Composers Musicians category: 3267 books

Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker is the first installment in the long-awaited portrait of one of the most talented and influential musicians of the twentieth century, from Stanley Crouch, one of the foremost authorities on jazz and culture in America. Throughout his...

Smart Blonde: Dolly Parton is a comprehensive and revealing biography which includes interviews with family members, musicians and producers who have worked with Dolly over the years. This new and fully updated edition includes a detailed section on the superstar's legendary performance at 2014's...

Considered by many to be the godfather of R&B, Johnny Otis—musician, producer, artist, entrepreneur, pastor, disc jockey, writer, and tireless fighter for racial equality—has had a remarkable life by any measure. In this first biography of Otis, George Lipsitz tells the largely unknown story of a...

Known for an aggressively rhythmic style as rooted in James Brown funk as in more traditional blues, Aerosmith were the top American hard-rock band of the mid-Seventies; if you set foot in a high school parking lot back then, the verbose back-alley numbers on 1975's Toys In The Attic and 1976's Rocks...

The Remarkable Mr Morrison delves into the life and musicality of James Morrison, one of Australia's most internationally acclaimed musicians. It follows not only his transformation from tearful primary school boy to supremely confident performer, but also explores the nature and development of his...

Growing up in a large Italian family, Aida Mulieri-Dagort wanted to be a professional musician all her life. Most of her family members played instruments as music was their daily bread, and Aida was nurtured in a rich musical environment. Thus began her journey through much struggle and determination...

The essential biography of one of music's most influential icons: Lou Reed As lead singer and songwriter for the Velvet Underground and a renowned solo artist, Lou Reed invented alternative rock. His music, at once a source of transcendent beauty and coruscating noise, violated all definitions...

“A must for CSNY fans.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review The first ever biography focused on the formative and highly influential early years of “rock’s first supergroup” (Rolling Stone) Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young—when they were the most successful, influential, and politically...

The year was 2000. The alternative music scene had all but died, and pre-packaged pop stars had filled the vacuum. But in a basement apartment in the heart of downtown Toronto, two musicians were forming a creative partnership that would revive the mass appeal of indie music and forever change how...

Jeremy Monteiro is a thinker and observer. He likes to think about music, life, people and human existence, and he loves to observe human behaviour. He loves people, loves to tell stories and share experiences. From his formidable virtuosity on the piano where he communicates non-verbally, to the...

"This deeply researched biography of Béla Bartók (1881–1945) provides a more comprehensive view of the innovative Hungarian musician than ever before. David Cooper traces Bartók’s international career as an ardent ethno-musicologist and composer, teacher, and pianist, while also providing a detailed...

Elliott Carter (1908-2012) was the foremost composer of classical music in America during the second half of the 20th century. Over the course of a career that spanned seven decades, he consistently produced works that critics hailed as creatively daring, intellectually demanding, and emotionally...

Keen to learn but short on time? Get to grips with the career of the Beatles in next to no time with this concise guide. 50Minutes.com provides a clear and engaging analysis of the life, times and music of the iconic British group the Beatles. The band shot to fame in the early 1960s with timeless...

From the creator of the popular rock 'n' roll true crime podcast, DISGRACELAND comes an off-kilter, hysterical, at times macabre book of stories from the highly entertaining underbelly of music history. You may know Jerry Lee Lewis married his thirteen-year-old cousin but did you know he shot...