Real Life: The Story of a Survivor - Softcover

First published in 1986, "Real Life" gives the full background to Marsha Hunt's astonishing rise from Philadelphia ghetto girl to become the 'face' of the cult 60s rock musical "Hair" and the girlfriend of Mick Jagger, father of her daughter Karis. It is the story of Marsha's childhood, of her time at Berkeley University during the anti-war riots in the mid-60s and of her escape to London where she became involved in the music scene, singing (and living) with the likes of John Mayall and Elton John. This is a vivid account of life in the early 60s by one of the icons of "Swinging London". But as well as being a portrait of a culture and a generation, it is also the personal story of a warm, honest woman determined to bring up her daughter on her own according to her deeply-held principles. It is the story of a survivor who has struggled through turbulent love-affairs and the ups and downs of a varied and extraordinary career.

When Marsha Hunt shot to stardom in the hit sixties musical 'Hair', she inspired the phrase 'Black is Beautiful' and became one of the most enduring icons of a fascinating decade.

In this candid autobiography, she charts her astonishing rise and the many high and low points of an extraordinary life. She recalls her ghetto childhood in Philadelphia, her time at Berkeley during the Black Power era, and her arrival, penniless and unknown, in London, where she rapidly established a place in the vibrant blues and pop scene of the early sixties. But it was her role on 'Hair' and her relationship with Mick Jagger which catapulted her into the public eye and onto the front covers of virtually every fashion magazine in Britain and Europe.

'Real Life' deals as much with the downside of fame as with the glory. Marsha Hunt writes with characteristic directness about the difficulties of succeeding as a black women in a white world and about the very public trauma of her protracted law suit with Mick Jagger over the paternity of their daughter Karis. Marsha Hunt's life has gone through many changes, from barnstorming singer, to actress, radio presenter, political campaigner, and successful novelist. Frank, warm-hearted and filled with humour and insight, 'Real Life' is the true story of a survivor and a remarkable women.

"Marsha Hunt joins a formidable company of black American writers. Like Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, she proclaims the experience of the black American woman in a white dominated world."
OBSERVER