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Showing 101 - 120 of 1953 items
By David Hajdu. 1996
A portrait of Billy Strayhorn, a prolific composer of American jazz. Recounts his youth as a musical prodigy, when he…
joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra and wrote the band's theme song, "Take the 'A' Train." Strayhorn, who was openly gay, spent his career largely in Ellington's shadow. Strayhorn died prematurely in 1967. 1996.By Paul Hemphill. 2006
A sickly and awkward boy who turned into a country music legend, Hiram Williams had reinvented himself as Hank Williams…
and taken to alcohol by the age of 14. He was dead by the age of 29. Here, Paul Hemphill recounts the tortured life and whirlwind career of the hillbilly Shakespeare as only a fellow Southerner can. 2006.By Gillian Helfgott, Alissa Tanskaya. 1996
The Australian pianist, David Helfgott, whose life was brilliantly portrayed in the movie "Shine," comes to life through the compassionate…
eyes of his wife Gillian. He was a child musical prodigy who suffered from a breakdown that left him restless and alienated. But the love that he finds with Gillian enables him to "shine" again. 1996.By Maxine Brown. 2005
The Browns -- Maxine, Bonnie, and Jim Ed -- are a trio of singing siblings that had tremendous success in…
the 1950s and '60s. This memoir delves into the Browns' remarkable past, beginning with a Depression-era childhood in rural south Arkansas scarred by poverty and tragedy. From that beginning emerges a duo, Maxine and Jim Ed, who became a popular feature of Little Rock's Barnyard Frolic and, in 1954, had a top ten hit with "Looking Back to See." Sister Bonnie later joined them, and they soon were regulars on the well-known Louisiana Hayride. The group enjoyed a long relationship with RCA, and with Chet Atkins, and later joined the Grand Ole Opry cast. 2010, c2005.By Laurence Bergreen. 1997
A biography of the jazz trumpeter known as Satchmo who was born in 1901 in New Orleans. Portrays the city's…
influence on his character and musical development. Relates the details of his career with bands, personal relationships, and reaction to fame. Satchmo's story encompasses a history of jazz in the United States until 1971, the year of his death. Some strong language. 1997.By Loretta Lynn, George Vecsey. 1976
The country music star from Butcher Holler, Kentucky, recalls her life from rags to riches. Lynn emphasizes the importance of…
her twenty-five-year-old marriage and her faith in people and in God. c1976.By Robbie Robertson, Jim Guerinot, Sebastian Robertson, Jared Levine. 2013
Four music industry veterans invite young readers to share with them in celebrating twenty-seven musical legends. Short profiles chronicle personal…
stories and achievements of extraordinarily talented artists whose innovations changed the landscape of music for generations to come. Carefully compiled like any great playlist, the line-up features originators, rebels, and risk-takers across diverse genres. From Ray Charles to Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry to Bob Dylan, Robertson shares anecdotes about these artists and the influence they had on his own musical journey. Grades 4-7. 2013.By Victoria Beckham. 2002
By Neil Sedaka. 1982
By Peter Guralnick. 1995
A biography that refuses to dwell on the myth of Elvis. Aiming instead to portray the life and career of…
this outstanding artistic and cultural phenomenon, it draws together a plethora of documentary and interview material to create the narrative. This covers Presley's rise to prominence up to his departure for Germany in 1958. 1995.By Humphrey Lyttelton. 2007
The legendary band leader and jazz trumpeter, broadcaster and humorist looks back at his extraordinarily rich and varied life and…
the many colourful characters he has known and played with - from Duke Ellington to Louis Armstrong. 2007.By David Bradbury. 2003
Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong, born in poverty and raised in an orphanage, dominated one of the new art forms of the…
20th century: jazz. He earned the admiration of a global audience, crossing the boundaries of geography, politics and race. His inimitable voice, the poetry of his trumpet and his mastery of improvisation made him 'Mr Jazz'. 2003.By Eric Clapton, Christopher Simon Sykes. 2007
Eric was born an illegitimate child to a Canadian airman in 1945 and raised by his grandparents - until the…
age of 9 he believed his absentee mother to be his sister. When the truth was revealed he felt a sense of abandonment and isolation which was eventually to drive him to despair and addiction. From his early teens his solace was the guitar, and at the age of eighteen he joined the Yardbirds and from then on his legendary status was assured. In 1966 the world's first super group, Cream, was formed and at the age of 22 Eric was a world superstar. Now for the first time, Eric tells the story of his personal and professional journeys in this autobiography. 2007.By Freddie Mercury, Simon Lupton, Greg Brooks. 2008
This book takes us on the journey of Queen - three academics and a frustrated art student, tired of having…
no money, taking on the music industry on their own terms. Spurred on by an almost uncontrollable, ambitious and forthright Mercury, Queen succeeded, becoming the biggest band of generations to come. The story, told in his own words shows how on many occasions, the band almost split, but was always kept together by their shared love of breaching musical boundaries. Includes strong language. 2008.By William B Robertson. 1992
Beginning with the author's own memories of a concert he attended in 1985, this brief biography summarizes the events leading…
to k.d. lang's commercial success as a female vocalist. With her eccentric style, described as "country punk," and an often androgynous appearance, lang has resisted the easy categories of the music industry. The making of lang's first five albums and her first film are highlighted, as well as her stand for causes such as AIDS and the ethical treatment of animals. 1992.By Myles Goodwyn. 2016
Singer, guitarist, writer, producer and leader of the band April Wine, Myles Goodwyn’s passion and drive shaped and directed the…
group from its earliest beginnings in 1969. Goodwyn grew up poor and is the classic “small-town kid makes good” success story. As a young teen, Goodwyn honed his skills, playing in several bands, and from the very beginning, he plotted the course of the band and penned virtually every April Wine song. Now in its fourth decade, April Wine continues to charge ahead as one of Canada’s very best rock bands. 2016.By Theodore Taylor. 1979
By Joni Mitchell, Malka Marom. 2014
When musician and broadcast journalist Malka Marom had the opportunity to interview Joni Mitchell in 1973, she was eager to…
reconnect with the performer she’d first in met in 1966. More conversations followed over the next four decades of friendship, and it was only after Joni and Malka completed their most recent recorded interview, in 2012, that Malka discovered the heart of their discussions: the creative process. In this book, Joni and Malka follow this thread through seven decades of life and art, discussing the influence of Joni’s childhood, love and loss, acclaim and criticism, triumphs and mistakes. c2014.By Michael Freedland. 1972
By Ray Coleman. 1984
This biography covers the singer's formative years through the early days of singing to the Beatlemania of the 1960s. The…
author, a journalist and a friend of John, interviewed John's first wife and his son, Julian. Some strong language. Followed by "John Ono Lennon." 1984.