Finding the best musician biography books suitable for your needs isnt easy. With hundreds of choices can distract you. Knowing whats bad and whats good can be something of a minefield. In this article, weve done the hard work for you.
Reviews
1. Prince: A Private View
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Now a New York Times bestseller!
Featuring a foreword by Beyonc Knowles-Carter.
Afshin Shahidi met Prince in 1993 and soon became his cinematographer and later one of the only people allowed to photograph him. He collaborated with Prince longer than any other photographer. Afshin was the only photographer allowed to shoot the legendary 3121 private parties in Los Angeles that became the most sought after invitations in Hollywood; some of those photos are included in this book.
Prince: A Private View compiles photographer Afshin Shahidis work into a journey through Prince's extraordinary life. With never-before-seen photos, it is the ultimate collection of shots of Prince. Brief, but complete and rich, stories about Shahidi and Princes collaboration and time together are alternately incisive, personal, and even funny.
2. Waylon: An Autobiography
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Waylon An AutobiographyDescription
Equal parts outlaw, renegade, and legend, Waylon Jennings enjoyed a stellar music career for four decades and this no-holds-barred autobiography reveals the story of a man who infused conservative country music traditions with the energy of rock and roll to rewrite the rules of popular music in America. It chronicles all the chapters of Jenningss incredible life, including his beginnings as a dirt-poor son of a farm laborer; his role as Buddy Hollys protg; his influential friendships with such luminaries as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and George Jones; the stunning success ushered in by his platinum 1976 anthology album, Wanted: The Outlaws; the drug habit that nearly destroyed him; andhis three failed marriages and the journey that lead him to Jessi Colter, the woman who would become his wife for 25 years. With anecdotes, portraits, and little-known facts about Jenningss fellow country music stars, this book overflows with the honesty, true humor, and down-home charisma of an authentic honky-tonk hero.
3. Petty: The Biography
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St Martin s GriffinDescription
The New York Times Bestseller
*One of Rolling Stone's 10 Best Music Books of 2015*
An exhilarating and intimate account of the life of music legend Tom Petty, by an accomplished writer and musician who toured with Petty
No one other than Warren Zanes, rocker and writer and friend, could author a book about Tom Petty that is as honest and evocative of Petty's music and the remarkable rock and roll history he and his band helped to write.
Born in Gainesville, Florida, with more than a little hillbilly in his blood, Tom Petty was a Southern shit kicker, a kid without a whole lot of promise. Rock and roll made it otherwise. From meeting Elvis, to seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, to producing Del Shannon, backing Bob Dylan, putting together a band with George Harrison, Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne, making records with Johnny Cash, and sending well more than a dozen of his own celebrated recordings high onto the charts, Tom Petty's story has all the drama of a rock and roll epic. Now in his mid-sixties, still making records and still touring, Petty, known for his reclusive style, has shared with Warren Zanes his insights and arguments, his regrets and lasting ambitions, and the details of his life on and off the stage.
This is a book for those who know and love the songs, from "American Girl" and "Refugee" to "Free Fallin'" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance," and for those who want to see the classic rock and roll era embodied in one man's remarkable story. Dark and mysterious, Petty manages to come back, again and again, showing us what the music can do and where it can take us.
4. Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd (Reading Edition)
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The definitive history of Pink Floyd by founding member Nick Mason, this reading edition brings up-to-date the band's incredible story as told uniquely from the inside out. Including the complete text of the original in an easy-toread format, a new chapter covering the passing of Rick Wright and the release of the group's final album, and 80 pages of images from Mason's archives plus new photos, Inside Out is a masterly rock memoir and an eye opener for both veteran fans and those just discovering the group.5. It's a Long Story: My Life
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It s a Long Story My LifeDescription
One of the most beloved popular musicians of our time tells the story of his extraordinary life This is Willie Nelson s complete unvarnished story told in his voice and leaving no significant moment or experience untold from Texas Nashville Hawaii and beyond Having recently turned 80 Nelson is ready to shine a light on all aspects of his life including his drive to write music the women in his life his collaborations and his biggest lows and highs from his bankruptcy to the founding of Farm Aid An American icon who still tours constantly and headlines music festivals Willie Nelson and his music have found their way into the hearts and minds of fans the world over winning ten Grammys and receiving Kennedy Center Honors Now it s time to hear the last word about his life from the man himself6. Not Dead Yet: The Memoir
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Phil Collins pulls no punchesabout himself, his life, or the ecstasy and heartbreak thats inspired his music.In his much-awaited memoir, Not Dead Yet, he tells the story of his epic career, with an auspicious debut at age 11 in a crowd shot from the Beatles legendary film A Hard Days Night. A drummer since almost before he could walk, Collins received on the job training in the seedy, thrilling bars and clubs of 1960s swinging London before finally landing the drum seat in Genesis.
Soon, he would step into the spotlight on vocals after the departure of Peter Gabriel and begin to stockpile the songs that would rocket him to international fame with the release of Face Value and In the Air Tonight. Whether hes recalling jamming with Eric Clapton and Robert Plant, pulling together a big band fronted by Tony Bennett, or writing the music for Disneys smash-hit animated Tarzan, Collinss storytelling chops never waver. And of course he answers the pressing question on everyones mind: just what does Sussudio mean?
Not Dead Yet is Phil Collinss candid, witty, unvarnished story of the songs and shows, the hits and pans, his marriages and divorces, the ascents to the top of the charts and into the tabloid headlines. As one of only three musicians to sell 100 million records both in a group and as a solo artist, Collins breathes rare air, but has never lost his touch at crafting songs from the heart that touch listeners around the globe. That same touch is on magnificent display here, especially as he unfolds his harrowing descent into darkness after his official retirement in 2007, and the profound, enduring love that helped save him.
This is Phil Collins as youve always known him, but also as youve never heard him before.
7. Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock 'n' Roller's Life and 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict
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Wretched excess, rock stardom, and golffrom the man who invented shock rockIn this tell-all memoir, Alice Cooper speaks candidly about his life and career, including all the years of rock n roll history hes been a part of, the addictions he faced, and the surprising ways he found redemption.
From a childhood spent as a ministers son worshiping baseball and rock n roll; to days on the road with his band, working to make a name for themselves; to stardom and the insanity that came with it, including a quart-of-whiskey-a-day habit; to drying out at a sanitarium back in the late 70s, Alice Cooper paints a rich and rockin portrait of his life and his battle against addictionfought by getting up daily at 7 a.m. to play 36 holes of golf.
Alice tells hilarious, touching, and sometimes astounding stories about Led Zeppelin and the Doors, George Burns and Groucho Marx, John Daly and Tiger Woods . . . everyone is here from Dal to Elvis to Arnold Palmer.
Alice Cooper, Golf Monster is the incredible story of someone who rose through the rock n roll ranks releasing platinum albums and selling out arenas with his legendary actall while becoming one of the best celebrity golfers around.
8. One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band
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One Way Out The Inside History of the Allman Brothers BandDescription
A New York Times Best seller!
One Way Out is the powerful biography of The Allman Brothers Band, an oral history written with the band's participation and filled with original, never-before-published interviews as well as personal letters and correspondence. This is the most in-depth look at a legendary American rock band that has meant so much to so many for so long.
For twenty-five years, Alan Paul has covered and written about The Allman Brothers Band, conducting hundreds of interviews, riding the buses with them, attending rehearsals and countless shows. He has interviewed every living band member for this book as well as managers, roadies, and contemporaries, including: Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Jaimoe, Butch Trucks, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Oteil Burbridge, the late Allen Woody, Jimmy Herring, Eric Clapton, Bob Weir, and many others.
Tracking the band's career from their 1969 formation to today, One Way Out is filled with musical and cultural insights, riveting tales of sometimes violent personality conflicts and betrayals, drug and alcohol use, murder allegations and exoneration, tragic early deaths, road stories, and much more, including the most in-depth look at the acrimonious 2000 parting with founding guitarist Dickey Betts and behind-the-scenes information on the recording of At Fillmore East, Layla, Eat A Peach, Brothers and Sisters, and other classic albums.
9. Secret Lives of Great Composers: What Your Teachers Never Told You about the World's Musical Masters
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Secret Lives of Great Composers What Your Teachers Never Told You about the World s Musical MastersDescription
True tales of murder, riots, heartbreak, and great music.With outrageous anecdotes about everyone from Gioachino Rossini (draft-dodging womanizer) to Johann Sebastian Bach (jailbird) to Richard Wagner (alleged cross-dresser), Secret Lives of Great Composers recounts the seamy, steamy, and gritty history behind the great masters of international music. Youll learn that Edward Elgar dabbled with explosives; that John Cage was obsessed with fungus; that Berlioz plotted murder; and that Giacomo Puccini stole his churchs organ pipes and sold them as scrap metal so he could buy cigarettes. This is one music history lesson youll never forget!
10. Broken Music: A Memoir
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Having been a songwriter most of my life, condensing my ideas and emotions into short rhyming couplets and setting them to music, I had never really considered writing a book. But upon arriving at the reflective age of fifty, I found myself drawn, for the first time, to write long passages that were as stimulating and intriguing to me as any songwriting I had ever done.And so Broken Music began to take shape. It is a book about the early part of my life, from childhood through adolescence, right up to the eve of my success with the Police. It is a story very few people know.
I had no interest in writing a traditional autobiographical recitation of everything thats ever happened to me. Instead I found myself drawn to exploring specific moments, certain people and relationships, and particular events which still resonate powerfully for me as I try to understand the child I was, and the man I became.
From the Hardcover edition.
11. Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music
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Back Bay BooksDescription
NATIONAL BESTSELLERThe long-awaited memoir from John Fogerty, the legendary singer-songwriter and creative force behind Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Creedence Clearwater Revival is one of the most important and beloved bands in the history of rock, and John Fogerty wrote, sang, and produced their instantly recognizable classics: "Proud Mary," "Bad Moon Rising," "Born on the Bayou," and more. Now he reveals how he brought CCR to number one in the world, eclipsing even the Beatles in 1969. By the next year, though, Creedence was falling apart; their amazing, enduring success exploded and faded in just a few short years.
FORTUNATE SON takes readers from Fogerty's Northern California roots, through Creedence's success and the retreat from music and public life, to his hard-won revival as a solo artist who finally found love.
12. Sound Man: A Life Recording Hits with The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles , Eric Clapton, the Faces . . .
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Plume BooksDescription
A fantastic romp through the pages of Rock and Roll history. Sir Paul McCartneyIn 2012, legendary producer and sound engineer Glyn Johns was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Over the course of his incredible career, Johns helped create some of rocks most iconic albums, including those by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, the Eagles, the Who, the Clash, and, more recently, Ryan Adams and Band of Horses. In this one-of-a-kind memoir, Johns shares incredible stories about the musicians hes worked with from the freewheeling sixties to the present. Sound Man is an intimate glimpse into rock and roll history and the perfect gift for any music fan.
13. Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of The Rock Stars
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Named one of the best music books of 2017 by The Wall Street Journal
An elegy to the age of the Rock Star, featuring Chuck Berry, Elvis, Madonna, Bowie, Prince, and more, uncommon people whose lives were transformed by rock and who, in turn, shaped our culture
Recklessness, thy name is rock.
The age of the rock star, like the age of the cowboy, has passed. Like the cowboy, the idea of the rock star lives on in our imaginations. What did we see in them? Swagger. Recklessness. Sexual charisma. Damn-the-torpedoes self-belief. A certain way of carrying themselves. Good hair. Interesting shoes. Talent we wished we had. What did we want of them? To be larger than life but also like us. To live out their songs. To stay young forever. No wonder many didnt stay the course.
In Uncommon People, David Hepworth zeroes in on defining moments and turning points in the lives of forty rock stars from 1955 to 1995, taking us on a journey to burst a hundred myths and create a hundred more.
As this tribe of uniquely motivated nobodies went about turning themselves into the ultimate somebodies, they also shaped us, our real lives and our fantasies. Uncommon People isnt just their story. Its ours as well.
14. Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine
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A delicious romp through the heyday of rock and roll and a revealing portrait of the man at the helm of the iconic magazine that made it all possible, with candid look backs at the era from Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Elton John, Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, and others.The story of Jann Wenner, Rolling Stone's founder, editor, and publisher, and the pioneering era he helped curate, is told here for the first time in glittering, glorious detail. Joe Hagan provides readers with a backstage pass to storied concert venues and rock-star hotel rooms; he tells never before heard stories about the lives of rock stars and their handlers; he details the daring journalism (Tom Wolfe, Hunter S. Thompson, P.J. ORourke) and internecine office politics that accompanied the start-up; he animates the drug and sexual appetites of the era; and he reports on the politics of the last fifty years that were often chronicled in the pages of Rolling Stone magazine.
Supplemented by a cache of extraordinary documents and letters from Wenner's personal archives, Sticky Fingersdepicts an ambitious, mercurial, wide-eyed rock and roll fan of who exalts in youth and beauty and learns how to package it, marketing late sixties counterculture as a testament to the power of American youth. The result is a fascinating and complex portrait of man and era, and an irresistible biography of popular culture, celebrity, music, and politics in America.
15. Born to Drum: The Truth About the World's Greatest Drummers--from John Bonham and Keith Moon to Sheila E. and Dave Grohl
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Dey Street BooksDescription
An engaging journey into the wild and wonderful world of drumming.CLEM BURKE, Blondie
To have a great band you need a great drummer. For the first time, Tony Barrell shines a long-overdue spotlight on these musicians, offering an exciting look into their world, their art, and their personalities. In Born to Drum, he interviews some of the most famous, revered, and influential drummers of our timeincluding Chad Smith, Ginger Baker, Clem Burke, Sheila E., Phil Collins, Nick Mason, Patty Schemel, Butch Vig, and Omar Hakimwho share astonishing truths about their work and lives. He investigates the stories of late, great drummers such as Keith Moon and John Bonham, analyzes many of the greatest drum tracks ever recorded, and introduces us to the worlds fastest and loudest drummers, as well as the first musician to pilot a flying drum kit onstage.
Filled with fascinating insights into the trade and little-known details about the greats, Born to Drum elevates drummers and their achievements to their rightful place in music lore and pop culture.
As Born to Drum proves, theres a lot more to be told about drums and drumming than the Rolls-Royce in the swimming pool and the pyro beneath the bass drum.NICK MASON, Pink Floyd
Everyone should read this bookespecially if youre not a drummer. A great insight into a great sport.Joey Kramer, Aerosmith