Aretha Franklin by
A biography of the now-legendary singer that recalls the problems in her life, including the disappearance of her mother when she was 6, as well as her many concert triumphs.
Miss Rhythm by
"...A chance encounter with Redd Foxx in the mid-1970s led to a comeback that included the part of Motormouth Maybelle in the movie Hairspray, a Tony Award-winning performance in the Broadway show Black and Blue and a Grammy Award-winning album, Blues on Broadway. Since her career was reignited, Brown has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...She and Yule (Fast Fade) tell the story of her colorful life in boisterous detail, from her childhood in Virginia and North Carolina-where she got her musical training through singing spirituals in a church choir-to her present renewed fame."
Of Minnie the Moocher & Me by
"From the back streets of Baltimore where he hustled as a kid, through the jazz clubs of Chicago in the raw and roaring twenties to the Cotton Club, Hollywood, Paris, and beyond, here in his own words is the story of Cab Calloway--the man who made Minnie the Moocher a household heroine and became one of the most respected jazz musicians and best loved entertainers in America."
Ray Charles by
For a generation of musicians and fans, the late Ray Charles provided the catalyst that fused the previously largely exclusive genres of jazz, blues and gospel music. In an era when jazz and pop music were seemingly poles apart, the impact of Charles music was truly revolutionary in that it brought together these strands and fans for the first time.The critically acclaimed biography traces Ray Charles amazing story from the abject disadvantage of being orphaned, black and blind in the South of the 1930s to the height of international success.With many quotes and exclusive interviews, including several with Ray Charles himself as well as from those who worked with, or were simply influenced by, the man who more than anyone else could truly be called the founding father of soul music.
The Hardest Working Man by
The story of the night James Brown kept the peace in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and delivered hope with an immortal performance Since James Brown’s death in December 2006, the Godfather of Soul has received stirring tributes from coast to coast. Yet few have addressed his contribution in the darkest hour of the civil rights movement. Telling the untold story of his historic Boston Garden concert of 1968, The Hardest Working Manalso captures the magnificent achievements that made Brown a revolutionary icon of American popular culture. Acclaimed journalist James Sullivan begins his stirring account by depicting the racially charged climate of Boston in the hours after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s death. Brown’s concert was slated for cancellation as police geared up for mass retaliation. After Brown butted heads with the mayor, the show was allowed to go on—and his emotional, electric performance was broadcast live on local television. Though rioting erupted in more than a hundred U.S. cities that night, Boston remained quiet. Not only bringing to life that transforming show, James Sullivan also charts Brown’s incredible rise from poverty to self-made millionaire and the pivotal voice behind the signature anthem “Say It Loud—I’m Black and I’m Proud,” making The Hardest Working Mana tribute to an unforgettable concert and a rousing biography of a revolutionary musician.
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered by
The first definitive biography of music legend Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder's achievements as a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer are extraordinary. During a career that has spanned almost fifty years, he has earned more than thirty Top 10 hits, twenty-six Grammy Awards, and a place in both the Rock and Roll and Songwriter Halls of Fame--and he's not finished yet. On the verge of turning sixty, he is still composing, still touring, and still attracting dedicated fans around the world. For the first time, Signed, Sealed, and Delivered takes an in-depth look at Stevie Wonder's life and his evolution from kid-soul pop star into a mature artist whose music helped lay the groundwork for the evolution of hip hop and rap. Explores the life, achievements, and influence of one of America's biggest musical icons, set against the history of Motown and the last fifty years of popular music Based on extensive interviews with Motown producers, music executives, songwriters, and musicians, including founding Temptation Otis Williams, Mickey Stevenson, surviving Funk Brother Eddie Willis, synthesizer genius Malcolm Cecil, guitar legend Michael Sembello, and many others Traces Stevie's personal and musical development through the decades, from the early 1960s R&B of ""Fingertips"" to the social and political themes of ""Living for the City"" and other 1970s classics, through periods of musical and personal confusion, uncertainty, and, later, renewal Read Signed, Sealed, and Delivered to explore the life and work of one of pop music's most compelling masters of invention.
Catch a fire : the life of Bob Marley by
"...Catch a Fire is assiduously researched; the details writer Timothy White presents of the King of Reggae's life are cinematic in scope and, at times, cumbersome. White includes much of his primary source material, ranging from full interviews with band members to unearthed CIA documents, and devotes a whole section to describing his exhaustive research process. The final product is rich with elements of spiritual tome, rock biography, and history text; it is a hagiographic epic--the story of a man and his legend." - Brendan J. LaSalle
Possessed by
Few artists have accomplished what Prince Rogers Nelson has: he has topped the R&B, pop and dance charts, He has overwhelmed musicians and critics withis seemingly endless wealth of talent, he has outraged, and he has inspired. This is a pop culture history and biography of Prince. Recollections and opinions from friends, employees and industry insiders are presented in order to place the reader right in the middle of some of Prince's recording and song writing sessions. They also relate countless and sometimes shocking details about Prince's most publicised relationships (with Kim Basinger, Carmen Elektra, Vanity and many others).
The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash by
This no-holds-barred memoir of the primary architect of hip hop and one of the culture's most revered music icons is both a tale of his life and legacy and a testament to dogged determination.
Introducing Bert Williams by
It is not hard to argue that every black performer in show business owes something to Bert Williams. Discovered in California in 1890 by a minstrel troupe manager, Williams swiftly became a regular player in the troupe. Traveling on from the rough-and-ready "medicine shows" that then dotted the West, he rose through the ranks of big-time vaudeville in New York City, and finally ascended to the previously all-white pinnacle of live-stage success: the fabled Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway. Inspite of his triumphs-he brought the first musical with an all-black cast to Broadway in 1903-he was often viewed by the black community with more critical suspicion than admiration because of his controversial decision to perform in blackface. Modest, private, and conservative in his personal life, Williams left political activism and soapbox thumping to others. More than the simple narration of a remarkable life,Introducing Bert Williams offers a fascinating window into the fraught issues surrounding race and artistic expression in American culture. The story of Williams's long and varied career is a whirlwind of inner turmoil, racial tension, glamour, and striving-nothing less than the birth of American show business.
Ready to Die by
While many considered Biggie ahead of his time, author Jake Brown clearly cites why it was his time . He didn't live in or up to the moment ?he actually created it. Biggie controlled his time, by the very nature of what he achieved in it. When his time was up, he had done what he set out to do, and it was historic ! Biggie Smalls' life was lived in the fast lane. - The Notorious B.I.G. quickly became a household name among hip hop fans and all responsibility would rest on him as he made his way up hip hop aisles to center stage. What took hip-hop by storm with the debuts of the Notorious B.I.G. was his candid rapping style. He seemed to welcome the challenge, as if he was already resigned to his fate, hence, ready for death, or whatever the world could throw at him . In Ready to Die: The Story of Biggie Smalls ? The Notorious B.I.G . author Jake Brown reveals Biggie's sensitive side as well as his hard-core media stance; it explores his motivations, his loyalties and his roots. In a true sense, it strips away the media frenzy and sheds light on the truth, bringing you upclose and personal into the rise of Bad Boy Entertainment which would make Sean Puffy Combs (Puff Daddy) a mogul in his own right; Tupac Shakur; Faith Evans; Lil Kim and the Junior Mafia.
You Forgot about Dre! the Unauthorized Biography of Dr. Dre and Eminem - from N. W. A. to Slim Shady - a Tale of Gangsta Rap, Vi by
The Unauthorized Biography of Dr. Dre and Eminem - From N. W. A. to Slim Shady - A Tale of Gangsta Rap, Violence and Hit Records
Blues legacies and Black feminism : Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday by
"The female blues singers of the 1920s, Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey, and Bessie Smith, not only invented a musical genre, but they also became models of how African American women could become economically independent in a culture that had not previously allowed it. Both Smith and Rainey composed, arranged, and managed their own road bands. Angela Y. Davis's study emphasizes the impact that these singers, and later Billie Holiday, had on the poor and working-class communities from which they came. The artists addressed radical subjects such as physical and economic abuse, race relations, and female sexual power, including lesbianism."
Blind Lemon Jefferson by
Between 1926 and his untimely death in 1929, Blind Lemon Jefferson was the largest-selling African-American blues singer in the United States. Blind from birth, Lemon wandered the streets of Wortham, Groesbeck, Marlin and Kosse in Central Texas, playing his guitar and soliciting contributions with his tin cup. In 1912 he caught a train to Dallas, where he performed in the famous Deep Ellum district. He was discovered by a talent scout for Paramount Records and taken to Chicago in 1925. Between 1926 and 1929, Lemon recorded more than a hundred titles and traveled extensively. His musical influence was widespread, affecting white and African-American musicians alike and extending to musical forms other than the blues. Robert L. Uzzel, was born in Waco, Texas, holds a doctor of philosophy degree from Baylor University. He has been a minster in the African Methodist Episcopal Church since 1975 and currently serves as pastor of Forest Hill AME Church in Fort Worth. His articles on theological and historical subjects have appeared in a number of publications.
Robert Johnson by
"One of America's most respected authorities on the blues delves deeply into the recorded legacy of Robert Johnson, transcribing each of his songs with dedicated accuracy and distilling the meaning of every sound and phrase."
Muddy Waters by
This biography based on original interviews conducted in Mississippi and Chicago, brigns together the complete record of the first of the great Chicago bluesmen. Born and raised on a Mississippi plantation, Muddy Waters was discovered in 1941, and two years later moved to Chicago whrre he pioneered what came to be know as urban, or electric blues. Sandra Tooze explores Muddy's dramatic life as a bootlegger, gambler, ladies man, and legendary blues musician, and makes new revelations about Water's personal and
Stormy Monday by
"This biography of the blues guitarist is based on a large number of interviews with Walker himself as well as with members of his family and fellow musicians. It offers an insider's account of the life of a blues musician, from wild living on the road to a contented family life at home."
Blues All Around Me by
"A treasure trove of information...told with real feeling." --Washington Post Book World "Charming...honest...transcendent.... It reads like a warm and lengthy conversation with a close friend." --Billboard The undisputed king of the blues, B.B. King puts his life into words in a story that spans tragedy, triumph, and everything in between--and he tells it just how he plays it, straight from the heart. A true-to-life tale of overcoming monumental odds to succeed as an artist in an often unfriendly world, Blues All Around Me is also the story of how blues music changed during its migration from the Mississippi Delta to urban areas such as Chicago. Rolling Stone calls B.B.'s memoir a "very American success story [told] with the lyricism and leisurely pace of a born storyteller."
Jimi Hendrix by
The Jimi Hendrix legend has lived on longer than the man, who died in 1970 at the age of twenty-seven. More than thirty years later, what the world knows about him has become deeply distorted. Now Sharon Lawrence, a trusted friend of Jimi's in the final years of his astonishing life, has written a serious exploration of his life, death, and enduring legacy, based partly on the author's never-before-heard recorded interviews with the late musician. Jimi Hendrix: The Man, The Magic, The Truth contains new and rare material about Hendrix, with major insights from sources who have previously kept their silence -- from childhood neighbors to rock stars and musicians, to music-industry insiders. This book corrects years of false information, reveals key truths, and supplies facts previously known to only a precious few. It also chronicles the years of mind-boggling legal battles over his estate and legacy. This is the definitive account of Jimi Hendrix, the young man from a pathetic poverty-stricken childhood who invented himself into something rare and special, the man who radiated genius and a bold yet charming personality when he picked up a guitar. It revisits the glory of Hendrix's talent, giving new insight into his sensitive persona, imagination, musical standards, and far-reaching impact. Iluminating, honest, and bracing, Jimi Hendrix will forever change how we view one of rock and roll's greatest icons.
Damn right I've got the blues : Buddy Guy and the blues roots of rock-and-roll by
"Buddy Guy is the link between Chicago blues and two generations of Rock-and-Roll. His impassioned vocals and stinging guitar riffs were spawned in Louisiana at the taproot of country blues, tightened in Chicago under the tutelage of Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf, and ingrained in the heart of music fans around the world by the rock stars he has influenced."
King of Ragtime by
In 1974, the academy award-winning film The Sting brought back the music of Scott Joplin, a black ragtime composer who died in 1917. Led by The Entertainer, one of the most popular pieces of the mid-1970s, a revival of his music resulted in events unprecedented in American musical history.Never before had any composer's music been so acclaimed by both the popular and classical music worlds. While reaching a "Top Ten" position in the pop charts, Joplin's music was also being performed in classical recitals and setting new heights for sales of classical records. His opera Treemonishawas performed both in opera houses and on Broadway.Destined to be the definitive work on the man and his music, King of Ragtime is written by Edward A. Berlin. A renowned authority on Joplin and the author of the acclaimed and widely cited Ragtime: A Musical and Cultural History, Berlin redefines the Scott Joplin biography. Using the tools of atrained musicologist, he has uncovered a vast amount of new information about Joplin. His biography truly documents the story of the composer, replacing the myths and unsupported anecdotes of previous histories. He shows how Joplin's opera Treemonisha was a tribute to the woman he loved, a womanother biographers never even mentioned. Berlin also reveals that Joplin was an associate of Irving Berlin, and that he accused Berlin of stealing his music to compose Alexander's Ragtime Band in 1911.Berlin paints a vivid picture of the ragtime years, placing Scott Joplin's story in its historical context. The composer emerges as a representative of the first post-Civil War generation of African Americans, of the men and women who found in the world of entertainment a way out of poverty andlowly social status. King of Ragtime recreates the excitement of these pioneers, who dreamed of greatness as they sought to expand the limits society placed upon their race.
Jelly Roll Morton by
"Ferdinand 'Jelly Roll' Morton, the subject of this volume, launched his musical career in the early 1900's and managed, during the course of a lifetime of piano playing and jazz orchestration that ended in 1941, to encompass the musical worlds of ragtime and jazz. A puzzlingly complex man, a diamond-toothed-dandy, an audacious braggart, Morton pursued a variety of careers and identities, but in spite of himself, there was an integrity to his craft and art which came back to him in his most adverse moments. In him jazz produced one of its best composers, one of its best leaders, one of its best masters of form, and one of its few theorists. More important, in Jelly Roll Morton, jazz produced one of its first real artists."
King Oliver by
"King Oliver, the subject of this volume, was and is as much a kind of culture hero as a source of aesthetic respect to followers of jazz throughout the United States, Great Britain, and France. Joseph Oliver's story has elements of tragedy but his music has a certain blend of pride, dignity, fortitude, hope, and finally joy that is his alone. Of his work he once said: 'This is my music, the music I stand for. I am proud of it; I give it to you.' These words and the music of 'King' Oliver have great significance in the history of jazz."
Louis by
As trumpet player and singer, Louis Armstrong is the single most important figure in jazz history, and one of the most influential musicians--in any category--in this century. He was also, as this book relates, a wonderful character: actor, clown, raconteur, a tough kid when he came to Chicago from New Orleans who mellowed into one of the music's true statesmen. This biography includes not only a gripping narrative written by two of the most reliable jazz historians, but also a chronology, film list, and selection of photos. He was the most beloved of jazz musicians, a hero to everyone from Eddie Condon and Bobby Hackett to Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman. His basically happy life is here memorably told, with a new preface by Dan Morgenstern who describes Armstrong's central place in world music.
Duke Ellington by
Duke Ellington is considered to be one of the great genius' of jazz--its major composer and leader of probably the most significant of all jazz bands. Yet, other than his own not-very-revealing autobiography and a collection of reminiscences of his band members, there has never been an indepth biography of this preeminent figure in twentieth century music and entertainment. Here at last is the definitive critical biography of both the man and his music. James Lincoln Collier, author of the highly acclaimed Louis Armstrong: An American Genius, has produced a fascinating work which tells the full story of Edward Kennedy Ellington, from his childhood as the pampered and adored only son of a middle-class Washington black family to his death in 1974, hailed as "America's greatest composer" (according to the New York Times obituary) and mourned at his funeral by more than 10,000 people. Collier describes Ellington's charisma--his sense of being special even from childhood, when he would announce to his cousins "I am the grand, noble, Duke; crowds will be running to me,"...the formation of his band, including some of the greatest names in jazz history, among them, Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, Lawrence Brown, and Paul Gonzavles...his arrival at the legendary Cotton Club in Harlem in the 1920s...his involvement with his manager Irving Mills, who manipulated and cheated him and even put his name on some of Ellington's songs, but who made him famous...his relationship with his family, including his troubled relationship with his son, his marriage and many affairs (including involvements with some of his own musician's women). But most of all, the book is about the creation of the music, from classic songs like "Sophisticated Lady" to the "sacred concerts" of Ellington's last years. Collier maintains that it is not necessary to see Ellington as a "composer" in the narrow sense of the word but as something just as important: an improvising jazz musician. His instrument was a whole band.This is a controversial book--not all will agree with Collier's assessments--but it will enthrall jazz buffs as well as anyone interested in a fascinating life and times.
Good Morning Blues by
"In these long, rambling memoirs, skillfully put together from tape recordings, the Count recollects his experiences as a traveling pianist in Missouri and Oklahoma, as a member (with Hot Lips Page and Jimmie Rushing) of the Blue Devils, as organist in a silent-movie house, with Bennie Moten's orchestra in Kansas City, and as leader of one of the greatest jazz bands of all time..."
You Just Fight for Your Life by
A Danish musician here presents the most accurate, comprehensive work on a major figure in American jazz: Lester Willis Young (1909-1959), better known as `Pres' or `Prez,' from the nickname `President' given to him by Billie Holiday. Based on interviews with Young's colleagues and friends, and often presenting his own vulgar scatological words, the book faithfully chronicles the ups and downs of his life and career. Despite his alcoholism, drug addiction, syphillis, epilepsy, and emotional disturbances, Young became the outstanding tenor saxophonist of his time and a dominant, profound influence on the development of bop and progressive (`cool') jazz in the 1940s. His solos with the bands of Fletcher Henderson and Count Basie and his collaboration with Holiday are recalled in this outstanding biography. Publishers Weekly [This is] the big, warm book about Lester Young that swing lovers have been waiting for, written by a Danish jazz musician. This is a rich authentic life of one of the three greatest tenor players who ever lived, much of it told in vivid quotation from eyewitnesses. Kirkus this is the first thoroughgoing biography of one of America's greatest musicians; its fascination for at least jazz aficionados is magnetic....Along with Porter's magisterial work of musical analysis, Lester Young, this is the book to have on the most influential jazzman between Armstrong and Parker. Booklist A fascinating and invaluable compilation of raw material...a straightforward, accurate narrative. The New York Times By far the most comprehensive work available on the extraordinary Lester Young, You Just Fight For Your Life is the jazz enthusiast's dream come true. Meticulously researched and teeming with previously unpublished information, this book accurately recreates the life and character of one of the world's greatest jazz musicians. Historian Frank Buchmann-Moller crafts a full length biography exclusively for Lester Young fans focusing on Young's philosophy of life, his exceptional ability as a bandleader, and his sharp wit. Through the examination of army psychiatric reports, interviews with fellow musicians, and concert reviews, You Just Fight For Your Life tells the story of this gifted yet troubled musician. Beginning with his childhood, the book accurately chronicles the many bands in which Lester Young played prior to joining Count Basie in 1936. Through countless interviews with Young's peers, the book recounts the Basie years and the spicy stories of life on the road. The author includes new information about Young's own first band and follows this with details of his military experience. The final chapters deal with his years as featured soloist. Two appendices list all of Young's jobs from 1919-59 and his own bands chronologically as well as all musicians with whom he played. Now Lester Young followers have a full length biography valuable not only as a reference but for its recreation of a fascinating life.
Chasin' the Bird by
Charlie Parker has been idolized by generations of jazz musicians and fans. Indeed, his spectacular musical abilities--his blinding speed and brilliant improvisational style--made Parker a legend even before his tragic death at age thirty-four. Now, in Chasin' The Bird, Brian Priestley offers a marvelous biography of this jazz icon, ranging from his childhood in Kansas City to his final harrowing days in New York. Priestley offers new insight into Parker's career, beginning as a teenager single-mindedly devoted to mastering the saxophone. We follow Parker on his first trip to New York, penniless, washing dishes for $9.00 a week at Jimmy's Chicken Shack, a favorite hangout of the great Art Tatum, whose stunning speed and ingenuity were an influence on the young musician. Priestley sheds light on Parker's collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Bud Powell, Mary Lou Williams, and Thelonious Monk, and he illuminates such classic recordings as "Salt Peanuts" and "A Night in Tunisia" and Parker's own compositions "Shaw 'Nuff" and "Yardbird Suite"--music which defined an era. Priestley also gives us an unflinching look at Parker's dark side--the drug abuse, heavy drinking, and tangled relations with women and the law. He recounts the death of Parker's daughter Pree, who was only two-and-a-half years old, and Parker's own death at thirty-four, in such wretched condition that the doctor listed his age as fifty-three. With an invaluable discography that lists every recording of Charlie Parker that has ever been made publicly available, here is a must-have biography of a true jazz giant, one that helps us penetrate the dazzling surface to grasp the artistry beneath.
Milestones by
This invaluable biography of trumpeter and jazz-bebop-fusion innovator Miles Davis (1926-1991) includes a substantial new introduction that for the first time details Davis's turbulent last decade; the drawing and painting that became an additional creative outlet; the musical lows of his final "Freaky Deaky" years; the family warfare that has erupted over his last will and testament; and--in a long-awaited exposé--the truth behind Davis's so-called Autobiography, the book that "borrowed" gigantic portions from Milestones and passed them off as Davis's. Jack Chambers breaks his silence to discuss the extent of the "borrowing" and who was responsible. Here is the last word on the music and controversial life of Miles Davis.
John Coltrane by
John Coltrane (1926-1967) was one of the most innovative forces in African- American music. By experimenting with new concepts of time, integrating Eastern philosophies into Western music, and exploring multiphonics and other new sounds on his saxophone, he opened avenues of expression that influenced musicians and composers from jazz to rock to avant-garde.Bill Cole focuses on two aspects of John Coltrane in this provocative study: Coltrane the musician and Coltrane the religious person. Deeply interrelated, both aspects are bound up with Coltrane's identification as an African- American. Coltrane accepted the traditional African belief in the magical powers of sound and connected his music to its African roots via a devout religiosity. Cole shows how Coltrane's influences extended from tribal tone languages to speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr. -- he even adapted King's rhythmic inflections into a saxophone solo.Bill Cole offers a lengthy musical analysis of Coltrane's career; it also includes a detailed discography with recording data and personnel and over two dozen photographs. Cole draws on quotes from Coltrane himself, transcriptions of his improvisations, analyses of his music, research into West African religion, and his own personal reminiscences of the man, to offer a stimulating perspective on Coltrane's music, life, and thought.
Mingus by
It would be no exaggeration to call Charles Mingus the greatest bass player in the history of jazz; indeed, some might even regard it as understatement, for the hurricane power of his work as a composer, teacher, band leader, and iconoclast reached far beyond jazz while remaining true to its heritage in the music of Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Thelonious Monk. In this new biography Brian Priestley has written a masterly study of Mingus’s dynamic career from the early years in Swing, to the escapades of the Bebop era, through his musical maturity in the ’50s when he directed a band that redefined collective improvisation in jazz. Woven in with exacting assessments of Mingus’s artistic legacy is the story of his volatile, unpredictable, sometimes dangerous personality. The book views Mingus as a black artist increasingly politicized by his situation, but also unreliable as a witness to his own persecution. Capturing him in all his furious contradictions#151;passionate, cool, revolutionary but with a keen sense of tradition#151;Brian Priestley has produced what can be called, again without exaggeration, the best biography of a jazz musician we have ever seen.
Miles, Ornette, Cecil by
Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, and Cecil Taylor revolutionized music from the end of the twentieth century into the twenty-first, expanding on jazz traditions with distinctly new concepts of composition, improvisation, instrumentation, and performance. They remain figures of controversy due to their border-crossing processes. Miles, Ornette, Cecil is the first book to connect these three icons of the avant-garde, examining why they are lionized by some critics and reviled by others, while influencing musicians across such divides as genre, geography, and racial and ethnic backgrounds. Mandel offers fresh insights into their careers from interviews with all three artists and many of their significant collaborators, as well as a thorough overview of earlier interpretations of their work.