Whenever I pick up a book, especially one with a non-operatic subject, I immediately turn to the Index and scan for familiar names — and, more often than not, I’m surprised by what I find. For example …
I almost fainted when, in Kitty’s Kelley’s woefully-told tale of Frank Sinatra “His Way: The Biography of Frank Sinatra”, I stumbled upon the following:
Bumbry, Grace, 461
Did Frank schtump Grace, I thought? After all, this IS a Kitty Kelley book.
Turning to p.461 however, I was relieved, albeit only slightly, to discover that Grace sang at Ronald Reagan’s inaugural ball, along with Frank Sinatra, “a parade of jerks, clowns, and no-talent mediocrities” …and Robert Merrill. The only performer singled out for any praise was Bumbry: “Except for the Metropolitan Opera’s Grace Bumbry, the show had nothing to offer anyone with intelligence or a respect for quality” (Rex Reed, New York Daily News).
And it stayed that way for eight more years.
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