-
Ruffhouse
- From the Streets of Philly to the Top of the 90s Hip Hop Charts
- Narrated by: Pete Simonelli, JD Jackson, Adenrele Ojo
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $20.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
How Ruffhouse Records founder Chris Schwartz overcame poverty, abuse, and addiction to start one of the most pivotal labels in hip-hop history and launch the careers of some of music's biggest stars
"All respect to Chris Schwartz. He is a great visionary." --Nas
As a struggling musician trying to catch a break in 1980s Philadelphia, Chris Schwartz navigated the crime-infested, morally bankrupt music industry to found and build one of the most successful hip-hop record labels in the world. That label was Ruffhouse, which launched the careers of Nas, The Fugees, Cypress Hill, and others, dominating the charts and generating global revenues of over one billion dollars.
Schwartz and his partner, Joe Nicolo, built Ruffhouse from one desk and a phone to one of hip-hop's most revered record companies while simultaneously struggling with drug addiction and alcoholism. A story of money, greed, envy, betrayal, violence, addiction, loss, and redemption, not to mention a whole lot of music, Ruffhouse reveals the inside story of the record companies, recording studios, tour buses, private jets, mansions, radio stations, and concert halls at the height of hip-hop's 1990s heyday, while also uncovering the darker side of the business, from police stations to rehab clinics, courtrooms to prisons. Narrated in Schwartz's own candid, searing prose, Ruffhouse is a gripping portrayal of hip-hop culture at its tipping point, as it transitioned from urban curiosity to a global commercial platform.
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Book of Jose
- A Memoir
- By: Fat Joe, Shaheem Reid
- Narrated by: Fat Joe
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fat Joe is a hip-hop legend, but this is not a tale of celebrity; it is the story of Joseph Cartagena, a kid who came of age in the South Bronx during its darkest years of drugs, violence, and abandonment, and how he navigated that traumatizing landscape until he found—through art, friendship, luck, and will—a rocky path to a different life. This memoir, written in Joe’s own intensely compelling voice, moves with the momentum of pulp fiction, but underneath the tragicomedy and riveting tales of the streets and the industry is a thought-provoking story about a generation of survivors.
-
-
INCREDIBLE AND INSPIRATIONAL STORY
- By Anonymous User on 05-26-23
By: Fat Joe, and others
-
Split Decision
- Life Stories
- By: Ice-T, Spike, Douglas Century
- Narrated by: Ice-T, Spike, Douglas Century
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ice-T rose to fame in the late 1980s, earning acclaim for his music before going on to enthrall television audiences as Odafin “Fin” Tutuola in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. But it could have gone much differently. In this “poignant and powerful” (Library Journal, starred review) memoir, Ice-T and Spike, his former crime partner—collaborating with New York Times bestselling author Douglas Century—relate the shocking stories of their shared pasts, and how just a handful of decisions led to their incredibly different lives.
-
-
An awesome book
- By Cornelius DeMarcus on 11-30-22
By: Ice-T, and others
-
There Was a Time
- James Brown, the Chitlin' Circuit, and Me
- By: Alan Leeds, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson - foreword
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this riveting book - part memoir, part history - Leeds weaves a wholly new and remarkable portrait of Brown as an idiosyncratic iconoclast, determined artist, and forceful businessman. It is a rare look into a world little known to White America immediately following the Civil Rights Movement. Leeds discovers that Brown is a fascinatingly complex man, and their experiences, both business and personal, range from emotional to humorous. All the while, they navigate the complicated world of popular Black music in America, told by someone who actually lived it.
-
-
Great book!
- By Matthew Westmoreland on 03-15-20
By: Alan Leeds, and others
-
Jay-Z
- Made in America
- By: Michael Eric Dyson, Pharrell - foreword
- Narrated by: Michael Eric Dyson, Nick Cannon
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jay-Z: Made in America is the fruit of Michael Eric Dyson’s decade of teaching the work of one of the greatest poets this nation has produced, as gifted a wordsmith as Walt Whitman, Robert Frost and Rita Dove. But as a rapper, he’s sometimes not given the credit he deserves for just how great an artist he’s been for so long.
-
-
No Surprises for Fans
- By Tim & Ty on 12-22-19
By: Michael Eric Dyson, and others
-
Vibrate Higher
- A Rap Story
- By: Talib Kweli
- Narrated by: Talib Kweli
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before Talib Kweli became a world-renowned hip hop artist, he was a Brooklyn kid who liked to cut class, spit rhymes, and wander the streets of Greenwich Village with a motley crew of artists, rappers, and DJs who found hip hop more inspiring than their textbooks (much to the chagrin of the educator parents who had given their son an Afrocentric name in hope of securing for him a more traditional sense of pride and purpose).
-
-
Dropping Gems
- By Steve B. on 02-26-21
By: Talib Kweli
-
Son of the City
- By: Dante Ross
- Narrated by: Dante Ross
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Son of the City goes behind the scenes of the golden age of hip-hop with esteemed producer and music industry veteran Dante Ross, one of the top 25 greatest A&Rs as named by Complex Magazine. Ross pulls no punches as he details his time growing up on the pre-gentrification Lower East Side as the child of political activists, his devotion to punk rock, and his eventual discovery of a brand-new art form, which landed him at Tommy Boy Records, where he signed and handled the careers of such artists as De La Soul, Queen Latifah, and Digital Underground.
-
-
Excellent
- By Anonymous User on 10-12-24
By: Dante Ross
-
The Book of Jose
- A Memoir
- By: Fat Joe, Shaheem Reid
- Narrated by: Fat Joe
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fat Joe is a hip-hop legend, but this is not a tale of celebrity; it is the story of Joseph Cartagena, a kid who came of age in the South Bronx during its darkest years of drugs, violence, and abandonment, and how he navigated that traumatizing landscape until he found—through art, friendship, luck, and will—a rocky path to a different life. This memoir, written in Joe’s own intensely compelling voice, moves with the momentum of pulp fiction, but underneath the tragicomedy and riveting tales of the streets and the industry is a thought-provoking story about a generation of survivors.
-
-
INCREDIBLE AND INSPIRATIONAL STORY
- By Anonymous User on 05-26-23
By: Fat Joe, and others
-
Split Decision
- Life Stories
- By: Ice-T, Spike, Douglas Century
- Narrated by: Ice-T, Spike, Douglas Century
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ice-T rose to fame in the late 1980s, earning acclaim for his music before going on to enthrall television audiences as Odafin “Fin” Tutuola in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. But it could have gone much differently. In this “poignant and powerful” (Library Journal, starred review) memoir, Ice-T and Spike, his former crime partner—collaborating with New York Times bestselling author Douglas Century—relate the shocking stories of their shared pasts, and how just a handful of decisions led to their incredibly different lives.
-
-
An awesome book
- By Cornelius DeMarcus on 11-30-22
By: Ice-T, and others
-
There Was a Time
- James Brown, the Chitlin' Circuit, and Me
- By: Alan Leeds, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson - foreword
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this riveting book - part memoir, part history - Leeds weaves a wholly new and remarkable portrait of Brown as an idiosyncratic iconoclast, determined artist, and forceful businessman. It is a rare look into a world little known to White America immediately following the Civil Rights Movement. Leeds discovers that Brown is a fascinatingly complex man, and their experiences, both business and personal, range from emotional to humorous. All the while, they navigate the complicated world of popular Black music in America, told by someone who actually lived it.
-
-
Great book!
- By Matthew Westmoreland on 03-15-20
By: Alan Leeds, and others
-
Jay-Z
- Made in America
- By: Michael Eric Dyson, Pharrell - foreword
- Narrated by: Michael Eric Dyson, Nick Cannon
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jay-Z: Made in America is the fruit of Michael Eric Dyson’s decade of teaching the work of one of the greatest poets this nation has produced, as gifted a wordsmith as Walt Whitman, Robert Frost and Rita Dove. But as a rapper, he’s sometimes not given the credit he deserves for just how great an artist he’s been for so long.
-
-
No Surprises for Fans
- By Tim & Ty on 12-22-19
By: Michael Eric Dyson, and others
-
Vibrate Higher
- A Rap Story
- By: Talib Kweli
- Narrated by: Talib Kweli
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before Talib Kweli became a world-renowned hip hop artist, he was a Brooklyn kid who liked to cut class, spit rhymes, and wander the streets of Greenwich Village with a motley crew of artists, rappers, and DJs who found hip hop more inspiring than their textbooks (much to the chagrin of the educator parents who had given their son an Afrocentric name in hope of securing for him a more traditional sense of pride and purpose).
-
-
Dropping Gems
- By Steve B. on 02-26-21
By: Talib Kweli
-
Son of the City
- By: Dante Ross
- Narrated by: Dante Ross
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Son of the City goes behind the scenes of the golden age of hip-hop with esteemed producer and music industry veteran Dante Ross, one of the top 25 greatest A&Rs as named by Complex Magazine. Ross pulls no punches as he details his time growing up on the pre-gentrification Lower East Side as the child of political activists, his devotion to punk rock, and his eventual discovery of a brand-new art form, which landed him at Tommy Boy Records, where he signed and handled the careers of such artists as De La Soul, Queen Latifah, and Digital Underground.
-
-
Excellent
- By Anonymous User on 10-12-24
By: Dante Ross
-
Adversity for Sale
- Ya Gotta Believe
- By: Jeezy
- Narrated by: Jay Jenkins
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To Jeezy’s legion of fans, his name is synonymous with hustle, grit, and the integrity to go out there and achieve your dreams. In his first book, Adversity for Sale: Ya Gotta Believe, Jeezy shares never heard stories of what it took for him to beat the odds and get out of the streets, his mindset he carefully honed to get an edge, and the lessons that changed his life and business.
-
-
Couldn’t turn it off!!
- By Anonymous User on 09-11-23
By: Jeezy
-
Epoca: The Tree of Ecrof
- By: Ivy Claire
- Narrated by: Phylicia Rashad
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in an alternate classical world dominated by sports and a magical power called grana, Epoca: Island of the Gods is the story of two children, the lowly-born Rovi and the crown princess Pretia who uncover and battle terrible evil and discover their inner strength along the way. Epoca: Island of the Gods takes place at the most elite sports academy in the land, where the best child-athletes are sent to hone their skills. When Rovi and Pretia arrive, each harboring a secret about themselves, they begin to suspect that something evil is at play at the school.
-
-
WOW!
- By Oracle2101 on 02-22-20
By: Ivy Claire
-
Genghis
- Birth of an Empire
- By: Conn Iggulden
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Genghis Khan was born Temujin, the son of a khan, raised in a clan of hunters migrating across the rugged steppe. Shaped by abandonment and betrayal, Temujin endured, driven by a singular fury: to survive in the face of death, to kill before being killed, and to conquer enemies who could come without warning from beyond the horizon. Through a series of courageous raids, Temujin's legend grew until he was chasing a vision: to unite many tribes into one, to make the earth tremble under the hoofbeats of 1,000 warhorses, to subject all nations and empires to his will.
-
-
Simply Extraordinary
- By TR Jensen on 05-17-22
By: Conn Iggulden
-
The Maid's War
- By: Jeff Wheeler
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sent on an impossible mission by Kingfountain's ruler into the heart of the enemy's capital as two mighty kingdoms prepare for war, Ankarette Tryneowy must divine the location of a magical sword, perhaps their key to victory. What she finds is the truth - one she could never have foreseen.
-
-
Exceeded my expectations
- By Amazon Customer on 07-29-17
By: Jeff Wheeler
-
Jane Eyre
- By: Charlotte Brontë
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 17 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a sad and neglected childhood as an orphan, Jane Eyre is hired by Edward Rochester as governess for his ward. Jane is pleased with the quiet country life at Thornfield, with the beautiful old manor house and gardens, with the book-filled library, and with her own comfortable room.
-
-
My all time favorite book and a narrator who does it justice!
- By Rick Z. on 07-28-15
By: Charlotte Brontë
-
Independence
- A Novel
- By: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set during the partition of British India in 1947, a time when neighbor was pitted against neighbor and families were torn apart, award-winning author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s novel brings to life the sweeping story of three sisters caught up in events beyond their control, their unbreakable bond, and their incredible struggle against powerful odds.
-
-
A very interesting story, good but a tad flat
- By Naturegirl09 on 06-25-23
-
My Secret Mate
- By: Melissa Keir
- Narrated by: Eva Caine
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up, Macy Waters leaned on a special pet who came to her during some of her most trying times. Now she’s grown up and must face returning to her childhood home alone, after the death of her parents. Sean MacKenzie waited years for his mate to grow up, silently watching over her. Now, he’s ready to claim her and make her his. As Sean shares his secret with Macy, can she learn to love a man who is something more, or will she give up on her own magical happy ending?
-
-
Sweet short story
- By Racycarr on 03-22-23
By: Melissa Keir
-
Girl of Hearts
- Luck Gods Series, Book 1
- By: J. Gabriel Gates
- Narrated by: Paige Reisenfeld
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Four tribes of ruthless demigods rule over luck in our world. Hearts, Diamonds, Spades, and Clubs. But I don’t believe in luck or in gods. I believe in science. And coffee. And nerding my way to the rank of class valedictorian. My OCD is under control—mostly—and my mom, Rachel, has just finished building a dark-matter machine that could win back her job as a physics professor. Life is good...until Mom disappears.
-
-
Brilliant. Inspired.
- By reader on 06-11-24
By: J. Gabriel Gates
-
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
- My Life in the Music Business
- By: Miles A. Copeland III
- Narrated by: Miles A. Copeland III
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
My real story starts with a disaster, an unmitigated, pull-the-rug-from-under-you, clean-out-the-bank-account disaster. But had it not happened, The Police would never have risen to become the biggest rock band in the world; Jools Holland would not have ended up on TV; The Bangles, The Go-Go’s, R.E.M., and many other music stars might never have made it either. It’s strange how a fluke, a disaster, an unlikely event can lead to incredible results. But that is in essence what happened to me....
-
-
If you like Punk and New Wave you will like this book
- By Rock Fan on 09-17-21
-
Beyond the Story
- 10-Year Record of BTS
- By: BTS, Myeongseok Kang, Anton Hur - translator, and others
- Narrated by: Kim Young-Gi, Park Chan-won
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After taking their first step into the world on June 13, 2013, BTS will celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut in June 2023. They have risen to the peak as an iconic global artist and during this meaningful time, they look back on their footsteps in the first official book. In doing so, BTS nurtures the power to build brighter days and they choose to take another step on a road that no one has gone before.
-
-
SO FANTASTIC - ESSENTIAL LISTENING!!!
- By Cassidy on 07-09-23
By: BTS, and others
-
The Elephants in My Backyard
- A Memoir
- By: Rajiv Surendra
- Narrated by: Rajiv Surendra
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rajiv Surendra was filming Mean Girls, playing the beloved rapping mathlete Kevin Gnapoor, when a cameraman insisted he read Yann Martel's Life of Pi. So begins his "lovely and human" (Jenny Lawson, author of Furiously Happy) tale of obsessively pursuing a dream, overcoming failure, and finding meaning in life.
-
-
The Elephants in My Backyard - fascinating read
- By Matt Jones on 06-29-21
By: Rajiv Surendra
-
Heavy Tales
- The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As Lived by Jon Zazula
- By: Jon Zazula
- Narrated by: Jon Zazula
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Heavy Tales is the detailed, never-before-told story as lived by Jonny Zazula of how he founded Megaforce Records out of a flea market in New Jersey with his wife, Marsha, and built a dynasty unmatched by others, forever changing the scope of heavy metal. The bands they worked with would go on to release some of the most prolific and important albums in heavy metal history, giving it its Golden Era.
-
-
Garbage
- By Dave Archer-Kiefer on 10-20-20
By: Jon Zazula
Related to this topic
-
The History of Rock & Roll
- Volume 1: 1920-1963
- By: Ed Ward
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ed Ward covers the first half of the history of rock & roll in this sweeping and definitive narrative - from the 1920s, when the music of rambling medicine shows mingled with the songs of vaudeville and minstrel acts to create the very early sounds of country and rhythm and blues, to the rise of the first independent record labels post-World War II, and concluding in December 1963, just as an immense change in the airwaves took hold and the Beatles prepared for their first American tour.
-
-
Author's blindspots mar this book
- By Mark Clark on 03-28-17
By: Ed Ward
-
Walk This Way
- Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song That Changed American Music Forever
- By: Geoff Edgers
- Narrated by: Geoff Edgers
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Washington Post staff writer Geoff Edgers takes a deep dive into the story behind "Walk This Way", Aerosmith and Run-DMC's legendary, groundbreaking mashup that forever changed music.
-
-
A MUST LISTEN/READ
- By Aron Teo Lee on 05-17-19
By: Geoff Edgers
-
Down the Highway
- The Life of Bob Dylan
- By: Howard Sounes
- Narrated by: Peter Markinker
- Length: 20 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Down the Highway is an essential biography for Bob Dylan fans and all music enthusiasts, delivering the full, fascinating story of the life and work of this great artist. Author Howard Sounes interviewed more than 250 key people in Dylan’s circle, and gained access to previously unseen documents, to create a fresh and compelling book that takes the reader on a journey from Dylan’s childhood in a Minnesota mining town, through his rise to fame in the 1960s, to his current status as the senior figure in popular music.
-
-
I'm a little late to the party
- By BrassHat on 06-05-17
By: Howard Sounes
-
Elton John
- The Biography
- By: David Buckley
- Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
- Length: 16 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Elton John is as much loved for his outrageous personality and witty outspokenness as for his music. Such shamelessness and sheer silliness rivals anything uttered by punk rockers, yet it is so typically Elton: honest and intemperate. Tragedy and heartbreak have played a large part in his life. Behind the parties, the hedonism, the lavish stage costumes, and silly glasses lies a more somber story. Between disputes with managers, legal wranglings, public breakups, and divorce, John has been faced with serious health problems and drug addictions.
-
-
Trite!
- By michael mckone on 08-04-22
By: David Buckley
-
Respect Yourself
- Stax Records and the Soul Explosion
- By: Robert Gordon
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of Stax Records unfolds like a Greek tragedy. A white brother and sister build a record company that becomes a monument to racial harmony in 1960’s segregated south Memphis. Their success is startling, and Stax soon defines an international sound. Then, after losses both business and personal, the siblings part, and the brother allies with a visionary African-American partner. Under integrated leadership, Stax explodes as a national player until, Icarus-like, they fall from great heights to a tragic demise.
-
-
Great narration
- By A. K. Moore on 10-29-14
By: Robert Gordon
-
Rainbow in the Dark
- The Autobiography
- By: Ronnie James Dio, Mick Wall - contributor, Wendy Dio - contributor
- Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prior to his tragic death in 2010, Ronnie James Dio had been writing his autobiography, looking back on the remarkable life that led him from his hometown in upstate New York to the biggest stages in the world, including the arena that represented the pinnacle of success to him - Madison Square Garden, where this book begins and ends.
-
-
Horns up!
- By Big Daddy on 02-10-22
By: Ronnie James Dio, and others
-
The History of Rock & Roll
- Volume 1: 1920-1963
- By: Ed Ward
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ed Ward covers the first half of the history of rock & roll in this sweeping and definitive narrative - from the 1920s, when the music of rambling medicine shows mingled with the songs of vaudeville and minstrel acts to create the very early sounds of country and rhythm and blues, to the rise of the first independent record labels post-World War II, and concluding in December 1963, just as an immense change in the airwaves took hold and the Beatles prepared for their first American tour.
-
-
Author's blindspots mar this book
- By Mark Clark on 03-28-17
By: Ed Ward
-
Walk This Way
- Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song That Changed American Music Forever
- By: Geoff Edgers
- Narrated by: Geoff Edgers
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Washington Post staff writer Geoff Edgers takes a deep dive into the story behind "Walk This Way", Aerosmith and Run-DMC's legendary, groundbreaking mashup that forever changed music.
-
-
A MUST LISTEN/READ
- By Aron Teo Lee on 05-17-19
By: Geoff Edgers
-
Down the Highway
- The Life of Bob Dylan
- By: Howard Sounes
- Narrated by: Peter Markinker
- Length: 20 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Down the Highway is an essential biography for Bob Dylan fans and all music enthusiasts, delivering the full, fascinating story of the life and work of this great artist. Author Howard Sounes interviewed more than 250 key people in Dylan’s circle, and gained access to previously unseen documents, to create a fresh and compelling book that takes the reader on a journey from Dylan’s childhood in a Minnesota mining town, through his rise to fame in the 1960s, to his current status as the senior figure in popular music.
-
-
I'm a little late to the party
- By BrassHat on 06-05-17
By: Howard Sounes
-
Elton John
- The Biography
- By: David Buckley
- Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
- Length: 16 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Elton John is as much loved for his outrageous personality and witty outspokenness as for his music. Such shamelessness and sheer silliness rivals anything uttered by punk rockers, yet it is so typically Elton: honest and intemperate. Tragedy and heartbreak have played a large part in his life. Behind the parties, the hedonism, the lavish stage costumes, and silly glasses lies a more somber story. Between disputes with managers, legal wranglings, public breakups, and divorce, John has been faced with serious health problems and drug addictions.
-
-
Trite!
- By michael mckone on 08-04-22
By: David Buckley
-
Respect Yourself
- Stax Records and the Soul Explosion
- By: Robert Gordon
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of Stax Records unfolds like a Greek tragedy. A white brother and sister build a record company that becomes a monument to racial harmony in 1960’s segregated south Memphis. Their success is startling, and Stax soon defines an international sound. Then, after losses both business and personal, the siblings part, and the brother allies with a visionary African-American partner. Under integrated leadership, Stax explodes as a national player until, Icarus-like, they fall from great heights to a tragic demise.
-
-
Great narration
- By A. K. Moore on 10-29-14
By: Robert Gordon
-
Rainbow in the Dark
- The Autobiography
- By: Ronnie James Dio, Mick Wall - contributor, Wendy Dio - contributor
- Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prior to his tragic death in 2010, Ronnie James Dio had been writing his autobiography, looking back on the remarkable life that led him from his hometown in upstate New York to the biggest stages in the world, including the arena that represented the pinnacle of success to him - Madison Square Garden, where this book begins and ends.
-
-
Horns up!
- By Big Daddy on 02-10-22
By: Ronnie James Dio, and others
-
My Life in Dire Straits
- The Inside Story of One of the Biggest Bands in Rock History
- By: John Illsley
- Narrated by: John Illsley
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most successful music acts of all time, Dire Straits filled stadiums around the world. Their albums sold hundreds of millions of copies and their music - classics like “Sultans of Swing”, “Romeo and Juliet", “Money for Nothing”, and “Brothers in Arms” - is still played on every continent today. There was, quite simply, no bigger band on the planet throughout the '80s. In this powerful and entertaining memoir, founding member John Illsley gives the inside track on the most successful rock band of their time.
-
-
An excellent autobiography about a wonderful time in music. I highly recommend it.
- By Laguirre on 06-25-24
By: John Illsley
-
Sing to Me
- My Story of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who's Next
- By: LA Reid
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Legendary music producer LA Reid - the man behind artists such as Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Kanye West, Rihanna, TLC, Outkast, Pink, Justin Bieber, and Usher - changed the music business forever. Now he tells his story, taking fans on an intimate tour of his life. Sing to Me is a fascinating journey from Reid's small-town R&B roots in Cincinnati, Ohio, and his work as a drummer to his fame as a Grammy Award-winning music producer and his gig as a judge on the hit reality show The X Factor.
-
-
Wow!! What a journey!!!
- By Marty Cohn on 02-06-16
By: LA Reid
-
Skydog
- The Duane Allman Story
- By: Randy Poe, Billy F. Gibbons - foreword
- Narrated by: Arthur Flavell
- Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Revised and expanded, with a new afterword by the author, this is the definitive biography of Duane Allman, one of the most revered guitarists of his generation. Skydog reveals the complete story of the legendary guitarist: his childhood and musical awakening; his struggling first bands; his hard-won mastery of the slide guitar; his emergence as a successful session musician; his creation of the Allman Brothers Band; his tragic death at age 24; and his thriving musical legacy.
-
-
duane was the best great story
- By OBIE on 08-08-23
By: Randy Poe, and others
-
Me, the Mob, and the Music
- One Helluva Ride with Tommy James and the Shondells
- By: Tommy James, Martin Fitzpatrick
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone knows the hits: "Mony Mony," "I Think We're Alone Now," "Crimson and Clover," "Crystal Blue Persuasion." They are nuggets of rock and pop history. However, few know the unlikely story of how these hits came to be. Tommy James had been performing in rock bands in the Michigan area since the age of 12. Prompted to record a few songs by a local disc jockey in 1964, Tommy chose an obscurity titled "Hanky Panky," which became a minor local hit that came and went.
-
-
What a ride - excellent story, well told
- By Dave on 03-25-10
By: Tommy James, and others
-
All These Things That I've Done
- My Insane, Improbable Rock Life
- By: Matt Pinfield, Mitchell Cohen
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Matt Pinfield is the ultimate music fan. He's the guy who knows every song, artist, and musical riff ever recorded, down to the most obscure band's B-side single on its vinyl-only EP import. As a child, music helped Pinfield make sense of the world. Later he would approach his music idols after concerts and explain why he loved their music. As an adult, rock music inspired his career, fueled relationships, and, at times, became a life raft.
-
-
great listen
- By nilda v. on 08-28-20
By: Matt Pinfield, and others
-
Alice in Chains
- The Untold Story
- By: David de Sola
- Narrated by: Sebastian York
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alice in Chains was the first of grunge's big four - ahead of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden - to get a gold record and achieve national recognition. With the charismatic Layne Staley behind the microphone, they became one of the most influential and successful bands to come out of the Seattle music scene. But as the band got bigger, so did its problems.
-
-
Disappointing!!!!
- By Rob on 12-23-16
By: David de Sola
-
Singular Sensation
- The Triumph of Broadway
- By: Michael Riedel
- Narrated by: Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 1990s was a decade of profound change on Broadway. At the dawn of the '90s, the British invasion of Broadway was in full swing, as musical spectacles like Les Miserables, Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera dominated the box office. But Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard soon spelled the end of this era and ushered in a new wave of American musicals, beginning with the ascendance of an unlikely show by a struggling writer who reimagined Puccini’s opera La Bohème as the smash Broadway show Rent
-
-
Why Didn’t Michael Riedel Read This Himself?
- By Tallulah on 01-17-22
By: Michael Riedel
-
Shining Star
- Braving the Elements of Earth, Wind & Fire
- By: Philip Bailey, Keith Zimmerman, Kent Zimmerman
- Narrated by: Philip Bailey
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With more than 90 million records sold and eight Grammy Awards throughout its 40-year history, Earth, Wind & Fire has staked its claim as one of the most successful, influential, and beloved acts in music history. Now, for the first time, its dynamic lead singer, Philip Bailey, chronicles the group's meteoric rise to stardom and his own professional and spiritual journey. Never before had a musical act crossed multiple styles and genres with a quixotic blend of astrology, universalism, and Egyptology as Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF) did when it exploded into the public's conscience during the 1970s.
-
-
Great book, but needed pro narrator
- By Wayne on 03-23-16
By: Philip Bailey, and others
-
Here Comes the Night
- The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues
- By: Joel Selvin
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here Comes the Night: Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues is both a definitive account of the New York rhythm and blues world of the early '60s, and the harrowing, ultimately tragic story of songwriter and record producer Bert Berns, whose meteoric career was fueled by his pending doom. His heart damaged by rheumatic fever as a youth, doctors told Berns he would not live to see 21. Although his name is little remembered today, Berns worked alongside all the greats of the era.
-
-
Great book.
- By The Blimmer on 10-14-23
By: Joel Selvin
-
Cowboys and Indies
- The Epic History of the Record Industry
- By: Gareth Murphy
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 15 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cowboys and Indies is the definitive record-business bible, chronicling the pioneers who set the stylus on the most important labelsand musical discoveries of the last century. The narrative follows all the musical trends and developments from the phonograph to the Internet age as it delves behind the big business of corporate hit machines and the diligent industry of small, curated labels.
-
-
Epic, yet incomplete.
- By Rob G. on 10-14-14
By: Gareth Murphy
-
Goodnight, L.A.
- Untold Tales from Inside Classic Rock’s Legendary Recording Studios
- By: Kent Hartman
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From behind the walls of a handful of well-hidden, unlikely recording studios in the Los Angeles area, legends-in-waiting created masterpiece albums. It was a time of astonishing creativity and unprecedented fame and fortune. It was also a time of unfettered excess that threatened to unravel everything along the way. With access that only a longtime music business insider can provide, Kent Hartman packs Goodnight, L.A. with never-before-told stories about the most prolific time and iconic place in rock 'n' roll history.
-
-
great stories and insight into a miraculous time
- By RWM on 05-27-22
By: Kent Hartman
-
Cool Town
- How Athens, Georgia, Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture
- By: Grace Elizabeth Hale
- Narrated by: Emily Cauldwell
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1979, the self-titled debut album by the B-52s burst onto the Billboard charts, capturing the imagination of fans and music critics worldwide. The fact that the group had formed in the sleepy southern college town of Athens, Georgia, only increased the fascination. Soon, more Athens bands followed the B-52s into the vanguard of the new American music that would come to be known as "alternative", including R.E.M., who catapulted over the course of the 1980s to the top of the musical mainstream.
-
-
I feel like I was there when it happened
- By Joseph Suciu on 01-11-23
What listeners say about Ruffhouse
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Scott B.
- 12-02-19
This old head loved it
Finished this book in 5 days. Didn't want it to end. Lot of incredible inside into the music industry and artists I've adored for decades.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- kirk lantz
- 03-11-23
Meh
Great story overall. Most insightful about to workings of music business than other books about music. Only issues are that it is repetitive in parts and the timeline is not always chronological.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jazziered
- 01-05-23
Great listen
Shows you can overcome obstacles no matter what your situation is. He was brilliant!! So was Lauryn!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 02-19-22
inside view
It's nice to get a different perspective. I enjoyed hearing about the music business from the inside.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Terrence C. Lee
- 12-12-21
very interesting read
I never knew the back story of the Fugees record label. Very interesting read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Timur A. Davis
- 10-01-20
RuffHouse
Chris Schwartz illustrates the development of RuffHouse Records during the Golden Ages of commercial Hip-Hop Music in the United States of America. It illustrates his acute ability to leverage his entrepreneur interest in music by fostering strategic alliances in the Music Industry to later becoming the number one Record Label in the world. Timur A. Davis, Librarian
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Maurice
- 02-28-22
good story and a great read
I love this story from the beginning very well read I suggest everyone read this
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kwame
- 10-11-22
Love a good underdog story!
l had some parallels with him. Don't know how he survived such a horrific childhood.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- ChOcHa GuRl
- 12-22-21
Fantastic Story
I enjoyed the Author's intense testimony about Haiti and so muh more in the book. It's very explosive!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 02-16-23
The perfect title
This was very interesting to hear the back story. I enjoyed hearing the stories from beginning to end. Good job!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!