“Never Givin’ Up” announced as finalist in ARSC Awards for Excellence, among other honors

“Never Givin’ Up: The Life and Music of Al Jarreau,” written by Kurt Dietrich, professor of music emeritus at Ripon College, has been recognized by the Association For Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) as a finalist for Best Historical Research in Recorded Jazz.

“It is tremendously humbling just to see [my book] in the company of these other very distinguished publications,” Dietrich said.

ARSC is a “nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and study of sound recordings – in all genres of music and speech, in all formats, and from all periods.”

Dietrich’s book is a biography on the life and career of Al Jarreau, a distinguished and beloved musical artist from Milwaukee and 1962 Ripon College alumnus.

Jarreau was the first artist to win a Grammy in three genres: jazz, pop and R&B. In the book, Dietrich describes Jarreau’s humble beginnings to stardom, including anecdotes from interviews with dozens of Jarreau’s friends, fellow musicians, professional associates and family members.

In the summer, the book was recognized with a Foreword INDIES silver medal in Performing Arts & Music.

The INDIES are prestigious awards in the independent publishing world that consider books from across the country.

Other recognition came from CHOICE, a publishing unit of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association. “Never Givin’ Up” was recognized in its “Review of the Week,” commemorating Black Music Month this year.

“Never Givin’ Up” was published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press in 2023.

Dietrich said that what’s important is that these awards bring the book, and Jarreau, to a wider audience.

Posted October 14, 2024 in Faculty.

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