Dynamic Duets

The Best Pop Collaborations from 1955 to 1999

Bob Leszczak

The second half of the twentieth century saw a great number of powerful vocal pairings as short-lived but undeniably magical collaborations. Dynamic Duets: The Best Pop Collaborations from 1955 to 1999 uncovers the stories behind 110 of the most memorable duets between otherwise independent musical artists. Whether the two artists came together for only one song or for many, the story of each duet’s inception, the collaboration process, and the song’s success and promotion paint a dynamic portrait of each artist and the music they created. Focusing on songs that made it into the Top 40 on Billboard’s Hot 100 between 1955 and 1999, this encyclopedic work includes such classics as Nat “King” Cole and Natalie Cole’s “Unforgettable,” Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney’s “The Girl Is Mine,” and Mick Jagger and David Bowie’s “Dancing in the Street.”

Arranged alphabetically from Bryan Adams to Dottie West, the entries feature firsthand interviews with many of the artists, including Dolly Parton, Neil Sedaka, Eddie Money, and Billy Vera. The book also includes photographs of many of the records and/or the performers and chart and label information. An appendix lists honorable mentions of twosomes that did not reach Top 100 but should not be overlooked or those whose duet partners played more of a minor role. As a chronicle of the best pop vocal pairings from the second half of the twentieth century, Dynamic Duets is a must-read for vinyl collectors, music historians, and classic hits radio DJs, and music lovers of all ages.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 216 • Trim: 7¼ x 10½

978-1-4422-7149-4 • Hardback • October 2016 • $117.00 • (£90.00)

978-1-4422-7150-0 • eBook • October 2016 • $111.00 • (£85.00)

Subjects: Music / Genres & Styles / Pop Vocal, Music / Reference, Social Science / Popular Culture

Dynamic Duets

The Best Pop Collaborations from 1955 to 1999

Hardback

eBook

Summary

The second half of the twentieth century saw a great number of powerful vocal pairings as short-lived but undeniably magical collaborations. Dynamic Duets: The Best Pop Collaborations from 1955 to 1999 uncovers the stories behind 110 of the most memorable duets between otherwise independent musical artists. Whether the two artists came together for only one song or for many, the story of each duet’s inception, the collaboration process, and the song’s success and promotion paint a dynamic portrait of each artist and the music they created. Focusing on songs that made it into the Top 40 on Billboard’s Hot 100 between 1955 and 1999, this encyclopedic work includes such classics as Nat “King” Cole and Natalie Cole’s “Unforgettable,” Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney’s “The Girl Is Mine,” and Mick Jagger and David Bowie’s “Dancing in the Street.”

Arranged alphabetically from Bryan Adams to Dottie West, the entries feature firsthand interviews with many of the artists, including Dolly Parton, Neil Sedaka, Eddie Money, and Billy Vera. The book also includes photographs of many of the records and/or the performers and chart and label information. An appendix lists honorable mentions of twosomes that did not reach Top 100 but should not be overlooked or those whose duet partners played more of a minor role. As a chronicle of the best pop vocal pairings from the second half of the twentieth century, Dynamic Duets is a must-read for vinyl collectors, music historians, and classic hits radio DJs, and music lovers of all ages.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 216 • Trim: 7¼ x 10½

978-1-4422-7149-4 • Hardback • October 2016 • $117.00 • (£90.00)

978-1-4422-7150-0 • eBook • October 2016 • $111.00 • (£85.00)

Subjects: Music / Genres & Styles / Pop Vocal, Music / Reference, Social Science / Popular Culture

Author

Bob Leszczak has been an on-air oldies radio personality for over three decades in cities such as Washington, D.C., Boston, Denver, Hartford, Tampa, and Orlando. He is the author of Single Season Sitcoms, 1948–1979: A Complete Guide, the three-volume music series Who Did It First? Great Cover Songs and Their Original Artists; Encyclopedia of Pop Music Aliases, 1950–2000; and From Small Screen to Vinyl: A Guide to Television Stars Who Made Records, 1950–2000. He wrote and produced a weekly five-hour music trivia radio program called Solid Gold Scrapbook. He also sang and toured with the Duprees of “You Belong to Me” fame in the 1980s.

Table of Contents

The Duets
Appendix of Collaborating Artists in a “Featuring” Role, Sometimes Uncredited
Appendix of Notable and/or Historic Duets that Failed to Reach Top Forty

Dynamic Duets

The Best Pop Collaborations from 1955 to 1999

Bob Leszczak

Dynamic Duets

The Best Pop Collaborations from 1955 to 1999

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