I picked up Pat Benatar's book "Between a Heart and a Rock Place"... I haven't even started to read the book about Jim Morrison yet, but for .50c, I figured I grab Benatar's book...
A few nice scoops lately... People Funny Boy (Lee "Scratch" Perry) by David Katz Soul Music: The Birth of a Sound in Black America by Michael Haralambos The One: The Life and Music of James Brown by RJ Smith A Century of Recorded Music: Listening to Musical History by Timothy Day Lexicon of Musical Invective by Nicolas Slonimsky Campion, Dowland and the Lutenist Songwriters by Michael Pilkington
Apropos of this topic, but slightly off-topic, wondering what y’all like/don’t like about book covers on music subjects? Do you have any examples of something you really love? Asking b/c I’m working with the press on my book cover now. I know my aesthetic, curious of yours.
No, the Morrison/Doors book I was referring to in my post is the book "No One Here Gets Out Alive" by Jerry Hopkins & Danny Sugerman.
I finished the 1973 book few weeks ago and enjoyed it. I really liked how he mixed the music coming out at the time with what was going on in the world.
If you enjoy that format, you might want to check out 1966 by Jon Savage and Never a Dull Moment: 1971 The Year That Rock Exploded by David Hepworth.
I read the 1971 book a few years ago and liked it a lot. I'll keep an eye out for 1966,thanks for the recommendation.
I recently read another book by David Hepworth called Uncommon People. It is about the rise and fall of the "rock star." He figures the era of the rock star began in 1955 and ended in 1994. Each chapter is a year between those dates. He focuses on one day and one artist for each year. It's quite well written and researched.
I never thought I'd recommend a specific biographer (normally I'm focused on their subjects!), but Peter Guralnick has become a favourite author. I'm sure he's been mentioned on this thread already so apologies for any duplication, but I had to chime in that everything I've read by him is stellar. His writing draws you in and makes you feel you're not only a close personal friend of the subject but right there experiencing life alongside them (where other biographies can sometimes seem distant or clinical), while also being strikingly humble and honest about his limitations and personal feelings. Haven't read all of his stuff, but: Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley - really brings into focus what has long been (and alas, seems to still be) either misunderstood, hazy, or forgotten (and while an Elvis super fan, I embarrassingly cannot yet bring myself to read his follow up Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley...) Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock n Roll - awesome read about the legend and the man, and both his groundbreaking vision and enduring impact, but also shortfalls (this book lead me to go pick up a used 80s boxset release of Sun Records: The Blues Years about which Peter said "if you want to grasp not just what Sam Phillips was all about but what he was talking about when he said, This is where the soul of a man never dies, this is the place to start.") Looking to Get Lost: Adventures in Music and Writing - his most recent having come out in 2020, a very cool collection of his personal interactions and experiences with some of the giants of blues, country, and rock n roll, like Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Bill Monroe, Tammy Wynette, etc. He's put together suggested playlists of the songs from some of these artists and songwriters to accompany the book too, which I found so cool. Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke - I've just started this one so cannot yet recommend per say, but articles I've read about Sam seem to always reference this bio as the ultimate and also have seen how close Peter became with members of the Cook(e) family, which surely speaks for itself! Looking forward to learning more about Sam. Hoping to pick up some of his others one day as well, especially Searching for Robert Johnson and Sweet Soul Music. He has also written a number of thoughtful pieces found on his website, including recently upon the passing of Little Richard, and I just saw this recent article on GQ of all places which I enjoyed about Looking to Get Lost: Peter Guralnick Talks About His Obsession With the Blues, the Real Meaning of Country Music, and Selling His Record Collection
Oh man. I think I even saw Guralnick says it's the saddest story he knows, so geez, I might leave it on the shelf for now.
Searching For Robert Johnson is slight with 68 pages of text and 16 pages of bibliography and selected discographies. This is Guralnick's least significant nonfiction book. In contrast, Up Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson by Bruce Conforth and Gayle Dean Wardlow is 270 pages, the introduction included, and 38 pages of recording sessions, bibliography, and notes. This is definitive. Believe there is a thread here at SHF about this Conforth and Wardlow book. I also decided to read all of Guralnick's books, now reading Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll.
I just reread Robert Palmer’s Deep Blues for the first time in many years. I find it holds up really well, 40 years after its publication.
I just got a copy that was withdrawn from a library collection. I read it 20+ years ago, but looking forward to reading it again, now that I know a lot more about the blues.
I recently read "SWANS -Sacrifice and Transcendence — The Oral History (Jawbone Press, 2018) by Nick Soulsby. A great read, even though Michael Gira comes off as a real a--hole much of the time. His pursuit of his vision ends up being inspiring. I don't listen to much Swans nowadays, as it's too dark for me. However the dedication described throughout to sweaty and loud trance states is fascinating. I think I will pick up Nick's Thurston Moore book soon.
Finished Billy Bragg's book - https://www.amazon.com/Roots-Radica...rds=billy+bragg&qid=1631194970&s=books&sr=1-1 Way back when a FAB Liverpool fellow said "We started as a Skiffle group".... this book gives you the context and the story behind it all. Great read. Next was Richard Thompson's new book - Amazon.com : richard thompson beeswing book Short read, enjoyed his descriptions of the folk and rock scene in the '60's. Fairport Convention, solo work, touring and playing Colleges and pubs in Northern England. Funny Buck Owen story to boot. Solid 8 out of 10. For the fall, I'm looking forward to this..."A Pig's Tale." ....... A Pig's Tale - Open Edition - Free Shipping Worldwide A book abut the bootleg label Trade Mark of Quality and the founder Pigman.
