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of the Wail." I really didn't know anything about him, except the Contemporary records and some of his own liner comments, and the way he looked and sounded on stage-gaunt and tenuous, compulsively talkative, searing and punchy in his playing-so I was flying by the seat of my pants in speculating about drugs and race and everything else. My essay was more presumptuous than knowledgeable. You can imagine how surprised (and relieved) I was when Laurie called the day it came out in The Village Voice and said, "Art wants to meet you. He wants to know how come you know so much about him." It never occurred to me to say: It's all there in his music.

-Gary Giddins

(This introduction incorporates portions of "Art Pepper Talks Straight," from The Village Voice, February 18, 1980, and "Endgame," the notes to Art Pepper's The Complete Galaxy Recordings, 1989, by permission of the author.)

Gary Giddins, jazz critic for The Village Voice, is the author of Riding on a Blue Note, Rhythm-a-Ning, Celebrating Bird, Satchmo, Faces in the Crowd, and a forthcoming biography of Bing Crosby.

What is the use of talking and there is no end of talking, There is no end of things in the heart.

Ezra Pound

For their contributions to this book we wish to thank:

Special thanks to Todd Selbert for everything.

Contents

Cast of Characters xviii

Part 1 1925-1954 1

1. Childhood 1925-1939 3

2. Patti 1930-1944 29

3. The Avenue 1940-1944 37

4. The Army 1944-1946 53

5. Heroin 1946-1950 72

6. On the Road with Stan Kenton's Band 1946-1952 93

7. Busted 1952-1953 122

8. The Los Angeles County jail 1953 138

9. The U.S. Public Health Service Hospital at Fort Worth 1953-1954 144

Part 2 1954-1966 163

10. The Los Angeles County Jail: Integration 1954-1956 165

11. Diane 1956-1958 176

12. Suicides 1958-1960 204

13. Stealing 1960 226

14. The Los Angeles County Jail: The Hole 1960-1961 244

15. San Quentin 1961 270

16. San Quentin: Learning the Ropes 1961-1964 289

17. The Check Protector 1964-1965 309

18. San Quentin: Tattoos 1965-1966 325

Part 3 1966-1978 341

19. Christine 1966-1968 343

20. On the Road with Buddy Rich's Band 1968-1969 369

21. Synanon 1969 392

22. Synanon: Laurie 1969 413

23. Synanon: Games, Raids, the Trip 1969-1971 431

24. The Return of Art Pepper 1971-1978 454

Conclusion 475

Afterword 477

Discography by Todd Selbert 507

Index 551

This is a true story, a tape recorded narrative by Art Pepper (and those who've known him) which I have transcribed and edited. In order to avoid embarrassing a number of people, some details have been changed and pseudonyms are occasionally used. Attitudes, intentions, and feelings attributed by Art Pepper to anyone besides himself should be understood by the reader to be Art's impressions, not fact.

-Laurie Pepper

Cast of Characters

(in order of appearance)

Cora Hahn Pepper Noble (Grandma): Art's paternal grandmother. She was responsible for Art's upbringing. Her children were Arthur Edward Pepper Senior and Richard Pepper (Dicky Boy), and a stepson, Shorty Noble.

Arthur Edward Pepper (Art Senior, Moses, Daddy, Pop): Art's father. A merchant marine, machinist, fisherman, longshoreman, union organizer.

Mildred Bartold (Ida Bartold, Mildred Bayard, Millie, Moham): Art's mother. Art senior's first wife, she married him when she was fifteen.

Sarah Schecter Bartold: Married Vincent Joseph Bartold and raised his niece, Ida (Millie), Art's mother.

Thelma Winters Noble Pepper: Married at first to Art Senior's stepbrother, Shorty, she had three children-John, Bud, and Edna. Deserted by Shorty, she married Art's father.

John Noble and Mildred (Millie) Moore Noble: Thelma's son and his wife. Art considered John Noble his cousin.

Johnny Martizia: Introduced Art to improvised music (jazz). He is still a professional singer and guitarist.

Patti (Madeleine) Moore Pepper: Art's first wife. They were married in 1943.

Lee Young: Brother of the legendary Lester Young, he has been active in all aspects of music since childhood and led the band at the Club Alabam which gave Art his start