Blind Date: The London Symphony Orchestra Meets Daytona Beach by Murphy, Drew - 2007

Daytona Beach: Drew Murphy, 2007. Book. Fine. Cloth & Boards. First Edition.. 156 pp. on glossy stock, Numerous color and b&w photos on most pages. As new, except for crinkling of dust jack edges. A scarce collection of reminiscences about a 40-plus-year partnership between the London Symphony Orchestra and local arts patrons in Daytona Beach. The alliance enabled the LSO to present summer concerts in Daytona ever two years. Contributors include the late Herbert M. "Tippen" Davidson Jr., the newspaper publisher who launched the project, and many members of Daytona's "high society" who helped bankroll the concerts. Some of the essays convey how Daytonans were star-struck to have classical musicians visiting their town known for NASCAR racing, Spring Break and motorcycles. The author/editor wrote many reviews and features about the LSO for Davidson's paper, the Daytona Beach News-Journal. This book was published shortly before Davidson was sued by Cox Newspapers, his business partner, for "wasting" too much of the newspaper's profits on the LSO and other arts projects. As a result of the protracted litigation, a court pulled the plug on the newspaper's subsidies and the LSO visits were terminated. Size: 8vo -- 9 in Tall By 11.75 in Wide.