Roberta Leslie Gourse (January 1, 1939 – December 23, 2004) was an American writer and biographer who was a prolific writer on

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

music and musicians. In 1991, the

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

awarded her the

Deems Taylor Award Joseph Deems Taylor (December 22, 1885 – July 3, 1966) was an American music critic, composer, and promoter of classical music. Nat Benchley, co-editor of ''The Lost Algonquin Roundtable'', referred to him as "the dean of American music." Ear ...

for a series of seven articles in the magazine ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

'' focusing on female jazz musicians. Gourse was born in

Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...

, to Harva Zelda Fisher Gourse and Harry Andrew Gourse. She attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. Shortly after her graduation in 1960, Gourse published her first novel, ''With Gall and Honey'', a romantic novel set in Israel. Gourse wrote several books for children, and many biographies of notable jazz musicians. Gourse died as a result of respiratory problems in 2004.

Bibliography

*''The Best Guided Walking Tours to New York City'', (1989) *''Student Guide to New York'' (1984) *''Pocahontas: Young Peacemaker'' (1996, for children) *''Gloria Estefan: Pop Sensation'' (1999) *''Native American Courtship and Marriage'' *''Jim Henson: Young Puppeteer'' (2000) ;On Jazz: * ''Madame Jazz: Contemporary Women Instrumentalists'' (1995) * ''Louis' Children – American Jazz Singers'' (1984) * ''Straight No Chaser: The Life and Genius of Thelonious Monk'' (1998) * ''Wynton Marsalis: Skain's Domain'' (2000) * ''Sassy – The Life of Sarah Vaughan'' (1992) * ''Carmen McRae – Miss Jazz'' (2001) * ''Dizzy Gillespie and the Birth of Bebop'' (1995) * ''Art Blakey – Jazz Messenger'' (2001) * ''Aretha Franklin – Lady Soul'' * ''Unforgettable – Life and Mystique of Nat King Cole'' (2000) * ''Everyday: The Story of Joe Williams'' (1985) * ''Billie Holiday: The Tragedy and Triumph of Lady Day'' (1995) * ''The Billie Holiday Companion'' (1997) * ''Lady Be Good'' (1995) * ''Mahalia Jackson: Queen of Gospel Songs'' (1996) * ''The Golden Age of Jazz in Paris and other stories about Jazz'' (2001) ;Books on jazz for children and young people: * ''Sophisticated Ladies – The Great Women of Jazz'' (2007) * ''Striders of Bebop and Beyond- The Art of Jazz Piano'' (1997) * ''Blowing on the Changes- The Art of Jazz Horn Players'' (1998) * ''Deep Down in Music: The Art of the Great Jazz Bassists'' (1998) (with a foreword by

Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded nu ...

) * ''Fancy Fretwork- The Great Jazz Guitarists'' * ''Swingers and Crooners- The Art of Jazz Singing'' (1997) * ''Time Keepers – The Great Jazz Drummers'' (2000)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gourse, Leslie 1939 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers American children's writers American writers about music American women novelists Columbia University alumni Jazz writers Writers from Fall River, Massachusetts Novelists from New York City 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American biographers American women biographers 21st-century American non-fiction writers Historians from New York (state)