DIVIDED SOUL: THE LIFE OF MARVIN GAYE (1985)

"You won't find a more fascinating rock bio. Ritz lays it out without flinching, sensationalizing or slowing down."-Village Voice
"Ritz is a writer of remarkable insight and sensitivity."-The Nation

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FAITH IN TIME: THE JAZZ LIFE OF JIMMY SCOTT (2002)

"'There's no other story like this in American music. Only Jimmy Scott could have lived it and only David Ritz could have written it. A triumph!"
- B.B. King

"'In the eloquent wordage of 'Sweets' Edison, 'It don't get no better than this.' Jimmy Scott has been the original 'soul man' for over six decades. His life parallels the best of Americans musical history."
-Quincy Jones

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BROTHER RAY - RAY CHARLES (1978)

"The most clear-eyed and honest celebrity autobiography I've read."
- Nelson George

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INSIDE MY LIFE - SMOKEY ROBINSON (1989)

"The best pop memoir in recent memory."
- People


RHYTHM AND THE BLUES - JERRY WEXLER (1993)

"A great yarn…beautifully written and loaded with juicy tales about music immortals."
- New York Times Book Review

Winner: Ralph Gleason Music Book Award

RAGE TO SURVIVE - ETTA JAMES (1995)

"A harrowing page-turner that chronicles forty brawling, bawdy, tempest-tossed, drug-addled show-biz years in the life of one of the greatest Americans singers of the last half-century."
- Dallas Observer

Winner: Ralph Gleason Music Book Award

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BLUES ALL AROUND ME - B.B. KING (1996)

"Charming…honest…transcendent...an eloquent autobiography…an eminently entertaining tale of a true American hero."
- Billboard

Winner: Ralph Gleason Music Book Award


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GUIDE TO LIFE - SINBAD (1997)

"Fall-down funny…an hysterical romp."
- Variety


ARETHA: FROM THESE ROOTS
ARETHA FRANKLIN (1999)


"Bittersweet yet sassy chronicle."-New York Times

"Reveals the diva in broad strokes, with just enough personal anecdotes and backstage stories to keep fans intrigued." -People

THE BROTHERS -
ART, AARON CHARLES AND CYRIL NEVILLE (2000)


"A searingly frank and entertaining autobiography."
- Oxford American

Winner: Ralph Gleason Music Book Award

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REACH! FINDING STRENGTH, SPIRIT, AND PERSONAL POWER - LAILA ALI (2002)

"The story is gripping, the writing upbeat…" - L.A. Times


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GUILLAUME: A LIFE--ROBERT GUILLAUME (2002)

"The magic that has always characterized the life and work of Robert Guillaume vibrates on the pages of this book. His talent and values mark him as a man for all seasons." - Sidney Poitier


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HOWLING AT THE MOON--WALTER YETNIKOFF (2004)

"A dizzy ride on the turntable...hysterically funny." - Janet Maslin, New York Times

"Riveting insider dish." - Fortune

"Outrageous." - Rolling Stone


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ELVIS BY THE PRESLEYS (2005)




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WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE--TAVIS SMILEY (2006)




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INSIDE POWER - GARY SHEFFIELD (2007)

"'I love Sheff as a player. Having read Inside Power, I respect him even more as a man." -- Peter Golenbock

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RICKLES' BOOK - DON RICKLES (2007)

"'Honest, funny, down-to-earth. Helluva read."
--Larry King

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GRACE AFTER MIDNIGHT--Felicia "Snoop" Pearson (2007)
" Spare, even poetic, rendering traumatic moments all the more powerful"--Publishers Weekly

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THE ADVENTURES OF GRANDMASTER FLASH: MY LIFE, MY BEATS (2008)

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JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES: MY STORY (2008)

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MESSENGERS

(Portraits of African American Ministers, Evangelists, Gospel Singers, and
Other Messengers of the Word) Doubleday (2006)



 





SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS (1980)

"Addictive…Search is outrageous, irreverent, funny, gross and gentle." - Los Angeles Herald Examiner


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THE MAN WHO BROUGHT THE DODGERS BACK TO BROOKLYN (1981)
"A novel of passion and ingenuity." - New York Times

"Skilled and witty." - Time Magazine

"Sweet and funny." - Los Angeles Times

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DREAMS (1988)

"Fiction alive with pungent native humor. A Hollywood story turned on its ear." - Variety

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BLUE NOTES UNDER A GREEN FELT HAT (1989)

"Once in a while a novel lingers in your memory, like snatches of a pleasant dream. This is a wackily-titled beautiful book that offers such a memory." - Los Angeles Times Syndicate

"Covers all the melodramatic bases and hits all the right pop-culture chords." - Booklist

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BARBELLS AND SAXOPHONES (1990)

"The ride is wonderfully wicked and unpredictable, with the souped-up prose maintaining exactly the right tone…a fast-moving saga of body building, jazz and sheer insanity."
- Library Journal

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FAMILY BLOOD (1991)

"Dazzling…a hurricane of a novel…vastly entertaining…Ritz knows the music industry well."
- Library Journal

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PASSION FLOWERS (1992)

"Ritz's gripping narrative chronicles the struggles of three larger-than-life women…powerful and richly portrayed characters."
- Booklist

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TAKE IT OFF! TAKE IT ALL OFF! (1993)

"Intriguing mystery mixed with a bebop background…irresistibly good read."
- Kirkus

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SANCTIFIED BLUES: AN ALBERTINA MERCI NOVEL (with Mable John, 2006)


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STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN!: AN ALBERTINA MERCI NOVEL (with Mable John, 2007)



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LOVE TORNADO: A NOVEL (with Mable John, 2008)



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© 2003 David Ritz. All Rights Reserved.
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