Wagner Books
Simon Estes: In His Own Voice (autobiography)
In
His Voice tells the story of a skinny boy from a little town called Centerville,
Iowa, a town where blacks performed menial jobs and racial discrimination
and segregation was part of everyday life. Simon
Estes worked as a shoe
shiner in a barber shop, and ended up as a world famous and much celebrated
opera singer.
Simos Estes had a great career as the Flying Dutchman (Der fliegende Holländer) King Philip (Don Carlo), Escamillo (Carmen), Macbeth (Macbeth), Wotan/Wanderer (Die Walküre and Siegfried), Amfortas (Parsifal), Porgy (Porgy and Bess), four roles in (The Tales of Hoffmann), Boris Godunov (Boris Godunov).
When reading about the humiliation Simon Estes suffered as a child and youth just because he was black, it strikes me that there have been some progress in the world after all.
For instance, Simon couldn't have his own newspaper carrier route because he was black, so he had to work for a white friend who was a regular carrier. And blacks were not allowed to sit with the whites in the movie theatre, they had to sit in the balcony, just outside the smelly toilet. This is completely absurd to us today, but a sad chapter in the history of America.
What is even
more shocking to read, is that Estes was denied the
role as Wotan in the Solti/Hall Ring in Bayreuth by Peter Hall just because he was black. It
wasn't racism, but to Hall, and partly Solti, the skin colour was an issue.
"If we hire you, then the whole cast would have to be black." 
That Simon
Estes had had great success as the Flying Dutchmann in the Kupfer production
for several years and had sung Amfortas didn't count. Solti said: "I don't
want any problems and the stage director does not want a black Wotan."
The book is loaded with photos from Estes' life and even a 26-minute CD with opera, Broadway, and spiritual songs is included. Some Europeans will probably find the emphasis on family values and religion a bit too "American". In my opinion the book has one editorial mistake, and that is the part about Estes' divorce. It should not have been included in the book. It is just a detail, but it draws attention to a conflict that has no relevance or interest for the public. Today you don't have to apologize or explain a broken marriage.
Simon Estes is a great role model for young people who want to achieve something in life. He has founded several non-profit organizations to help children and youth in many countries. With his autobiography I am sure coming generations will find inspiration in reading about how Estes through determination and hard work reached the top.
Simon Estes' autobiography on Amazon