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We Could Be: Bowie and his Heroes
By Tom Hagler. 2021
***With consultant editor Tony Visconti. David Bowie's story has never been told quite like this.Tracing the star's encounters with fellow…
icons throughout his life, We Could Be offers a new history of Bowie, collecting 300 short stories that together paint a portrait of humour, humility, compassion, tragedy and more besides.He embarrasses himself in front of Lennon and Warhol. He saves the life of Nina Simone. He is hated by Bob Dylan. He teaches Michael Jackson the moonwalk. Individually astonishing, together these stories - including details never before revealed - build a new picture of Bowie, one which shows his vulnerability, his sense of humour, his inner diva.Exhaustively researched from thousands of sources by BBC reporter and Bowie obsessive Tom Hagler - with the guidance and memories of Bowie's long-time producer Tony Visconti - We Could Be is fascinating, comic, compelling, and a history of Bowie unlike any that has come before.We Could Be: Bowie and his Heroes
By Tom Hagler. 2021
***With consultant editor Tony Visconti. David Bowie's story has never been told quite like this.Tracing the star's encounters with fellow…
icons throughout his life, We Could Be offers a new history of Bowie, collecting 300 short stories that together paint a portrait of humour, humility, compassion, tragedy and more besides.He embarrasses himself in front of Lennon and Warhol. He saves the life of Nina Simone. He is hated by Bob Dylan. He teaches Michael Jackson the moonwalk. Individually astonishing, together these stories - including details never before revealed - build a new picture of Bowie, one which shows his vulnerability, his sense of humour, his inner diva.Exhaustively researched from thousands of sources by BBC reporter and Bowie obsessive Tom Hagler - with the guidance and memories of Bowie's long-time producer Tony Visconti - We Could Be is fascinating, comic, compelling, and a history of Bowie unlike any that has come before.The Life & Times of Malcolm McLaren: The Biography
By Paul Gorman. 2020
'I couldn't put this book down. Malcolm inspired us to make art out of our boredom and anger. He set…
us free' Bobby Gillespie, Primal ScreamIncluded in the Guardian 10 best music biographies'Excellent . . . With this book, Gorman convincingly moves away from the ossified image of McLaren as a great rock'n'roll swindler, a morally bankrupt punk Mephistopheles, and closer towards his art-school roots, his love of ideas. Tiresome, unpleasant, even cruel - he was, this book underlines, never boring' Sunday Times'Exhaustive . . . compelling' Observer'Definitive . . . epic' The Times'Gobsmacker of a biography' Telegraph'This masterful and painstaking biography opens its doorway to an era of fluorescent disenchantment and outlandish possibility' Alan MooreMalcolm McLaren was one of the most culturally significant but misunderstood figures of the modern era. Ten years after his life was cruelly cut short by cancer, The Life & Times of Malcolm McLaren sheds fascinating new light on the public achievements and private life of this cultural iconoclast and architect of punk, whose championing of street culture movements including hip-hop and Voguing reverberates to this day. With exclusive contributions from friends and intimates and access to private papers and family documents, this biography uncovers the true story behind this complicated figure.McLaren first achieved public prominence as a rebellious art student by making the news in 1966 after being arrested for burning the US flag in front of the American Embassy in London. He maintained this incendiary reputation by fast-tracking vanguard and left-field ideas to the centre of the media glare, via his creation and stewardship of the Sex Pistols and work with Adam Ant, Boy George and Bow Wow Wow. Meanwhile McLaren's ground-breaking design partnership with Vivienne Westwood and his creation of their visionary series of boutiques in the 1970s and early '80s sent shockwaves through the fashion industry.The Life & Times of Malcolm McLaren also essays McLaren's exasperating Hollywood years when he broke bread with the likes of Steven Spielberg though his slate of projects, which included the controversial Heavy Metal Surf Nazis and Wilde West, in which Oscar Wilde introduced rock'n'roll to the American mid-west in the 1880s, proved too rich for the play-it-safe film business.With a preface by Alan Moore, who collaborated with McLaren on the unrealised film project Fashion Beast, and an essay by Lou Stoppard casting a twenty-first-century perspective over his achievements, The Life & Times Of Malcolm McLaren is the explosive and definitive account of the man dubbed by Melvyn Bragg 'the Diaghilev of punk'.High Hopes: Making Music, Losing My Way, Learning to Live
By Steve Garrigan. 2021
'Steve beautifully communicates his vulnerabilities in his music -- he does the same in this powerful story' Niall BreslinAs lead…
singer and songwriter of hugely successful Irish rock band Kodaline, Steve Garrigan plays to thousands of fans worldwide - his business is being in the spotlight. But, for years, Steve was privately battling his own demons.High Hopes is a deeply personal memoir about how everyone carries a story. In his down-to-earth and often humorous style, Steve takes us from his childhood growing up in Dublin and the shyness that only dissolved in front of a microphone, to the highs of rock star success touring and playing stadiums, and the lows of anxiety, depression and panic attacks. Ultimately, his story describes how it is only by learning to share our deepest vulnerability - embracing all aspects of our true selves - that we can work through darkness and ultimately find freedom.Portia White: A Portrait in Words
By George Elliott Clarke. 2020
?I take Liberties—poetic—and take License to relate her story In her voice, to tell History Who she was—as I hear…
her say Or sing. [...] But still you will come face-to-face With a "Portia," whose life outshines All brilliance this black ink divines.... In his unique brand of spoken word, Africadian poetry, the incomparable George Elliott Clarke explores a personal subject: his great-aunt Portia White. The result is a stirring, epic poem vibrating with energy and music that spans White's birth in 1911, a coming of age amidst the backdrop of two World Wars, and her life-long love affair with music—from singing in to directing the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church choir to her bel canto tutlege at the Halifax Conservatory of Music to her final, command performance before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1964. Portia White is a stunning testament to the first African Canadian to become an international star. Features vibrant illustrations by contemporary artist Lara Martina.Stompin' Tom Connors: The myth and the man — an unauthorized biography
By Charlie Rhindress. 2019
Tell me why: the story of my life and my music
By Archie Roach. 2019
No one has lived as many lives as Archie Roach - stolen child, seeker, teenage alcoholic, lover, father, musical and…
lyrical genius, and leader - but it took him almost a lifetime to find out who he really was. Roach was only two years old when he was forcibly removed from his family. Brought up by a series of foster parents until his early teens, his world imploded when he received a letter that spoke of a life he had no memory of. In this intimate, moving and often shocking memoir, Archie's story is an extraordinary odyssey through love and heartbreak, family and community, survival and renewal - and the healing power of music. Overcoming enormous odds to find his story and his people, Archie voices the joy, pain and hope he found on his path through song to become the legendary singer-songwriter and storyteller that he is today - beloved by fans worldwide. Tell Me Why is a stunning account of resilience and the strength of spirit - and of a great love story.The best years of our lives
By Richard Clapton. 2015
Welcome to the party that never ends. When he was 16 he inveigled his way into a Sydney hotel to…
hang out with the Rolling Stones. From that day on, Richard Clapton knew he was going to be a rock star. It's now almost 50 years since that fateful day -years filled with a lifetime of incredible experiences, outrageous good times and a catalogue of iconic and timeless songs. Through the glory years of rock 'n' roll, in cities as varied as London, Berlin, Sydney, Los Angeles and Paris, Richard forged his own career and built up a significant body of work while living, loving and partying with the biggest names in the Australian and international music world. By his own frank admission, these were years fuelled by prodigious quantities of alcohol and drugs, set against a backdrop of constant recording and touring, of endless partying and wild times. It was to be a rollercoaster ride of euphoric highs and deep, shattering lows.Spinning Plates: Music, Men, Motherhood and Me: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY
By Sophie Ellis-Bextor. 2021
SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR SINGER - SINGER, WRITER AND PIONEER OF THE LOCKDOWN KITCHEN DISCO, REFLECTS CANDIDLY ON LIFE, LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPSSophie…
Ellis-Bextor's kitchen discos became a source of escapism, catharsis and sequined joy for a swathe of the population during lockdown. From knackered mothers and fed up fathers, to cooped up partiers with nowhere to go, Sophie's gloriously chaotic Friday kitchen performances have cheered and revived us. Now Sophie is bringing that same mixture of down to earth candour and optimistic sparkle to her autobiography. In SPINNING PLATES Sophie writes openly and very frankly about her life. From a childhood flogging Blue Peter badges in the playground to joining Theaudience straight from school, to finding love after a dark and troubled relationship, and becoming mother to five boys, Sophie pulls no punches in her autobiography.By choosing to speak so openly on issues close to her heart, Sophie invites us all to join the conversation and bring those trickier subjects out of the shadows and into the light.Covering relationships, body image, good-enough parenting, the highs - and the lows - of competing on Strictly Come Dancing - Sophie writes about the things that take on greater and lesser importance as life becomes more complicated. This is a book about respecting and learning from our mistakes and experiences and not being afraid to smash a few plates for the sake of what we actually need, want and value.Honest, heartfelt and highly entertaining.High Hopes: Making Music, Losing My Way, Learning to Live
By Steve Garrigan. 2021
'Steve beautifully communicates his vulnerabilities in his music -- he does the same in this powerful story' Niall Breslin As…
lead singer and songwriter of hugely successful Irish rock band Kodaline, Steve Garrigan plays to thousands of fans worldwide - his business is being in the spotlight. But, for years, Steve was privately battling his own demons.High Hopes is a deeply personal memoir about how everyone carries a story. In his down-to-earth and often humorous style, Steve takes us from his childhood growing up in Dublin and the shyness that only dissolved in front of a microphone, to the highs of rock star success touring and playing stadiums, and the lows of anxiety, depression and panic attacks. Ultimately, his story describes how it is only by learning to share our deepest vulnerability - embracing all aspects of our true selves - that we can work through darkness and ultimately find freedom.Spinning Plates: Music, Men, Motherhood and Me: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY
By Sophie Ellis-Bextor. 2021
SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR SINGER - SINGER, WRITER AND PIONEER OF THE LOCKDOWN KITCHEN DISCO, REFLECTS CANDIDLY ON LIFE, LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPSSophie…
Ellis-Bextor's kitchen discos became a source of escapism, catharsis and sequined joy for a swathe of the population during lockdown. From knackered mothers and fed up fathers, to cooped up partiers with nowhere to go, Sophie's gloriously chaotic Friday kitchen performances have cheered and revived us. Now Sophie is bringing that same mixture of down to earth candour and optimistic sparkle to her autobiography. In SPINNING PLATES Sophie writes openly and very frankly about her life. From a childhood flogging Blue Peter badges in the playground to joining Theaudience straight from school, to finding love after a dark and troubled relationship, and becoming mother to five boys, Sophie pulls no punches in her autobiography.By choosing to speak so openly on issues close to her heart, Sophie invites us all to join the conversation and bring those trickier subjects out of the shadows and into the light.Covering relationships, body image, good-enough parenting, the highs - and the lows - of competing on Strictly Come Dancing - Sophie writes about the things that take on greater and lesser importance as life becomes more complicated. This is a book about respecting and learning from our mistakes and experiences and not being afraid to smash a few plates for the sake of what we actually need, want and value.Honest, heartfelt and highly entertaining.Let Love Rule
By David Ritz, Lenny Kravitz. 2020
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“I see my story as a suite of songs that have a magical connection. I never…
understood that connection until I sat down to write. It was then that the magic started to flow.”Let Love Rule is a work of deep reflection. Lenny Kravitz looks back at his life with candor, self-scrutiny, and humor.“My life is all about opposites,” he writes. “Black and white. Jewish and Christian. The Jackson 5 and Led Zeppelin. I accepted my Gemini soul. I owned it. I adored it. Yins and yangs mingled in various parts of my heart and mind, giving me balance and fueling my curiosity and comfort.”Let Love Rule covers a vast canvas stretching from Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant, Los Angeles’s Baldwin Hills, Beverly Hills, and finally to France, England and Germany.It’s the story of a wildly creative kid who, despite tough struggles at school and extreme tension at home, finds salvation in music.We see him grow as a musician and ultimately a master songwriter, producer, and performer. We also see Lenny’s spiritual growth—and the powerful way in which spirit informs his music.The cast of characters surrounding Lenny is extraordinary: his father, Sy, a high-powered news executive; his mother, Roxie Roker, a television star; and Lisa Bonet, the young actress who becomes his muse.The central character, of course, is Lenny, who, despite his great aspirational energy, turns down record deal after record deal until he finds his true voice.The creation of that voice, the same voice that is able to declare “Let Love Rule” to an international audience, is the very heart of this story.“Whether recording, performing, or writing a book,” says Lenny, “my art is about listening to the inspiration inside and then sharing it with people. Art must bring the world closer together.”Christmas with Elvis: The Official Guide to the Holidays from the King of Rock ’n’ Roll
By Robert K. Elder. 2021
Celebrate Christmas with the King of Rock n' Roll!For Elvis, Christmas at Graceland was a time for family and friends,…
a respite from the road and the recording studio. It was a time to sing gospel songs around the piano and give out extravagant gifts.In this spirit, Christmas with Elvis is designed like a Christmas party Elvis himself would have liked. It&’s a behind-the-scenes look at the iconic music and songs Elvis sang and recorded for his bestselling holiday albums, alongside favorite stories, trivia, and Yuletide cocktails and munchies—all wrapped up with a merry Christmas twist fit for the King of Rock &’n&’ Roll.ELVIS™ and ELVIS PRESLEY™ are trademarks of ABG EPE IP LLCRights of Publicity and Persona Rights: Elvis Presley Enterprises, LLC© 2021 ABG EPE IP LLCelvis.comBessie Smith: A Poet's Biography of a Blues Legend
By Jackie Kay. 2021
A beautiful genre-bending tribute to the larger-than-life blues singer Bessie Smith. Scotland&’s National Poet blends poetry, prose, fiction, and nonfiction…
to create an entirely unique biography of the Empress of the Blues.There has never been anyone else like Bessie Smith. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1894 and orphaned by the age of nine, Bessie Smith sang on street corners before becoming a big name in traveling shows. In 1923, she made her first recording for the newly founded Columbia Records. It sold 780,000 copies and catapulted her to fame. Known for her unmatched vocal talent, her timeless and personal blues narratives, her tough persona, and her ability to enrapture audiences with her raw voice, the Empress of the Blues remains a force and an enigma. In this remarkable book, Kay combines history and personal narrative, poetry and prose to create an enthralling account of an extraordinary life, and to capture the soul of the woman she first identified with as a young Black girl growing up in Glasgow. Powerful and moving, Bessie Smith is at once a vivid biography of a central figure in American music history and a personal story about one woman&’s search for recognition. A VINTAGE ORIGINAL.Unrequited Infatuations: A Memoir
By Stevie Van Zandt. 2021
'A wonderfully original take on a Rock and Roll autobiography' Paul McCartney'An inimitable Rock 'n' Roll life told as boldly…
as it was lived' Bruce SpringsteenWhat story begins in a bedroom in suburban New Jersey in the early '60s, unfolds on some of the country's largest stages, and then ranges across the globe, demonstrating over and over again how Rock and Roll has the power to change the world for the better? This story.The first true heartbeat of UNREQUITED INFATUATIONS is the moment when Stevie Van Zandt trades in his devotion to the Baptist religion for an obsession with Rock and Roll. Groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones created new ideas of community, creative risk, and principled rebellion. They changed him forever. While still a teenager, he met Bruce Springsteen, a like-minded outcast/true believer who became one of his most important friends and bandmates. As Miami Steve, Van Zandt anchored the E Street Band as they conquered the Rock and Roll world.And then, in the early '80s, Van Zandt stepped away from E Street to embark on his own odyssey. He refashioned himself as Little Steven, a political songwriter and performer, fell in love with Maureen Santoro who greatly expanded his artistic palette, and visited the world's hot spots as an artist/journalist to not just better understand them, but to help change them. Most famously, he masterminded the recording of "Sun City," an anti-apartheid anthem that sped the demise of South Africa's institutionalized racism and helped get Nelson Mandela out of prison.By the '90s, Van Zandt had lived at least two lives-one as a mainstream rocker, one as a hardcore activist. It was time for a third. David Chase invited Van Zandt to be a part of his new television show, the Sopranos-as Silvio Dante, he was the unconditionally loyal consiglieri who sat at the right hand of Tony Soprano (a relationship that oddly mirrored his real-life relationship with Bruce Springsteen).Underlying all of Van Zandt's various incarnations was a devotion to preserving the centrality of the arts, especially the endangered species of Rock. In the twenty-first century, Van Zandt founded a groundbreaking radio show (Underground Garage), a fiercely independent record label (Wicked Cool), and developed a curriculum to teach students of all ages through the medium of music history. He also rejoined the E Street Band for what has now been a twenty-year victory lap.UNREQUITED INFATUATIONS chronicles the twists and turns of Stevie Van Zandt's always surprising life. It is more than just the testimony of a globe-trotting nomad, more than the story of a groundbreaking activist, more than the odyssey of a spiritual seeker, and more than a master class in rock and roll (not to mention a dozen other crafts). It's the best book of its kind because it's the only book of its kind.Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco and Destiny
By Nile Rodgers. 2011
You will hear a Nile Rodgers song today. It will make you happy. Legendary producer and co-founder of Chic, Nile…
wrote 'We are Family' for Sister Sledge and 'I'm Coming Out' for Diana Ross, and then produced Let's Dance for David Bowie and Like a Virgin for Madonna. But before he reinvented pop music Nile Rodgers invented himself. Le Freak is an astonishing, exuberant and inspiring story of a creative genius. It is also a stunning recreation of a time and place - by the man who wrote its soundtrack.The Last Days of John Lennon
By James Patterson. 2020
The greatest true-crime story in music history, as only James Patterson can tell it. With the Beatles, John Lennon surpasses…
his youthful dreams, achieving a level of superstardom that defies classification. “We were the best bloody band there was,” he says. “There was nobody to touch us.” Nobody except the original nowhere man, Mark David Chapman. Chapman once worshipped his idols from afar—but now harbors grudges against those, like Lennon, whom he feels betrayed him. He’s convinced Lennon has misled fans with his message of hope and peace. And Chapman’s not staying away any longer. By the summer of 1980, Lennon is recording new music for the first time in years, energized and ready for it to be “(Just Like) Starting Over.” He can’t wait to show the world what he will do. Neither can Chapman, who quits his security job and boards a flight to New York, a handgun and bullets stowed in his luggage. The greatest true-crime story in music history, as only James Patterson can tell it. Enriched by exclusive interviews with Lennon’s friends and associates, including Paul McCartney, The Last Days of John Lennon is the thrilling true story of two men who changed history: One whose indelible songs enliven our world to this day—and the other who ended the beautiful music with five pulls of a trigger. A New York Times BestsellerTwisted Business: The Soul of Twisted Sister and the Art of Reinvention
By Jay Jay French. 2021
The founder, guitarist, and manager of the world-famous heavy metal band Twisted Sister—delivers his &“bizoir&”: part memoir and part business…
primer. In addition to founding Twisted Sister, a band that has sold more than 20 million records worldwide, Jay Jay French is one of the top entrepreneurs in entertainment. After taking over as manager in the &‘70s, French developed Twisted Sister into the most heavily licensed heavy metal band in history, leading the group to perform more than 9,000 shows in forty countries. Part business book, part memoir, Twisted Business is an unexpected, inspiring, whirlwind story of transformation and redemption. Twisted Business follows French&’s adventure-filled life—from growing up in New York City in the sixties, to working as a drug dealer and struggling as an addict before quitting cold-turkey, and finally, to creating and cultivating Twisted Sister and turning it into one of the most successful brands in the world. Together with his mentor, Steve Farber, a bestselling author and one of the world&’s top leadership and management experts, French offers unique, hard-earned tips and advice from his nearly 50 years as a musician, music business manager, and entrepreneur. French shows how, through tenacity, grit, and dedication, anyone can create their own brand, grow a successful business, re-invent themselves, or simply find success in what they love to do. Entertaining, provocative, funny, and informative, this book is the trip of a lifetime and a treasured guide for entrepreneurs, businesspeople, and music fans alike.Funny Peculiar: The Autobiography
By Will Young. 2012
With free audio samplerIn 2001 Will Young shot to fame as the first winner of Pop Idol. It was clear…
from the start that he would never be a typical pop star - and more than ten years later he has become one of our best-loved and most intriguing artists.From his dramatic experiences on Pop Idol; to coming out in the glare of the media spotlight; to his valiant struggles against depression; to the crazy reality of being famous, Will is open about both the highs and lows of his life. He also provides sound and practical advice on dealing with the DVLA helpline - something that has been woefully neglected by all other celebrity memoirs.If you have ever wondered what it's like to attend a fashion show (and find yourself accidentally waving at Anna Wintour); how it feels to sing in front of thousands while fighting a catastrophic bout of low self-esteem; or be subjected to the terror that is a This Morning 'makeover', then Funny Peculiar reveals all. It also reveals what not to say if you ever meet David Beckham.Moving, witty and scrupulously honest, Funny Peculiar is a refreshingly different and fascinating autobiography by a true original.A Simple Brazilian Song: Journeys Through The Rio Sound
By James Woodall. 1997
In 1992, James Woodall was asked to write an article about a Brazilian musician he'd never heard of, called Chico…
Buarque. He discovered that Buarque was a national hero in his native country and that interviewing him was a bit like a Latin American interviewing Paul McCartney. Woodall fell under Buarque's spell and began an affair with Brazilian pop music which has lasted to this day. His new passion took him to Brazil and in particular to Rio de Janeiro, world capital of Carnival and samba. Over several visits, he met with Chico Buarque, discovered the city's immodest beach culture and took part in Carnival. He met Chico Buarque's great contemporary, Caetano Veloso and other stars. Picking up Portuguese on the hop, he learnt a great deal about Chico Buarque's life and about the strange and dangerous city where he lives. This book is as much a hymn to Rio de Janeiro as it is to the music that beats at its heart.