Suits Me: The Double Life of Billy TiptonThe jazz pianist Billy Tipton was born in Oklahoma City as Dorothy Tipton, but almost nobody knew the truth until the day he died, in Spokane in 1989. Over a fifty-year performing career, Billy Tipton fooled nearly everyone, including Duke Ellington and Norma Teagarden, five successive "wives" with whom Billy lived as a man, and three children who he "fathered." As Billy Tipton herself said, "Some people might think I'm a freak or a hermaphrodite. I'm not. I'm a normal person. This has been my choice." This jazz-era biography evokes the rich popular-music history of the Great Depression and reads like a detective story. |
From inside the book
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Contents
But Who Was She? 18891928 | 13 |
Kansas City 19291932 | 33 |
19331940 | 47 |
Graduation 19341935 | 62 |
The Playboy 19351938 | 77 |
Reggies Daughter 19371940 | 94 |
19401948 | 107 |
Swinging 19431946 | 126 |
Making It 19541958 | 182 |
19581989 | 203 |
Mans World 19581961 | 209 |
Family Man 19621979 | 229 |
Out and Down 19801986 | 256 |
The End 19861989 | 270 |
Notes | 285 |
311 | |
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Common terms and phrases
band bandstand Banner Cavaliers began Benny Goodman Betty Cox Bill Pierson Billy booked Billy Tipton Billy Tipton Trio Billy's death boys brother Buck called Clarence Cagle Cotton Club cousins cross-dressing dance Dave Sobol Dick O'Neil Dorothy Dorothy's dressed Earl Eilene entertainment father female George Mayer Gerry Everding girl high school Hotel interview with DM jazz joke Joplin June Kansas City kids Kitty Kelly Kitty Oakes Kitty's knew lesbian Lew Raines lived look Madeline married Mary Lou Williams masculine mother movie musicians never night nightclub Non Earl Norma Teagarden Oklahoma City Paul Jensen person radio recalled records Reggie Reggie's remembered role Ron Kilde saxophone Spokane story Swing talk Teddy Wilson telephone interview things Thomas Tipton thought Tipton to Kitty told took town W. T. Tipton wanted wife William woman women