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*NEW: "HISTORIC CONNECTICUT MUSIC VENUES: FROM THE COLISEUM TO THE SHABOO" ©
* FOREWORD WRITTEN BY LEGENDARY HALL OF FAMER FELIX CAVALIERE!
“Historic Connecticut Music Venues: From the Coliseum to the Shaboo” pays tribute to the many landmark music venues that have featured national, regional, and local performers.
While some of the locations have closed, they have certainly not been forgotten. The New Haven Coliseum, the Arena, and the Bushnell Memorial were once the places to be for music lovers, while elsewhere places like the Cheri Shack, and the Shaboo hosted national and local headliners.
Other venues such as Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, the Meadows, Café Nine, and Toad’s Place have now taken center stage and continue to attract large crowds.
With in-depth interviews with performers and numerous timeless photos, this book takes you on a nostalgic and fun journey of the Nutmeg State’s music scene.
***WHERE TO PURCHASE "HISTORIC CONNECTICUT MUSIC VENUES": From the Coliseum to the Shaboo"
* Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF STORES WHERE ALL MY BOOKS CAN BE PURCHASED - SEE: WHERE MY BOOKS CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE END OF THIS WEBSITNOTE: ALL photos of Artists shown on this website and in my books are COPYRIGHTED.
ARTISTS FEATURED IN "Historic Connecticut Music Venues: From the Coliseum to the Shaboo":
*JOAN JOYCE HIT MUSICAL *
AFTER 6 CONSECUTIVE SOLD-OUT PERFORMANCES, THE LEGACY THEATRE HAS ADDED ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCES : SATURDAY SEP 11, 2021 AND SATURDAY SEP 25, 2021.
* THIS PLAY IS FABULOUS WITH STANDING OVATIONS AND RAVE REVIEWS! THIS IS A WONDERFUL TRIBUTE TO AN AMAZING ATHLETE AND COACH - OUR JOAN JOYCE!
* FINGERS CROSSED FOR FURTHER PERFORMANCES! PLEASE STAY TUNED!
Editorial Review:
Sometimes when you’re a legend, you have the ability to impact people in ways that even you can’t imagine. Such is the case for Waterbury’s Joan Joyce, who at age 80 continues to discover just how inspirational her athletic career has been.
Joyce, whose athletic exploits have motivated thousands of girls and young women to embrace their athletic dreams, has now inspired a musical about her incredibly successful career as a nationally renowned softball player, basketball player and professional golfer. - Republican-American, by Roger Cleaveland
"Connecticut bootlegger queen nellie greeN"©
FOREWORD BY CHARLENE GREEN MASSEY (NELLIE GREEN'S GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER)
NELLIE GREEN:
Known as the “Queen of the fastest rum runners on the East Coast,” Nellie Green led a captivating life full of bootlegging adventures. Nellie was an extremely successful bootlegger during the entire Prohibition Era (1920-1933.
She fearlessly stood up to all those who tried to stand in her way, receiving respect and financial support from many influential people.
Nellie built an underground empire in a business world dominated by men. Her rum runners were men of intrigue who assumed aliases such as “Blackie,” “Wing,” and “King Tut.”
This book recounts the life and times of the legendary bootlegger Nellie Green, set against the historical backdrop of the Prohibition era, the women's movement and the Roaring Twenties.
***WHERE TO PURCHASE "CONNECTICUT BOOTLEGGER QUEEN NELLIE GREEN":
* Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF STORES WHERE MY BOOKS CAN BE PURCHASED - SEE: WHERE MY BOOKS CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE END OF THIS WEBSITE
* NOTE: ALL photos shown BELOW and in my books are COPYRIGHTED.
* GALLERY OF PHOTOS INCLUDED IN CONNECTICUT BOOTLEGGER QUEEN: NELLIE GREEN:
"CONNECTICUT SOFTBALL LEGEND JOAN JOYCE" ©
FOREWORD WRITTEN BY GOLF GREAT JANE BLALOCK!
PRESS RELEASE:
"CONNECTICUTSOFTBALL LEGEND JOAN JOYCE"
BOOK REVIEWS:
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Joan Joyce is the real deal, a fierce competitor and one of the greatest athletes and coaches in sports history. Tony Renzoni’s moving tribute to Joan shows us why she is a champion in sports and in life.
— Billie Jean King, sports icon and equality pioneer
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Joan Joyce is truly the greatest female athlete in sports history. And a great coach as well. Tony Renzoni’s well-researched book is a touching tribute to this phenomenal athlete. I highly recommend this book!
--- Bobby Valentine, former MLB player and manager, current athletic director at Sacred Heart University (Fairfield)
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Joan Joyce has to be one of the most incredible female athletes of all time. She has left an indelible mark on women’s athletics—creating a legacy that has been instrumental in bringing women’s athletics into the public spotlight ------ ConnecticutWomen’s Basketball Hall of Fame, 1994
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We both started out really young and we stuck with it and made something of our lives. With great admiration, Brian. PS: Joan, Let’s have a re-match someday, bowling for dollars!
—Brian Hyland, singer, songwriter, publisher, international recording artist
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There are fascinating human beings, then there’s Joan Joyce. For my money, there’s never been a more talented, more accomplished, more transcendent female athlete than Joan. She captured the imagination young girls, women AND men alike before the advent of the twenty-four-hour news cycle, the sports- only television networks and social media. What couldn’t she do? The greatest softball player who ever lived. Represented the United States on the hardwood in basketball. The least number of putts ever in a professional round of golf.
Not to mention nine NCAA Regional appearances as the head softball coach of Florida Atlantic University (that’s how I know her best). I’ve never met a better storyteller than Joan because, well, she lived all of her stories! I feel fortunate to know the single most influential and unique female athlete who has ever walked the planet...Joan Joyce.
—Ken laVicka, ESPN, Voice of FAU
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As a young man participating in athletics in school I can only marvel at the accomplishments of our girl, Joan Joyce. Her list of participation & accolades in athletics are the stuff of dreams to me! God bless and keep her, and her life as teacher and role model.
—Johnny Mathis, Grammy-nominated recording artist
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Is Joan Joyce the greatest athlete ever from the great city of Waterbury, Conn.? YoU bet. Is Joan Joyce Connecticut’s greatest female athlete? Absolutely—by a city and country mile. Is Joan Joyce the greatest female athlete of all time, period? Tony Renzoni sets out to prove just that in Connecticut Softball Legend Joan Joyce
—Joe Palladino, Waterbury Republican-American
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The story is all true. Joan Joyce was a tremendous pitcher, as talented as anyone who ever played. [responding to a newspaper account of his early 1960s match-ups against Joan Joyce]
—Ted Williams, Hall of Fame MLB and Boston Red Sox great, December 30, 1999
BOOK REVIEWS & ARTICLES IN NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES,etc:
1. RADIO INTERVIEW:
CLICK HERE: Radio Interview for "Connecticut Softball Legend Joan Joyce"
2. Article in the November, 2019 Issue of Connecticut Magazine:
CLICK HERE: Book Review Article (Connecticut Magazine)
3. ARTICLE IN THE NEW HAVEN REGISTER NEWSPAPER:
CLICK HERE: Book Review Article (New Haven Register)
4. ARTICLE IN THE WATERBURY REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN NEWSPAPER:
CLICK HERE: Book Review Article (Waterbury Republican American Newspaper
***WHERE TO PURCHASE "CONNECTICUT SOFTBALL LEGEND JOAN JOYCE":
* Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF STORES WHERE MY BOOKS CAN BE PURCHASED - SEE: WHERE MY BOOKS CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE END OF THIS WEBSITE
* NOTE: ALL photos SHOWN BELOW AND in my books are COPYRIGHTED.
GALLERY: PHOTOS INCLUDED IN MY JOAN JOYCE BOOK:
GALLERY:
JOAN JOYCE BOOK SIGNING PHOTOS. (Recognize anybody?)
CONNECTICUT ROCK 'n' ROLL: A HISTORY ©
* FOREWORD WRITTEN BY KEN EVANS (THE FIFTH ESTATE BAND)
BACK COVER (Including Book Description)
Artists Shown: Bottom: The Highwaymen performing at a sold-out concert in the Montowese House as part of the Indian Neck Folk Festival in Branford, Connecticut; Rockville’s Legendary Gene Pitney (member of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame); Inset: Tina Weymouth (of Talking Heads).
"CONNECTICUT ROCK 'n' ROLL: A HISTORY" - PRESS RELEASE
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WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK:
1. To pay tribute to the many talented artists that called Connecticut their home. Included are artists who achieved fame on a National/International level, fame on a Regional level, and popularity on a local level.
2, To highlight the many cultural events that have been impacted by rock 'n' roll (e.g., Record Hops, Record Stores, Radio Station Disc Jockeys, After-school Hangouts, etc.)
BOOK REVIEWS
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Tony Renzoni has written a very thoughtful and well-researched tribute to the artists of Connecticut, and we are proud to have Gene included among them.
—Lynne Pitney, wife of Gene Pitney
An informative and entertaining musical journey through Connecticut’s place in rock and roll history, including the beautiful doo-wop song “In the Still of the Night” by the Five Satins, the Playmates’ novelty car tune “Beep Beep” and the creative cover of “Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead” by the Fifth Estate. Tony Renzoni also highlights several established artists who achieved latter-day success after relocating to the state, including Meat Loaf with his number one comeback hit “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).”
—Warren Kurtz, contributing editor, Goldmine, the music collector’s magazine
Our Alice Cooper band recorded the Billion Dollars Babies album in a mansion in Greenwich. Over the years, there have been many great musicians from Connecticut, and the local scene is rich with good music. Tony Renzoni’s book captures all of that and more. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
—Dennis Dunaway, hall of famer and co-founder of the Alice Cooper band
Rock ’n’ Roll music fans from coast to coast will connect to events in this book.
Strongly recommended!
—Judith Fisher Freed, estate of Alan Freed
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***WHERE TO PURCHASE "CONNECTICUT SOFTBALL LEGEND JOAN JOYCE":
* Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF STORES WHERE MY BOOKS CAN BE PURCHASED - SEE: WHERE MY BOOKS CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE END OF THIS WEBSITE
Book Reviews - Newspapers, publications, etc.