Matt Birkbeck

Hour long interview with Radio Times host Marty Moss-Coane discussing Deconstructing Sammy, and book review from the Los Angeles Times, and interview with Tommie Lee and the Bartender of WAOR.

http://www.pluggd.tv/audio/channels/whyys_radio_times_with_marty_moss_coane/episodes/4n81p

http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-ca-matt-birkbeck2-2008nov02,0,1077438.story

http://www.sendspace.com/file/6ne2yd

True or not true? The Rev. Jesse Jackson is vehemently denying a report he demanded a $5,000 fee and two posh hotel rooms from singer Sammy Davis Jr., who begged him to conduct the funeral service for an old friend in 1985.

I’ll be at the Barnes & Noble at Richmond Ave. in Staten Island on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. for a discussion/book signing for “Deconstructing Sammy.”

I’ll also be at Robin’s bookstore in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Oct 15 at 6 p.m.

Hope to see you at either one.

“Deconstructing Sammy” was published this week, and here are links to a sampling of stories and reviews on the book thus far, including an Associated Press story carried by media outlets worldwide including CNN.com, Today Show.com and International Herald News, among many others. There’s also a link to Tuesday’s interview  on NPR’s Talk of the Nation with Neal Conan and the hour long tv interview on PCN Network.

PCN  PA Books (click on PA Books and scroll down to Deconstrucing Sammy)  http://www.pcntv.com/pcn_online.html

National Public Radio’s (NPR) Talk of the Nation                                   http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94640586

WCBQ/WHCN Dr.Alvin Jones   www.dralvinjones.com/content/01 Matt Birkbeck.wma

CNN.com         http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/09/15/deconstructing.sammy.ap/index.html    

Todayshow.com          http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26718355/       

New York Post (Page Six)   

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08052008/gossip/pagesix/sammys_end_poor__pathetic_122983.htm          

Library Journal

Verdict: Award-winning investigative journalist Birkbeck examines the reasons why Sammy Davis Jr., one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century, died deeply in debt and why just a few years after his death his widow, Altovise, was living in poverty and working minimum-wage jobs. More than just an archetypal story of a celebrity bilked of a fortune, this book, which makes tax law sexy, is a forensic examination of why and how Davis’s finances were so badly mismanaged…
 this exceptionally detailed book mostly deconstructs what happened to the man’s money.

Sacramento Bee  (Allen Pierleoni)

“Sammy Davis Jr. was blessed with so much talent that his life should have been a cakewalk. Instead, it was an earthquake. The inside story makes for a fascinating read.”

Terri Schlichenmeyer (Syndicated Book Columnist)              

“With a journalist’s eye toward a great story, author Matt Birkbeck leads readers through a decades-long financial mess including cover-ups, deals that obviously took advantage of Sammy, mob connections, political friendships and snubbings, and contractual issues that affected the singer’s life and estate, including some with several players who appeared to have been playing the famous performer.

While Davis’ life-story is un-put-down-able, though, Birkbeck’s portrayal of Sonny Murray is absolutely stunning. It’s a tale of obsession, legal wrangling, and wanting to do the right thing despite the roadblocks erected by the very people who would have benefited most from Murray’s work. If you love a good scandal, a good story, or a great bio, you’re going to want to read “Deconstructing Sammy” soon.”                                        

As you can tell, this is not a speedy process.

I posted in July that the National Center was facilitating a DNA test between the father of Christina Carter and blood samples that remained from Sharon Marshall. Unfortunatley, as it’s explaine to me, Sharon’s blood was so degraded they can only conduct a mitochondrial DNA test, which can only be tested on the maternal side. Apparently, there’s only one living female relative of Christina Carter, and the NC is in the process of contacting her and seeking her permission to take part in the test.

On another front, those who read the book may recall that Sharon had a third child, a daughter, who lives in the south. She was adopted and is all grown up now attending college and, I’m told, as smart as Sharon. One thought came to me and I ran it by Gerry Nance at the NC: Since we have the daughter’s DNA profile, can’t we match that against Christina Carter’s father? Gerry said he’s looking into it.

This is a painstakingly slow and frustrating business.  I guess we have to be thankful that there are people like Gerry Nance and the National Center. If not, we wouldn’t even be here.

Sample of stories that appeared Monday and over the weekend:

Upcoming interviews, book signings and appearances (updated 9/5)

Saturday, September 27, 2008
01:00 PM
BORDERS
100 Shoppes at Stroud     Stroudsburg, PA 18360
(Off Route 611) 570-420-1395

For those asking about my next book, Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness and the Mob, which will be published in September, here are some initial reports:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08052008/gossip/pagesix/sammys_end_poor__pathetic_122983.htm

http://www.toromagazine.com/?q=node/385

Last fall I received an email suggesting that Christina Carter could be Sharon Marshall. Christina was three years old when she disappeared in September 1973 in Tennessee. Her mother was found murdered at the bottom of a ravine. The emailer gave me contact info for Christina’s father. We spoke several times and his story raised additional questions. I subsequently called Gerry Nance at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Gerry was equally intrigued and, after several months, he facilated DNA testing. I spoke with Gerry recently and we are still awaiting the result. The photos of Christina Carter resemble those of Sharon, particularly the one of Sharon sitting in Floyd’s lap in 1976. I’m also recalling some info Floyd gave me during my interviews with him that give me some hope this could be a match. So, perhaps more so than some of our other possibilities, I’m thinking we may have something here.

I believe Christina is the fifth missing child from so long ago we’ve deemed a strong possibility and, thanks to Gerry and the NCMEC, they have once again graciously moved forward with DNA testing of family members to compare against the DNA we retrieved from Sharon’s blood in Oklahoma City. For those following this tragic story, we confirmed Sharon’s DNA by comparing it against the DNA of her daughter, who is now living in the south. The test was a match.

For more info on Christina Carter go to  www.doenetwork.org and type in Christina Carter on the “Search” link.