Music

From the legendary music producer, a master at helping people connect with the wellsprings of their creativity, comes a beautifully crafted book many years in the making that offers that same deep wisdom to all of us....

A smart, funny, and refreshingly candid memoir from Mark Hoppus, the vocalist, bassist, and founding member of pop-punk band blink-182. Narrated in his own voice, the audiobook offers an intimate and immersive experience that fans won’t want to miss.

A fast-paced, tender-hearted rock ’n’ roll memoir for the ages, Mike Campbell’s Heartbreaker is part rags-to-riches story and part raucous, seat-of-the-pants adventure, recounting Campbell’s life and times as lead guitarist of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney knew each other for twenty-three years, from 1957 to 1980. This book is the myth-shattering biography of a relationship that changed the cultural history of the world.

Whether you load your iPod with Bach or Bono, music has a significant role in your life - even if you never realized it. Why does music evoke such powerful moods? The answers are at last becoming clear....

In this intimate and open account—nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you’ve ever read—Alex Van Halen shares his personal story of family, friendship, music and brotherly love in a remarkable tribute to his beloved brother and band mate.

Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller created a sensation when it was initially published, becoming a global bestseller and thrilling fans and critics alike....

Naomi Judd shares her devastating personal story of depression to spread awareness and encourage others with the disease....

This “beautiful tribute to a legendary artist” (Quincy Jones) is the first in-depth biography of Nipsey Hussle, the hip-hop mogul, artist, and activist whose transformative legacy inspired a generation with his motivational lyrics and visionary business savvy....

Jessica reveals for the first time her inner monologue and most intimate struggles. Guided by the journals she's kept since age 15, and brimming with her unique humor and down-to-earth humanity, Open Book is as inspiring as it is entertaining....

An electrifying cultural biography of the greatest and last American rock band of the millennium, whose music ignited a generation—and reasserted the power of rock and roll.

A no-nonsense and helpful guide on how to cope with a slew of mental-health issues that are hell-bent on ruining the lives of millions of people worldwide....

Geddy Lee is one of rock and roll's most respected bassists. For nearly five decades, his playing and work as co-writer, vocalist and keyboardist has been an essential part of the success story of Canadian progressive rock trio Rush....

Mark Blake draws on his own interviews with band members as well as the group's friends, road crew, and more to produce a riveting history of one of the biggest rock bands of all time....

"Unvarnished. Funny. Leaving no stone unturned"...So say the publishers about this audiobook I've written. What I say is that this is the story of my life, told as clear as a Texas sky and in the same rhythm that I lived it....

In honor of the 10-year anniversary of The Heroin Diaries, Nikki Sixx’s definitive and bestselling memoir on drug addiction is now available on audio for the first time, read by Nikki Sixx....

In 2009, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed at the Super Bowl's halftime show. The experience was so exhilarating that Bruce decided to write about it....

Owen Elliot-Kugell, daughter of legendary rock star “Mama Cass” Elliot, pulls back the curtains of her mother’s life....

Now at last, Keith Richards pauses to tell his story in the most anticipated autobiography in decades....

The untold story of OC punk—the loud, rebellious force behind the ‘90s explosion of the Orange County music scene, featuring stories about legendary bands.

The very strange but nevertheless true story of the dark underbelly of a 1960s hippie utopia. Laurel Canyon in the 1960s and early 1970s was a magical place....

Lead singer and songwriter for the Red Hot Chili Peppers Anthony Kiedis gives us a searingly honest account of the life from which his music has evolved. Scar Tissue is a fascinating account of a fast-lane life, addiction, and a moving story of eventual recovery and redemption.

Despite being hailed as one of the best guitarists of his era, George Harrison, particularly in his early decades, battled feelings of inferiority.

Brandi Carlile was born into a musically gifted, impoverished family on the outskirts of Seattle and grew up in a constant state of change, moving from house to house, trailer to trailer....

To Jeezy’s legion of fans, his name is synonymous with hustle, grit, and the integrity to go out there and achieve your dreams....

Cazzu es una de las traperas más importantes de Latinoamérica. No es casual que la llamen La Jefa. No es casual que su perreo moleste a muchos, interpele a tantas, y no deje indiferente a nadie. Durante años, Cazzu se enfrentó a una pregunta: “¿Cómo se siente tener éxito en un género musical tan machista?”. Y como le ocurre a casi cualquier mujer virtuosa y con notoriedad, le pidieron que diera explicaciones. Pero ¿por qué se lo preguntaban más a ella que a los hombres? Y, sobre todo, ¿es realmente machista el reggaetón?

In Tearing Down the Orange Curtain, journalists Nate Jackson and Daniel Kohn explore the trajectory of punk and ska from their humble beginnings to their peak popularity years, where their cultural impact could be felt in music around the world. Delving deep into the personal and professional lives of bands like Social Distortion, The Adolescents, The Offspring, and their ska counterparts No Doubt, Sublime, Reel Big Fish, Save Ferris, and more, this book gives listeners a deeper look into the very human stories of these musicians.

This book is the first to explain, in clear and concise language, the anatomy and mechanics of the mysterious and complex bodily system we call the voice. Beautifully illustrated with more than 100 detailed images, Anatomy of the Voice guides voice teachers and students, vocal coaches, professional singers and actors, and anyone interested in the voice through the complex landscape of breathing, larynx, throat, face, and jaw.

Matt Garstka: Polyrhythmic Prophet invites you behind the kit with one of today’s most adventurous drummers. Raised in a household steeped in fusion and classic rock, Matt absorbed complex grooves before he could even read music. From his first Ludwig kit in Westfield Massachusetts to the halls of Berklee College of Music, his journey is proof that curiosity and discipline can reshape what we think is possible on the drum set. Inside you’ll explore the rhythms that forged his style. Discover how gospel’s dynamic pulse met jazz’s conversational phrasing in his playing. Trace his ...

Tim Henson pioneered a bold new era in guitar playing by blending hip hop, classical, and progressive metal into his own fearless voice. From his roots in Plano, Texas and humble beginnings picking up a six string, he broke the mold of traditional shredding. As lead guitarist of Polyphia he has become a sensation. This definitive biography reveals the story behind the musician. Discover the diverse influences that shaped Henson’s groundbreaking sound. From classical composers like Bach and Debussy to hip hop innovators including J Dilla and Flying Lotus, each inspiration adds a layer to ...

Step inside the kit with Aaron Spears and discover how “Pocket Meets Power” changed the game for drummers everywhere. From his Pentecostal roots in Washington D.C. where every beat was a spiritual language to sold-out arenas touring with superstars, Spears’s journey reads like a master class in groove, technique, and musical adaptability. You’ll trace his evolution through immersive church services where he learned to lead worship with nothing but pulse and presence. You’ll see how those early lessons in dynamics, poise, and listening powered his rise through the gospel chops ...

Danny Carey: Architect of the Polyrhythmic Realm delves into the life and legacy of Tool’s visionary drummer. Discover how Carey’s fascination with complex time signatures, sacred geometry, and advanced percussion techniques propelled him from a Texas rock scene hopeful into one of modern music’s most influential rhythm architects. This biography traces his early years mastering jazz and fusion, his breakthrough with Tool’s groundbreaking albums, and the creative process behind live performances that push the boundaries of what a drum kit can do. Packed with insider interviews, ...

Este libro explora lo que Jim Morrison dejó fuera del escenario: su voz interior, su cuerpo como instrumento, su relación salvaje y lúcida con el lenguaje. A través de una lectura íntima y sin concesiones, se reconstruye el recorrido poético de quien escribió no para brillar, sino para no apagarse. Una invitación a descubrir su obra escrita como si aún respirara. Para quienes buscan más que fechas o anécdotas: una vibración que sigue viva.

He was the King of Rockabilly, and one of rock and roll's true pioneers. A groundbreaking guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Carl Perkins inspired countless musicians in country, rock, and pop music. Now acclaimed music writer Jeff Apter recounts Carl Perkins's remarkable life story—the triumphs, tragedies, and career highlights that include some of the most pivotal moments in music history.

Electric Ladyland is one of the greatest guitar albums ever made. During the recording process, Jimi Hendrix at last had time and creative freedom to pursue the sounds he was looking for. In this remarkable and entertaining book, John Perry gets to the heart of Hendrix's unique talent—guiding the listener through each song on the album, writing vividly about Hendrix's live performances, and talking to several of Hendrix's peers and contemporaries.

Fascinating, far-reaching, and definitive, THE LAST GREAT DREAM is the ultimate guide to a generation-defining countercultural movement, an Underground 101 course for newcomers and aficionados alike.

When Wilco's 2007 album Sky Blue Sky was infamously criticized as "dad rock," Niko Stratis was a twenty-five-year-old closeted trans woman working in her dad's glass shop in the Yukon Territory. As she sought escape from her hypermasculine environment, Stratis found an unlikely lifeline amid dad rock's emotionally open and honest music. Listening to dad rock, Stratis could access worlds beyond her own and imagine a path forward.

Covering her life and sixty-year career from Sonny & Cher to show-stopping solo performer, award-winning actress, fashion icon, and beyond, this is a glorious retrospective of one of the world’s most enduring entertainers, Cher. Featuring a foreword by Cyndi Lauper!

Before his murder at age twenty-five, Tupac Shakur rose to staggering artistic heights as the preeminent storyteller of the 1990s, building, in the process, one of the most iconic public personas of the last half century. He recorded no fewer than ten platinum albums, starred in major films, and became an activist and political hero known the world over. In this cultural history, journalist Van Nguyen reckons with Tupac’s coming of age, fame, and cultural capital, and how the political machinations that shaped him as a boy have since buoyed his legacy as a revolutionary.

Though Nevermind was Nirvana's most commercially successful album, and the record that broke them—and the grunge phenomenon—internationally, In Utero has increasingly become regarded as the band's best album, both by the critics and the band members themselves. Instead of sticking to the "grunge pop" formula that made Nevermind so palatable to the mainstream, Nirvana chose instead to challenge their audience, producing an album that the band's creative force, Kurt Cobain, said truly matched his vision of what he had always wanted his band to sound like.

From Jon King, legendary front man of iconic post-punk band Gang of Four, comes a memoir to remember. To Hell with Poverty! documents King’s story from a south London slum and working-class background to international success as core musician, lyricist, writer, and producer in the legendary post-punk/funk band Gang of Four.

The Beginning of My Life After I was graduated from a Catholic high school in Kyoto, Japan, I went overseas for the first time in my life as a family trip around Europe during spring break right before starting college. The culture shock I experienced there seemed to alter my brain. It took control of me and began to inflict cracks everywhere on common practice of the small hamlet of Kyoto that I was born and grew up in. One of the things I realized in Europe was that so many different people lived by so many different ways of their own. It had been always that way and not worth mentioning,...

Breaking the global record for streams in a single day, nearly 10 million people around the world tuned in to hear Kendrick Lamar’s sophomore album in the hours after its release. To Pimp a Butterfly was widely hailed as an instant classic, garnering laudatory album reviews, many awards, and even a canonized place in Harvard’s W. E. B. Du Bois archive. Why did this strangely compelling record stimulate the emotions and imaginations of listeners?

In The Master of Drums, biographer Elizabeth J. Rosenthal crafts a celebratory, honest, and exhaustively researched portrait of a twentieth-century music legend. When he died, Gene Krupa may have left behind a world of grieving friends, colleagues, fans, students, and progeny, but as The Master of Drums proves, his dynamic musical and cultural influences live on.

What if the Beatles wrote “Help!” in the age of anxiety—or “Eleanor Rigby” in a world obsessed with connection but drowning in loneliness? Yesterday, Today reimagines 20 of the most iconic Beatles songs through a modern lens. From social media and mental health to shifting cultural values, this book explores what these timeless tracks might look and sound like if they were written in today's world. Author Steven Michaels, a longtime musician and English teacher, has spent more than two decades guiding teenagers through Beatles lyrics—uncovering new interpretations and emotional ...

Pet Sounds is, rightly, one of the most celebrated pop albums ever released. It has also been written about, pored over, and analyzed more than most other albums put together. In this disarming book, Jim Fusilli focuses primarily on the emotional core of the album, on Brian Wilson’s pitch-perfect cry of despair. In doing so, he brings to life the search for equilibrium and acceptance that still gives Pet Sounds its heart almost four decades after its release.

Bob Dylan arrived in New York one winter morning in 1961. His music and spirit would go on to capture the hearts and minds of a generation, but what no one knew then was that, like so many before him, Dylan was concealing his Jewish origins. For Harry Freedman, Dylan’s roots are the key to grasping how this complete unknown burst onto the scene and reinvented not only himself, but popular music. The instinct for escape and reinvention has defined Dylan’s long career.

By 1976, Elton John was the best-selling recording artist and the highest-grossing touring act in the world. With seven #1 albums in a row and a reputation as a riveting piano-pounding performer, the former Reggie Dwight had gone with dazzling speed from the London suburbs to the pinnacles of rock stardom, his songs never leaving the charts, his sold-out shows packed with adoring fans. Then he released Blue Moves, and it all came crashing down.

Jonathan Lethem treats Fear of Music (the third album by the Talking Heads, and the first produced by Brian Eno) as a masterpiece—edgy, paranoid, funky, addictive, rhythmic, repetitive, spooky, and fun. He scratches obsessively at the album's songs, guitars, rhythms, lyrics, packaging, downtown origins, and legacy, showing how Fear of Music hints at the directions (positive and negative) the band would take in the future.

Swallowing the chaos wrought by his public persona and digesting it as a grandiose allegory of self-redemption, Kanye sublimates his narcissism to paint masterstroke after masterstroke on MBDTF, a 69-minute hymn to egotistical excess. Sampling and ventriloquizing the pop music past to tell the story of its future–very much a tale of our culture's wish for unfettered digital ubiquity–MBDTF is the album of its era, an aesthetic self-acquittal and spiritual autobiography of our era’s most dynamic artist.