Funny Valentine The Story of Chet Baker (English Edition)

Funny Valentine is the definitive biography of the legendary jazz trumpet player and singer, Chet Baker. In the words of the singer, Chris Isaak, who appeared in a documentary about him, 'when a cowboy grows up in Oklahoma and ends up in Rome, he's got to have a story'. Chet's life story includes an early taste of fame; he was a protégé of Charlie Parker, and won the New Star award for the trumpet in the prestigious DownBeat Critics Poll in 1953. He struggled to cope with the pressures of success, however, and after an ill-fated tour of Europe he descended into drug addiction. His fall from grace included spells of incarceration and a severe beating, which eventually resulted in his being fitted with dentures. Against all the odds, he embarked on a comeback in the 1970s, and whilst his playing was somewhat erratic in his later years, he still managed to produce some of his finest recordings. Funny Valentine is an intimate and unflinching portrait of Chet Baker, drawing on almost two hundred exclusive interviews with close friends and musicians. It includes a detailed, illustrated discography, helping readers to navigate the extensive catalogue he left behind.