Friday, July 24, 2009

And who is David Ritz?


Brother Ray - Ray Charles' Own Story was David Ritz's first published memoir. What a place for a writer to start! He worked tirelessly with Charles to give the world a glimpse into the life of the musical genius. The sadness associated with Ray's illness and death affected Ritz personally, as he recorded in the Last Days of Brother Ray and the Afterword, sections added to the publication of the original book.

David Ritz has co-authored several memoirs and autobiographies of musical celebrities including Etta James, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Mable John (former Raelet) and the Neville Brothers.

Ritz's love for music was an asset in working with these legendary musicians. Unfortunately he has suffered the loss of some and was touched by the request to deliver the eulogy at David 'Fathead' Newman's memorial service in Dallas, where Ritz, Newman and Cooper grew up.

Ritz was a lifelong friend and fan of Leroy Cooper's music. I am honored that he will be writing the Foreword to my upcoming book. View his webiste at www.ritzwrites.com

Let it not go unmentioned that Ritz also co-wrote Major League Baseball's Gary Sheffied's book about his career. Ritz's most recent credit is Rickles' Book, which he co-authored with the enormously successful comedian, Don Rickles. This book rose to the top of the New York Times bestseller list in a hurry. Besides memoirs and autobiographies, Ritz is credited with co-writing several novels.

Copyright © 2009 Susan Cross – All rights reserved

No comments: