural Concert at the Lincoln Memorial in 2009 won her the recognition she had sought for her entire life.
Bettye LaVetteand#8217;s career has been a one-of-a-kind roller-coaster ride through the world of music; it has taken her from the peaks to the pits and back. In this unflinchingly honest memoir, she boldly recounts her freewheeling childhoodand#151;her parents ran an illegal liquor business out of their living room, which was frequented by some of the top acts of the forties and fiftiesand#151;her short-lived conquest of the RandB world in the 1960s, her decline into poverty and despair, and her recent comeback and career revival, with two Grammy-nominated CDs and numerous appearances on major television talk shows. Poignant, brazen, and fearless, A Woman Like Me is a tour de force from one of the most outspoken female performers singing todayand#151;and sheand#8217;s a force to be reckoned with.
Review
“From the jump,
A Woman Like Me is riveting. Bettye LaVette's story grips you and, like her voice, doesn't let go.” —Paul Shaffer
“A dizzying, careening, nonstop roller coaster ride of an autobiography….An unflinching and uncompromising look at a life lived across the tracks from fame, where the brass ring was always within view but never within her grasp.” –Ben Edmonds, Detroit Free Press
“Bettye makes no apologies.” —Jon Bon Jovi
"Anyone who has ever heard Bettye LaVette's voice will recognize how absurd it is that she may have ever been unsung. This is her own story, in her own words. What else could you need to know?” —Elvis Costello
“Absolutely engrossing… a wild ride… [LaVette's] honesty is astonishing and if half of what she relates is true then her journey is no less painful than Billie Holiday’s or Bessie Smith’s…. Longtime residents of Harlem, Chicago, LA, and Detroit will relish those scenes so memorably evoked by LaVette as she recalls the clubs, incidents, and the gaggle of lovers and mentors…. A woman like Bettye LaVette is like no other.” —Herb Boyd, The Network Journal
“LaVette tells it like it is….[She] details the Detroit blues scene. There are beautiful cameo portraits of Aretha Franklin, Solomon Burke and Little Esther Phillips along the way.” –Charles R. Cross, The Seattle Times
“Powerful.” –The Village Voice
“‘[LaVette] is a voice from the wilderness. How did we miss her for so long? A Woman Like Me goes some of the way to explain. Now she is here, an extraordinary discovery in a blues voice. We must hang on to her tightly.” —Pete Townshend
“The life story of this soul singer—a real survivor, now 66—is destined for the big screen…LaVette’s candid story is also a window into the early years of Motown and the Detroit music scene." –Billy Heller, New York Post
“Red hot.” –Steve Holsey, Michigan Chronicle
“LaVette’s autobiography reads like an R&B song only she could perform—soulful and honest….Her quest serves as one of the most authentic inside looks at the American music industry…LaVette’s tale is a treat.” –Publishers Weekly
“LaVette is a rhythm and blues survivor of the highest order, someone whose run of ‘buzzard luck’ as she calls it would have stomped down almost anyone else alive. To read her unrelenting story with every single nitty gritty detail included is to understand what long odds the music business has always been, and also see the high and low points in high-def detail like very few biographies have captured. LaVette is long past shame over some of her escapades, and lucky for us she and co-writer David Ritz capture the arduous journey dead-on, never pulling out the make-up and lip gloss to try and sugarcoat the truth.” –Bill Bentley, The Motion Report
“Besides being remarkably frank, A Woman Like Me is a very funny book, rife with one laugh after another.” –Lee Hildebrand, San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"Anyone who has ever heard Bettye LaVette's voice will recognize how absurd it is that she may have ever been unsung. This is her own story, in her own words. What else could you need to know?and#8221; and#8212;
Elvis Costello and#160; and#8220;From the jump,
A Woman Like Me is riveting. Bettye LaVette's story grips you and, like her voice, doesn't let go.and#8221; and#8212;
Paul Shaffer and#8220;A Woman Like Me is a candid, offbeat, and gloriously unapologetic memoir by one of the greatest soul singers of all timeand#8230;. This is narrative writing at its best. LaVetteand#8217;s charismatic style of performance is consistent with her bold and engaging personality on the page; thereand#8217;s never a dull moment here.and#8221; and#8211;Kristin Rawls, The Christian Science Monitor and#160;
and#160; and#8220;and#8216;Love, Reign oand#8217;er Meand#8217; is one of the best songs Iand#8217;ve written. I never thought anyone could challenge the way Roger Daltrey took the vocals to such a high level of anguish, longing, and epiphany, but Bettye did it. She is a voice from the wilderness. How did we miss her for so long? A Woman Like Me goes some of the way to explain. Now she is here, an extraordinary discovery in a blues voice. We must hang on to her tightly.and#8221; and#8212;Pete Townshend and#160; and#8220;Bettye makes no apologies.and#8221; and#8212;Jon Bon Jovi and#160; and#8220;LaVette has had quite the colorful life, and she spares no detail or hair-raising experience in A Woman Like Me.and#8221; and#8212;Kia Makarechi, The Huffington Post and#160; and#8220;Absolutely engrossingand#8230; a wild rideand#8230; Despite the numerous setbacks, the unfilled promises from producersand#8212;something she terms 'buzzard luck'and#8212;LaVette is a survivor and no obstacles is too big for her to surmount. Her honesty is astonishing and if half of what she relates is true then her journey is no less painful than Billie Holidayand#8217;s or Bessie Smithand#8217;sand#8230;. What is most intriguing about her book is the way she and Ritz mix humor and wit, a kind of comic relief to the moments of sorrow and setbackand#8230;. Longtime residents of Harlem, Chicago, LA, and Detroit will relish those scenes so memorably evoked by LaVette as she recalls the clubs, incidents, and the gaggle of lovers and mentorsand#8230;. A woman like Bettye LaVette is like no other.and#8221; and#8212;Herb Boyd, The Network Journal
and#8220;A dizzying, careening, nonstop roller coaster ride of an autobiographyand#8230;.An unflinching and uncompromising look at a life lived across the tracks from fame, where the brass ring was always within view but never within her grasp.and#8221;and#160; and#8211;Ben Edmonds, Detroit Free Press
and#8220;LaVetteand#8217;s autobiography reads like an RandB song only she could performand#8212;soulful and honestand#8230;.Her quest serves as one of the most authentic inside looks at the American music industry, and LaVette pulls no punchesand#8230;LaVetteand#8217;s tale is a treat.and#8221;and#160; and#8211;Publishers Weekly
and#8220;A tale of inspiration, frustration and promises deferred...studded with anecdotes about a life making music alongside some of the biggest names in Detroit.and#8221; and#8211;Tris McCall, The New Jersey Star-Ledger
and#8220;Powerful.and#8221;and#160; and#8211;The Village Voice
and#8220;Hilarious and harrowing and#8230; the details of her tale prove so crazed, quotable and laugh-out-loud funny, I found myself dog-earing many more pages in her book than I left pristine. At 66, LaVette has lost none of the muscularity of her instrument. Neither has she lost her trim figure. Her bad-ass spirit, evident on every page, remains even more firmly intact. The most powerful aspect of her story comes in the way she chooses to tell it: with a triumphant cackle.and#8221;and#160; and#8211;Jim Farber, New York Daily News
and#8220;The life story of this soul singerand#8212;a real survivor, now 66and#8212;is destined for the big screenand#8230;LaVetteand#8217;s candid story is also a window into the early years of Motown and the Detroit music scene." and#8211;Billy Heller, New York Post
and#8220;[LaVetteand#8217;s] book is red hot.and#8221; and#8211;Steve Holsey, Michigan Chronicle
and#8220;Bettye LaVetteand#8217;s autobiography, A Woman Like Me, proves sheand#8217;s as amazing a storyteller as she is a singer.and#8221; and#8211;Benjamin Boles, Now
and#8220;LaVette tells it like it isand#8230;. LaVette sings as straightforwardly as she writes, probably because she is from no-nonsense Detroit. Much of the start of her memoir, cowritten with David Ritz, details the Detroit blues scene. There are beautiful cameo portraits of Aretha Franklin, Solomon Burke and Little Esther Phillips along the way.and#8221; and#8211;Charles R. Cross, The Seattle Times
and#8220;LaVette is a rhythm and blues survivor of the highest order, someone whose run of and#8216;buzzard luckand#8217; as she calls it would have stomped down almost anyone else alive. To read her unrelenting story with every single nitty gritty detail included is to understand what long odds the music business has always been, and also see the high and low points in high-def detail like very few biographies have captured. LaVette is long past shame over some of her escapades, and lucky for us she and co-writer David Ritz capture the arduous journey dead-on, never pulling out the make-up and lip gloss to try and sugarcoat the truth.and#8221; and#8211;Bill Bentley, The Motion Report
and#8220;Besides being remarkably frank, A Woman Like Me is a very funny book, rife with one laugh after another.and#8221; and#8211;Lee Hildebrand, San Francisco Chronicle
Review
andldquo;From the jump,
A Woman Like Me is riveting. Bettye LaVette's story grips you and, like her voice, doesn't let go.andrdquo; andmdash;Paul Shaffer
andldquo;A dizzying, careening, nonstop roller coaster ride of an autobiographyandhellip;.An unflinching and uncompromising look at a life lived across the tracks from fame, where the brass ring was always within view but never within her grasp.andrdquo; andndash;Ben Edmonds, Detroit Free Press
andldquo;Bettye makes no apologies.andrdquo; andmdash;Jon Bon Jovi
andquot;Anyone who has ever heard Bettye LaVette's voice will recognize how absurd it is that she may have ever been unsung. This is her own story, in her own words. What else could you need to know?andrdquo; andmdash;Elvis Costello
andldquo;Absolutely engrossingandhellip; a wild rideandhellip; [LaVette's] honesty is astonishing and if half of what she relates is true then her journey is no less painful than Billie Holidayandrsquo;s or Bessie Smithandrsquo;sandhellip;. Longtime residents of Harlem, Chicago, LA, and Detroit will relish those scenes so memorably evoked by LaVette as she recalls the clubs, incidents, and the gaggle of lovers and mentorsandhellip;. A woman like Bettye LaVette is like no other.andrdquo; andmdash;Herb Boyd, The Network Journal
andldquo;LaVette tells it like it isandhellip;.[She] details the Detroit blues scene. There are beautiful cameo portraits of Aretha Franklin, Solomon Burke and Little Esther Phillips along the way.andrdquo; andndash;Charles R. Cross, The Seattle Times
andldquo;Powerful.andrdquo; andndash;The Village Voice
andldquo;andlsquo;[LaVette] is a voice from the wilderness. How did we miss her for so long? A Woman Like Me goes some of the way to explain. Now she is here, an extraordinary discovery in a blues voice. We must hang on to her tightly.andrdquo; andmdash;Pete Townshend
andldquo;The life story of this soul singerandmdash;a real survivor, now 66andmdash;is destined for the big screenandhellip;LaVetteandrsquo;s candid story is also a window into the early years of Motown and the Detroit music scene.andquot; andndash;Billy Heller, New York Post
andldquo;Red hot.andrdquo; andndash;Steve Holsey, Michigan Chronicle
andldquo;LaVetteandrsquo;s autobiography reads like an RandB song only she could performandmdash;soulful and honestandhellip;.Her quest serves as one of the most authentic inside looks at the American music industryandhellip;LaVetteandrsquo;s tale is a treat.andrdquo; andndash;Publishers Weekly
andldquo;LaVette is a rhythm and blues survivor of the highest order, someone whose run of andlsquo;buzzard luckandrsquo; as she calls it would have stomped down almost anyone else alive. To read her unrelenting story with every single nitty gritty detail included is to understand what long odds the music business has always been, and also see the high and low points in high-def detail like very few biographies have captured. LaVette is long past shame over some of her escapades, and lucky for us she and co-writer David Ritz capture the arduous journey dead-on, never pulling out the make-up and lip gloss to try and sugarcoat the truth.andrdquo; andndash;Bill Bentley, The Motion Report
andldquo;Besides being remarkably frank, A Woman Like Me is a very funny book, rife with one laugh after another.andrdquo; andndash;Lee Hildebrand, San Francisco Chronicle
Synopsis
Bettye LaVette celebrates her 50th year in show business with her stunning memoir,
A Woman Like Me, and her new album,
Thankful N' Thoughtful.
As a teenager in Detroit, Bettye LaVette had a hit single with andldquo;My Manandmdash;Heandrsquo;s a Lovinandrsquo; Man.andrdquo; By the time she was twenty, she had faded back into obscurity and was barely surviving in New York City. For the next forty years, despite being associated with legends such as Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, and James Brown, she remained relatively unknown outside a circle of devoted fans. Every time it seemed that her dream of stepping into the spotlight was finally coming true, bad luck smashed her hopes, again and again. Then, after a lifetime of singing in clubs and lounges, her unforgettable televised performances at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors and at President Obamaandrsquo;s pre-Inaugural Concert at the Lincoln Memorial in 2009 won her the recognition she had sought for her entire life.
Bettye LaVetteandrsquo;s career has been a one-of-a-kind roller-coaster ride through the world of music; it has taken her from the peaks to the pits and back. In this unflinchingly honest memoir, she boldly recounts her freewheeling childhoodandmdash;her parents ran an illegal liquor business out of their living room, which was frequented by some of the top acts of the forties and fiftiesandmdash;her short-lived conquest of the RandB world in the 1960s, her decline into poverty and despair, and her recent comeback and career revival, with two Grammy-nominated CDs and numerous appearances on major television talk shows. Poignant, brazen, and fearless, A Woman Like Me is a tour de force from one of the most outspoken female performers singing todayandmdash;and sheandrsquo;s a force to be reckoned with.
Synopsis
Now in paperback, "an un-inching and uncompromising look at a life lived across the tracks from fame . . " (
Detroit Free Press)
As a teenager in Detroit, Bettye LaVette scored a hit single with "My ManHe's a Lovin' Man." But by twenty, she had faded into obscurity, and bad luck repeatedly sabotaged her career. Then, after forty years of singing in clubs, her unforgettable performances at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors and at President Obama's preinaugural concert put her back in the spotlight. A chronicle of LaVette's incredible life, A Woman Like Me is a poignant, brazen, take-no-prisoners memoir as thrilling and fearless as her music.
Synopsis
Now in paperback, and#147;an uninching and uncompromising look at a life lived across the tracks from fame . . .and#8221; (
Detroit Free Press)
As a teenager in Detroit, Bettye LaVette scored a hit single with and#147;My Manand#151;Heand#8217;s a Lovinand#8217; Man.and#8221; But by twenty, she had faded into obscurity, and bad luck repeatedly sabotaged her career. Then, aft er forty years of singing in clubs, her unforgettable performances at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors and at President Obamaand#8217;s preinaugural concert put her back in the spotlight. A chronicle of LaVetteand#8217;s incredible life, A Woman Like Me is a poignant, brazen, take-no-prisoners memoir as thrilling and fearless as her music.
About the Author
Bettye LaVette (born Betty Jo Haskins, January 29, 1946) is an American rhythm-and-blues singer who made her first record at sixteen but achieved only intermittent fame until 2003 and her album A Woman Like Me. Her eclectic musical style combines elements of soul, blues, rock and roll, funk, gospel, and country music. Her live performances consistently receive rave reviews, and her albums
The Scene of the Crime and
Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook have been nominated for Grammy Awards. She has been a guest on major national radio and television programs. LaVette lives in New Jersey with her husband, Kevin Kiley, and their three cats, Otis, Smokey, and Jeremy.
David Ritz has been described by The New York Times as andldquo;the first-call celebrity collaborator.andrdquo; He has worked with everyone from Ray Charles to Don Rickles.