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Sometimes I Wonder
A recollection of Carmichael's turn-of-the-century boyhood in Indiana, introduction to the piano and jazz, and career as a writer and performer of jazz music
313 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
About the author
Hoagy Carmichael
62 books2 followersHoward Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for composing the music for "Stardust", "Georgia on My Mind", "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul", four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 30, 2015
Entertaining remembrances of a jazz and songwriting great. The parts of the book about his early days in Bloomington, New York, and Hollywood are particularly evocative. Falls apart a bit as the story gets to the stage of his life when he's quite successful, having "made it" as a public personality. The tales of the Book Nook are amazing though. Well worth a read for anyone interested in his music, Bloomington history, the early days of jazz, or songwriting.
October 23, 2014
this book is incredible . a must read.
June 9, 2023
Hoagy Carmichael appeared on my radar when George Harrison covered two of his songs on an album back in the early 80s. George Harrison hardly ever covered anyone, so that stood out. Eventually I bought a Hoagy CD, and then another. Years later I would start spotting him in old movies.
While Hoagy Carmichael means nothing to almost everyone these days, he made quite a name for himself and had a good run back in the day.
Success is often about being in the right place at the right time. Oddly enough Bloomington Indiana in the late 1910s, early 1920s was a great place to join in the birth of jazz. While Hoagy is not really considered by most folks now to be a jazz legend (a legend but not a jazz legend), he considered himself a jazzman until the end.
Being in the right place at the right time does not necessarily make you an overnight success. Hoagy had a lot of lean years of dues paying.
This really, really well written book takes us to the working class life in Bloomington and Indianapolis back in the 1910s and 20s, through 1920s college life, to the early days of jazz, to NYC in the 1930s, and to Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s. It also makes an interesting visit to San Francisco during its Beat days.
Hoagy Carmichael was an interesting mix of comfortable contradictions. Told in a smart, breezy but tight conversational style, this book is a smooth ride from start to finish. While Hoagy did some pretty remarkable things, like writing the (then and maybe still) most popular song of all time, his recitation of his accomplishments never comes off as bragging. Probably because he includes some of his failures too.
If you are a Hoagy Carmichael fan, you won't be disappointed. If you aren't, this book could change that.
ABOUT NOT-MY COPY
I borrowed this hardback (not a paperback) through our county's inter-library loan system. I'm sure it's long out of print.
While Hoagy Carmichael means nothing to almost everyone these days, he made quite a name for himself and had a good run back in the day.
Success is often about being in the right place at the right time. Oddly enough Bloomington Indiana in the late 1910s, early 1920s was a great place to join in the birth of jazz. While Hoagy is not really considered by most folks now to be a jazz legend (a legend but not a jazz legend), he considered himself a jazzman until the end.
Being in the right place at the right time does not necessarily make you an overnight success. Hoagy had a lot of lean years of dues paying.
This really, really well written book takes us to the working class life in Bloomington and Indianapolis back in the 1910s and 20s, through 1920s college life, to the early days of jazz, to NYC in the 1930s, and to Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s. It also makes an interesting visit to San Francisco during its Beat days.
Hoagy Carmichael was an interesting mix of comfortable contradictions. Told in a smart, breezy but tight conversational style, this book is a smooth ride from start to finish. While Hoagy did some pretty remarkable things, like writing the (then and maybe still) most popular song of all time, his recitation of his accomplishments never comes off as bragging. Probably because he includes some of his failures too.
If you are a Hoagy Carmichael fan, you won't be disappointed. If you aren't, this book could change that.
ABOUT NOT-MY COPY
I borrowed this hardback (not a paperback) through our county's inter-library loan system. I'm sure it's long out of print.
September 5, 2025
Hoagy Carmichael appeared on my radar when George Harrison covered two of his songs on an album back in the early 80s. George Harrison hardly ever covered anyone, so that stood out. Eventually I bought a Hoagy CD, and then another. Years later I would start spotting him in old movies.
While Hoagy Carmichael means nothing to almost everyone these days, he made quite a name for himself and had a good run back in the day.
Success is often about being in the right place at the right time. Oddly enough Bloomington Indiana in the late 1910s, early 1920s was a great place to join in the birth of jazz. While Hoagy is not really considered by most folks now to be a jazz legend (a legend but not a jazz legend), he considered himself a jazzman until the end.
Being in the right place at the right time does not necessarily make you an overnight success. Hoagy had a lot of lean years of dues paying.
This really, really well written book takes us to the working class life in Bloomington and Indianapolis back in the 1910s and 20s, through 1920s college life, to the early days of jazz, to NYC in the 1930s, and to Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s. It also makes an interesting visit to San Francisco during its Beat days.
Hoagy Carmichael was an interesting mix of comfortable contradictions. Told in a smart, breezy but tight conversational style, this book is a smooth ride from start to finish. While Hoagy did some pretty remarkable things, like writing the (then and maybe still) most popular song of all time, his recitation of his accomplishments never comes off as bragging. Probably because he includes some of his failures too.
If you are a Hoagy Carmichael fan, you won't be disappointed. If you aren't, this book could change that.
ABOUT NOT-MY COPY
I borrowed this hardback (not a paperback) through our county's inter-library loan system. I'm sure it's long out of print.
While Hoagy Carmichael means nothing to almost everyone these days, he made quite a name for himself and had a good run back in the day.
Success is often about being in the right place at the right time. Oddly enough Bloomington Indiana in the late 1910s, early 1920s was a great place to join in the birth of jazz. While Hoagy is not really considered by most folks now to be a jazz legend (a legend but not a jazz legend), he considered himself a jazzman until the end.
Being in the right place at the right time does not necessarily make you an overnight success. Hoagy had a lot of lean years of dues paying.
This really, really well written book takes us to the working class life in Bloomington and Indianapolis back in the 1910s and 20s, through 1920s college life, to the early days of jazz, to NYC in the 1930s, and to Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s. It also makes an interesting visit to San Francisco during its Beat days.
Hoagy Carmichael was an interesting mix of comfortable contradictions. Told in a smart, breezy but tight conversational style, this book is a smooth ride from start to finish. While Hoagy did some pretty remarkable things, like writing the (then and maybe still) most popular song of all time, his recitation of his accomplishments never comes off as bragging. Probably because he includes some of his failures too.
If you are a Hoagy Carmichael fan, you won't be disappointed. If you aren't, this book could change that.
ABOUT NOT-MY COPY
I borrowed this hardback (not a paperback) through our county's inter-library loan system. I'm sure it's long out of print.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews