Composers Musicians category: 3267 books

Arguably the most important popular British composer of the 20th century, John Barry (1933-2011) enjoyed a career that spanned over fifty years, in which time he won five Academy Awards for pictures includingBorn Free, Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves. His reputation was further gilded by his...

Kate Bush has written some of the most memorable songs in pop music history. Wuthering Heights, her debut single shot to number 1 in 1978 and she remains something of an enigma over a quarter of a century later. A singer, songwriter, musician, dancer, actress and director, Kate has inspired a devoted...

Jim Guthrie: Who Needs What tells the story of a musician whose twenty-year career has been spent either at the forefront of Canada’s indie rock renaissance or in the background of some of the most popular indie games, films, and ad campaigns of the past decade. Through interviews with Jim, his...

A superb new study of Jerry Lee Lewis that's as intense and fast paced as the life of "The Killer" himself, from the height of fame to the bumpy road that followed "The category in which Jerry Lee Lewis truly belongs is 'Jerry Lee Lewis.' The Killer is as big as Mount Rushmore,...

 The Eagles: The Legendary American Band Conscripts: Don Felder (guitar; born 9/21/47), Glenn Frey (born 11/6/48; guitar, vocals), Don Henley (drums, vocals; born 7/22/47), Bernie Leadon (guitar, mandolin, banjo; born 7/19/47), Randy Meisner (bass, vocals; born 3/8/46), Timothy B. Schmit...

Kennedy's off-the-wall memoir reliving the pop music and the madness as an MTV VJ in the 1990s "I am Kennedy from MTV, and no matter where I go someone has a story to tell me about the time we grew up together." Known to millions simply by her middle name, Kennedy helped bring...

In this definitive biography of Brian Jones, Laura Jackson - the first to insist that Jones was murdered and the first to identify his killer - rejects the stereotype of a narcissistic rock star who was doomed to self-destruct. Instead, she spoke to the people who knew him best: his family...

Counterpoint is the life story of Joe Harnell, Grammy and Emmy award-winning pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He was musical director for such stars as Frank Sinatra, Maurice Chevalier, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Peggy Lee and Pearl Bailey, as well as The Mike Douglas Show. His...

The Fortunes of Rick and Johnny is the true story of two very funny men who also happened to be talented musicians. For years they worked the pubs and clubs up and down the UK hoping that their double act would see them become the next Morecambe and Wise but fate had other ideas for them.  They...

If you ever study music, chances are that you will end up hearing the name “Beethoven” somewhere along the line. The German composer is one of the most famous musicians of all time, and throughout his life he penned absolutely beautiful music that is still popular today. Ludwig van Beethoven wrote...

“[Beethoven’s] music never grows old— and, enjoyed alongside Mr. Lockwood’s expert commentary, it sparkles with fresh magic.”—Wall Street Journal More than any other composer, Beethoven left to posterity a vast body of material that documents the early stages of almost everything...

Shortly after Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship in 1917, they began moving into an uptown Manhattan neighborhood that would become known as "Spanish Harlem." By 1930, Afro-Cuban music had gained a firm foothold in the city, setting the stage for the mambo, boogaloo, salsa and Latin-jazz...

With exclusive new interviews from the band, this is a captivating account of one of the most influential groups in rock history. Brian Eno famously said "the first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band." Perhaps no other musicians...

By 1987, David Bowie was at a creative, critical, and commercial low. His most recent album was dismissed by the music press, his latest tour written off as a disaster. Fifteen years after becoming the most colourfully controversial superstar in recent rock history, Bowie was seen as a spent force....