You may know that singing sensation Taylor Swift has won over fans of both pop and country music. But did you know that Taylor: • used to help out on her family's Christmas tree farm by pulling bugs off the trees? Yuck! • won a national poetry contest in fourth grade with her poem "Monster in My Closet?" • thought of the melody for her hit song "Tim McGraw" in her ninth-grade math class and sang it into her phone in the school bathroom so she...

From his emergence in the 1950s as an uncannily beautiful young Oklahoman who became the prince of “cool” jazz seemingly overnight to his violent, drug-related death in Amsterdam in 1988, Chet Baker lived a life that has become an American myth. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and previously untapped sources, this first major biography of one of the most romanticized icons in jazz gives a thrilling account of the trumpeter’s dark...

On the 40th anniversary of the release of 'Never Mind the Bollocks, here's the Sex Pistols', The Sex Pistols - 1977: The Bollocks Diaries is the official, inside story of the whirlwind year of 1977- the recording and release of 'Never Mind the Bollocks...' and the year the Sex Pistols changed everything. From 'God Save the Queen' to 'Holidays in the Sun' and everything in between, it was a year of chaos and creation.Straight from the mouths of the...

Based on interviews with surviving band members,Whiskey Bottles and Brand-New Cars shares how lead singer and front man Ronnie Van Zant guided the band's hugely successful five-year run and, in the process, created not only a new country rock idiom, but a new Confederacy in constant conflict with old Southern totems and prejudices. Placing the music and personae of Skynyrd into a broad cultural context, this book gives a new perspective to a history...

The History of Gangster Rap is a deep dive into one of the most fascinating subgenres of any music category to date. Sixteen detailed chapters, organized chronologically, examine the evolution of gangster rap, its main players, and the culture that created this revolutionary music. From still-swirling conspiracy theories about the murders of Biggie and Tupac to the release of the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, the era of gangster rap is one that...

Created in partnership with Ebony Jr., this Little Golden Book biography celebrates the life and legacy of singer, performer, and activist Harry Belafonte. When Harry Belafonte was a little boy, he moved from Harlem, New York, to live with his grandmother in Jamaica. There, Harry fell in love with Calypso music. It was the seed that blossomed into a life dedicated to inspiring people through music. This moving biography chronicles his life and career--as...

Also known as 'Satchmo,' Louis Armstrong was one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. As a trumpet player and singer, Armstrong brought his musical talent to fans around the world. During his lifetime he broke down racial barriers and showed that people of all colors can work together to achieve great things. Celebrate Black History Month all year long! Our highly acclaimed Journey to Freedom series provides comprehensive information...

""Screw music doesn't peak. It just grinds." DJ Screw was a Houston DJ who became famous in the 1990s for slowing down rap songs (think: playing a 45 rpm record at 33 1/3 speed), and repeating key lyrics, while local rappers sometimes freestyled over the instrumental portions of the mix. The slowed-down sound became synonymous with Houston, and was often referred to as "chopped & Screwed." It was literally homemade music; Screw recorded in his house,...

"Be My Baby is the behind-the-scenes story--newly updated, and with an especially timely message--of how the original bad girl of rock and roll, Ronnie Spector, survived marriage to a monster and carved out a space for herself amid the chaos of the 1960s music scene and beyond. Ronnie's first collaboration with producer Phil Spector, 'Be My Baby,' shot Ronnie and the Ronettes to stardom. No one sounded like Ronnie, with her alluring blend of innocence...

This worldwide bestseller is the biography that defined a band—and an era.

As the friend and only authorized biographer of the most famous musical group in history, Davies had full access to the Beatles—including their family, friends, and colleauges—as well as their help and encouragement in writing this biography. He spent eighteen months with them when they were at the peak of their musical genius and the pinnacle of

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