Sing Loud: Memoir of a Life in Music

by Steve Bassett

Steve Bassett, one of Virginia's most acclaimed and beloved musicians, has written a thoughtful and moving memoir. Anyone who has been to one of Steve's performances knows how his warm personality blends with his musical talent in such a way that audience members feel as though he is having a personal chat with them. The story begins with a young boy's dream, initiating Steve's journey into the world of music and the relationships he formed along the way. As I read Steve's words, I could almost hear him reading his heartfelt tale of hope to me personally. Some parts are so poignant that they touched me deeply, while others made me laugh. Steve's book entertains in a meaningful way and is filled with optimism, peace, and inspiration. Linda Kamsky Seeman, Ph.D.

Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Born and raised in Newark's crime-ridden Third Ward, although far removed during a career as a multiple award-winning journalist, Steve Bassett has always been the proud sobriquet Jersey Guy. He has been legally blind for almost a decade, but having this hasn't slowed him down.

Bassett has written two nonfiction books, The Battered Rich and Golden Ghetto: How the Americans and French Fell In and Out of Love During the Cold War. Continuing with his newest fiction release, Father Divine’s Bikes (a Finalist in the 2018 International Book Award in the Cross-Genre Fiction category), readers share in his insights that earned him three Emmys for investigative documentaries, and the California Bar Association's first Medallion Award for Distinguished Reporting on the Administration of Justice. He now resides in Placitas, New Mexico with his wife, Darlene.

Reviews

[Grady Ormsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

So your brainiac son with brilliant career opportunities has decided to be a helioseismologist. Your other son has dropped out and moved to a cabin in the mountains with his potter's wheel and kiln. Your daughter wants to be a costume designer for the opera. Your grandson wants to be a ballet dancer. Relax. They'll be fine. There's a good chance they'll also be very happy. Sing Loud: Memoir of a Life in Music by Steve Bassett is the story of a man who has spent almost fifty years doing exactly what he has wanted to to. He's a singer, songwriter, performer, arranger, bandleader, producer and writer. He's not rich. He's not particularly famous. But he's as happy a person as I have ever known.
I first met Steve forty-four years ago. I was an intern school teacher and he was a student at Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College). We don't see each other very often, but when we do it's as if we'd seen each other only yesterday. Our friendship is based on a mutual understanding that the foundation of the universe is love, unconditional and uncomplicated by dogma and expectations. He expresses this love through his music. He lives to sing and when his audience likes his music, his joy is multiplied. By having him as a friend, my joy is multiplied. See if the love is infectious. Read his book. Listen to his music at www.stevebassettmusic.com. And let those children grow and explore according to dictates of their own hearts.