Robin D. G. Kelley
Author of Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original
About the Author
Robin D. G. Kelley, a frequent contributor to The New York Times, is professor of history and Africana studies at New York University City
Series
Works by Robin D. G. Kelley
Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original (2009) — Author — 459 copies, 18 reviews
Three Strikes: Miners, Musicians, Salesgirls, and the Fighting Spirit of Labor's Last Century (2001) 101 copies, 1 review
The Other Special Relationship: Race, Rights, and Riots in Britain and the United States (Contemporary Black History) (2015) 10 copies
Blue Prints 1 copy
Praise for THELONIOUS MONK 1 copy
Associated Works
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 (2021) — Contributor — 1,156 copies, 25 reviews
Remembering Slavery: African Americans Talk About Their Personal Experiences of Slavery and Emancipation (1998) — Foreword, some editions — 285 copies
Policing the Planet: Why the Policing Crisis Led to Black Lives Matter (2016) — Contributor — 144 copies
The Suburbanization of New York: Is the World's Greatest City Becoming Just Another Town? (2006) — Contributor — 34 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Kelley, Robin D. G.
- Other names
- KELLEY, Robin D. G.
- Birthdate
- 1962-03-14
- Gender
- male
- Education
- California State University Long Beach (BA|History|1983)
University of California Los Angeles (MA|History|1985)
University of California Los Angeles (PhD|History|1987) - Occupations
- historian
university professor - Awards and honors
- Guggenheim Fellowship (2014)
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- New York, New York, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- New York, USA
Members
Reviews
This book was really a delight. I strongly recommend getting the 25th-anniversary edition if you can find it, because my #1 favorite part was in that (a quotation from Lemon Johnson--god it was so good, ahh.) In a lot of ways, this is definitely a product of its time; it reads just like an old-school labor history book, and it can be very easy to get lost amid all the names and acronyms (and Kelley for some reason decided to just dive into those and not do like a first-reference full name show more thing, which was a Choice for sure) but also it's an incredible story of Black radical politics and Black folks doing what they can and organizing to survive. WITH added 'well-meaning white Communists fucking up' which is my favorite genre. Overall a great read, and a deep reminder of what I love about history. show less
I wish I'd never read this book. I now don't like Thelonious Monk, who comes across in these pages as a self-centered snot whose mental illness could and should have been medicated to ameliorate its nasty effects on those around him; and I flat don't like the selfishness and effrontery of the man.
His music is great. I will do my damnedest to forget the rest.
I spent 451pp hoping that soon I'd get past the building distaste for the man whose talent I'd revered for decades. Sadly, it never show more happened. I think Robin Kelley got Stockholm Syndrome and fell into the world of Monk so completely that he became an apologist instead of a biographer and the book became a hagiography. Kelley's serviceable prose rises to a sort of two-dimensional poesie when rhapsodizing about Monk's music, but it's never better than average.
Not recommended. Not at all. Want to know about Monk? Listen to "Ruby, My Dear." It'll teach you what you *really* need to know. show less
His music is great. I will do my damnedest to forget the rest.
I spent 451pp hoping that soon I'd get past the building distaste for the man whose talent I'd revered for decades. Sadly, it never show more happened. I think Robin Kelley got Stockholm Syndrome and fell into the world of Monk so completely that he became an apologist instead of a biographer and the book became a hagiography. Kelley's serviceable prose rises to a sort of two-dimensional poesie when rhapsodizing about Monk's music, but it's never better than average.
Not recommended. Not at all. Want to know about Monk? Listen to "Ruby, My Dear." It'll teach you what you *really* need to know. show less
Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) rose from a humble beginning as the son of day laborers in Rocky Mount, North Carolina to become one of the legendary—though misunderstood and underappreciated—composers and musicians of modern jazz. The subtitle of this masterful biography claims that Monk is an "American Original", which has been applied to countless other public figures. In this case, however, the author is absolutely correct; "The High Priest of Bebop" was unlike anyone else, in or outside show more of the world of jazz.
Robin Kelley, a professor of History and American Studies at USC, spent 14 years researching and writing this biography, which includes 100 pages of footnotes from hundreds of colleagues and members of Monk's family. Although the book has an extensive amount of detail, this reader did not get bogged down in it, as Kelley did a masterful job in portraying Monk's complicated and tormented life. Thelonious, whose name represents the Latinized spelling of St. Tillo, a former slave who became a renowned 7th century Benedictine monk in France, was named after his father, who bestowed his love for music to his son. His mother Barbara, who took her children to New York City to escape the crushing poverty of the Jim Crow South, also was an important musical influence on the young Thelonious. Thelonious Sr. was plagued by mental illness throughout his adult life; his son also suffered from what was ultimately diagnosed as bipolar, or manic depressive, disorder. However, this diagnosis did not come until late in his life, as he was institutionalized and jailed multiple times when he was in the throes of a manic episode, receiving medical treatments that exacerbated his symptoms. His illness contributed to his reputation as being weird and unpredictable, but it may have also led to his creative genius, as his compositions were innovative and complex, though not atonal, as some critics claimed.
His music was widely misunderstood, as many of the leading jazz artists had a difficult time playing alongside him, and critics often described his music as primitive and abstract. However, he had extensive musical training, considering the limitations he faced as a poor black male in mid-20th century America, as he received piano lessons from noted jazz and classical teachers, and played piano in his mother's church and for a traveling evangelist as an adolescent. He initially performed in jazz clubs, most notably Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem, but he was barely able to make ends meet despite his growing popularity. Monk, like many jazz musicians of that time, was plagued by unscrupulous club owners who paid him poorly, fellow musicians who claimed his music as their own and stole royalties from him, and record producers who did not utilize his talents fully and underpaid him routinely. His break finally came during an extended gig at the Five Spot Café in the East Village in 1957, with a group that featured John Coltrane on tenor saxophone.
He achieved a moderate amount of success over the next few years, with sold out concerts in the US, Europe and Japan, although he was paid far less than Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis or other notable jazz artists. The music scene changed in the mid-1960s, due to the influence of rock music, and his stature and popularity waned as he refused to adopt to the new trends and as his illness prevented him from writing new material. His last years were spent in seclusion, with the aid of Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, known to her friends as Nica, an artist, jazz aficionado and estranged member of a wealthy Austrian family, who befriended and supported Monk throughout much of his adult life.
However, the true stars of this amazing biography are Monk’s mother Barbara and his wife Nellie; without these strong and determined women, Thelonious would probably have never been heard outside of Harlem. Barbara Monk allowed her son to set his own path, and supported him financially in his early years. Nellie was everything to her husband: devoted wife and mother to their two talented children, personal assistant, manager, cheerleader, and caretaker, despite her own poor health. He recognized her love for him, and he stayed true to her throughout his life. The book is richly infused with the essential nature of their relationship, and the love that Monk had for his children and dear friends.
This is one of the best biographies I have read, and it will stand as the definitive story of the incredible life of Thelonious Monk. Kelley’s labor of love cuts through the myths and mistruths of this complicated man, and Monk is effectively portrayed as both a larger than life public figure and as a sensitive, loving and troubled human being. show less
Robin Kelley, a professor of History and American Studies at USC, spent 14 years researching and writing this biography, which includes 100 pages of footnotes from hundreds of colleagues and members of Monk's family. Although the book has an extensive amount of detail, this reader did not get bogged down in it, as Kelley did a masterful job in portraying Monk's complicated and tormented life. Thelonious, whose name represents the Latinized spelling of St. Tillo, a former slave who became a renowned 7th century Benedictine monk in France, was named after his father, who bestowed his love for music to his son. His mother Barbara, who took her children to New York City to escape the crushing poverty of the Jim Crow South, also was an important musical influence on the young Thelonious. Thelonious Sr. was plagued by mental illness throughout his adult life; his son also suffered from what was ultimately diagnosed as bipolar, or manic depressive, disorder. However, this diagnosis did not come until late in his life, as he was institutionalized and jailed multiple times when he was in the throes of a manic episode, receiving medical treatments that exacerbated his symptoms. His illness contributed to his reputation as being weird and unpredictable, but it may have also led to his creative genius, as his compositions were innovative and complex, though not atonal, as some critics claimed.
His music was widely misunderstood, as many of the leading jazz artists had a difficult time playing alongside him, and critics often described his music as primitive and abstract. However, he had extensive musical training, considering the limitations he faced as a poor black male in mid-20th century America, as he received piano lessons from noted jazz and classical teachers, and played piano in his mother's church and for a traveling evangelist as an adolescent. He initially performed in jazz clubs, most notably Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem, but he was barely able to make ends meet despite his growing popularity. Monk, like many jazz musicians of that time, was plagued by unscrupulous club owners who paid him poorly, fellow musicians who claimed his music as their own and stole royalties from him, and record producers who did not utilize his talents fully and underpaid him routinely. His break finally came during an extended gig at the Five Spot Café in the East Village in 1957, with a group that featured John Coltrane on tenor saxophone.
He achieved a moderate amount of success over the next few years, with sold out concerts in the US, Europe and Japan, although he was paid far less than Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis or other notable jazz artists. The music scene changed in the mid-1960s, due to the influence of rock music, and his stature and popularity waned as he refused to adopt to the new trends and as his illness prevented him from writing new material. His last years were spent in seclusion, with the aid of Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, known to her friends as Nica, an artist, jazz aficionado and estranged member of a wealthy Austrian family, who befriended and supported Monk throughout much of his adult life.
However, the true stars of this amazing biography are Monk’s mother Barbara and his wife Nellie; without these strong and determined women, Thelonious would probably have never been heard outside of Harlem. Barbara Monk allowed her son to set his own path, and supported him financially in his early years. Nellie was everything to her husband: devoted wife and mother to their two talented children, personal assistant, manager, cheerleader, and caretaker, despite her own poor health. He recognized her love for him, and he stayed true to her throughout his life. The book is richly infused with the essential nature of their relationship, and the love that Monk had for his children and dear friends.
This is one of the best biographies I have read, and it will stand as the definitive story of the incredible life of Thelonious Monk. Kelley’s labor of love cuts through the myths and mistruths of this complicated man, and Monk is effectively portrayed as both a larger than life public figure and as a sensitive, loving and troubled human being. show less
Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists During the Great Depression (Fred W. Morrison Series in Southern Studies) by Robin D. G. Kelley
Much of this information is new to me, so I can't critique the book on grounds of inaccuracies, etc.
A really thorough and enlightening study on communist and labour organising in the American South. This book goes a long way towards demonstrating how American anticommunism is deeply rooted in white supremacy. In some ways, it is also a depressing read--Kelley talks about how a young black man was arrested once, and subject to police brutality, simply because he was having a seizure and a show more theatre manager "misread" the situation and called the cops instead of an ambulance. This was around 1940. Having a seizure while black is a risk to your life in more ways than the obvious one. That brief anecdote left me reeling.
Another illuminating quote:
This fascist resistance to "integration" and intermingling of races, genders, etc. brings to mind Klaus Theweleit's Male Fantasies, which also talks about how fascists deplored "communistic" ideas that would to lead pure, Aryan masculinity and femininity being "contaminated" by working-class and nonwhite elements.
A dense and fascinating read and recommended to those interested in learning more about racism, class politics and black radical activism and organising in the US. show less
A really thorough and enlightening study on communist and labour organising in the American South. This book goes a long way towards demonstrating how American anticommunism is deeply rooted in white supremacy. In some ways, it is also a depressing read--Kelley talks about how a young black man was arrested once, and subject to police brutality, simply because he was having a seizure and a show more theatre manager "misread" the situation and called the cops instead of an ambulance. This was around 1940. Having a seizure while black is a risk to your life in more ways than the obvious one. That brief anecdote left me reeling.
Another illuminating quote:
Indeed, the [KKK], the League to Maintain White Supremacy, and the Alabama American Legion deftly appropriated Cold War language to legitimize white supremacy before the rest of the world. The racist response to Communism was not limited to white supremacist and conservative groups, however. After taking a strong stand against anti-Communist legislation throughout most of 1947, Southern Labor Review editor A.H. Cather assailed efforts to integrate colleges as "a part of communistic doctrine ... aimed at America with the intention of provoking revolution." "To insist that Africans leave their own institutions and attend Aryans," Cather complained, "would place this nation in the ridiculous position of fighting communism abroad and encouraging it at home."
This fascist resistance to "integration" and intermingling of races, genders, etc. brings to mind Klaus Theweleit's Male Fantasies, which also talks about how fascists deplored "communistic" ideas that would to lead pure, Aryan masculinity and femininity being "contaminated" by working-class and nonwhite elements.
A dense and fascinating read and recommended to those interested in learning more about racism, class politics and black radical activism and organising in the US. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 20
- Also by
- 13
- Members
- 2,025
- Popularity
- #12,697
- Rating
- 4.2
- Reviews
- 27
- ISBNs
- 64
- Languages
- 2
- Favorited
- 5