Showing results by author "Howard Reich"

During the course of a career that began in the 1940s, Lenny Bruce challenged the sanctity of organized religion and other societal and political conventions and widened the boundaries of free speech. Critic Ralph Gleason said, "So many taboos have been lifted, and so many comics have rushed through the doors Lenny opened. He utterly changed the world of comedy."

When a lanky, unpretentious, incredibly gifted 23-year-old Texan took Moscow by musical storm in 1958, it launched a sensational career that began at the age of 13 and was to span over four decades. At the height of the Cold War, this friendly, openhearted pianist enchanted the hearts of Americans and Russians alike with playing that was more about "personal communications than exhibitionistic virtuosity".