Book picks similar to
Ian Gillan: The Autobiography of Deep Purple's Lead Singer by Ian Gillan
music
biography
biographies
non-fiction
Without Frontiers: The Life & Music of Peter Gabriel
Daryl Easlea - 2013
A quintessential Englishman, he has since pursued several overlapping careers, bringing to each of them his trademark preoccupation with quality control and restless curiosity.In 1975, after leaving the band that made him famous he diversified into writing movie soundtracks, various audio-visual ventures, tireless charity work and supporting major peace initiatives. He also became world music’s most illustrious champion, launching the WOMAD festival and recording solo albums that featured musicians from every corner of the globe. These and several other careers make writing Peter Gabriel’s biography an unusually challenging task, but Daryl Easlea has undertaken hours of new interviews with key friends, musicians, aides and confidants to get to the very heart and soul of Peter Gabriel, his music and his complex life. The result is an extraordinary biography of an extraordinary man.
Don't You Leave Me Here: My Life
Wilko Johnson - 2016
With ten months to live, he decided to accept his imminent death and went on the road. His calm, philosophical response made him even more beloved and admired. And then the strangest thing happened: he didn't die. Don't You Leave Me Here is the story of his life in music, his life with cancer, and his life now - in the future he never thought he would see.
Dave Grohl: Nothing to Lose
Michael Heatley - 2006
This book looks at Grohl’s career to date, placing the singer/guitarist/drummer in the context of his contemporaries and those who have influenced him. It covers all the recordings—from the monumental Nevermind, which rocketed Nirvana to superstardom, to the Foo Fighters’ million-selling album One by One, and its Grammy-winning single, All My Life. Finally, he looks at the lawsuit initiated by Kurt Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, and Grohl’s emergence as the touring drummer for underground hard-rock outfit Queens of the Stone Age.
How Black Was Our Sabbath: An Unauthorized View from the Crew
David Tangye - 2004
As the group grew in fame and notoriety, incidents of bad behavior mounted alarmingly. Whether it's Geezer's lyrical journeys into the underworld or the gun-obsessed Ozzy Osbourne at home in Atrocity Cottage, this is Sabbath as you've never known them before. A real-life Spinal Tap, this is a warm, funny tribute to four mates from Birmingham who became the biggest heavy rock band in the world.
Lady Gaga: Just Dance: The Biography
Helia Phoenix - 2010
But she was a born performer, destined to be on the stage. Unlike fake starlets who become famous overnight, Gaga earned her success the hard way, working night after night at sleazy bars and clubs, performing at every club in New York, getting booed offstage, and in the process, finding herself—as a singer, a dancer, a performer, and an artist. She has shocked the public with her crazy outfits, individual sense of style, and headstrong manner. She has sold millions of records, performed to millions of people, and through it all, she has won hearts with her brashness and honesty.
Queen: The Definitive Biography
Laura Jackson - 2000
Laura Jackson has interviewed members of Queen, many of their close friends, and several of the world's leading rock musicians to turn the spotlight on the private lives, professional struggles and personal triumphs of the band.
Inxs: Story to Story: The Official Autobiography
INXS - 2005
This Australian band, made up of three brothers and their three best mates, took the world by storm, turning rock, pop, and funk into a cutting edge, danceable style, and selling more than thirty million albums worldwide. "INXS: Story to Story" tells the tale of their incredible journey, from playing the world's biggest concert venues to living a high life rivaling any in rock history, filled with sex, drugs, and supermodels. Now for the first time, they reveal everything they experienced in their more than two decades of making music -- the partying, the pressure, the wild times on the road, the heights and depths of rock-star life, and the bonds of brotherhood and friendship that not only got them through the tough times but made the fun times even more intense. They also talk about the sadness of watching their closest friend and collaborator, Michael Hutchence, slipping away from them, and share their thoughts about why he left them far too soon.Fully authorized and reflecting the band's firsthand point of view, this is the real story behind the phenomenon that is INXS -- and the book every rock fan will need to own.
Crazy from the Heat
David Lee Roth - 1997
In this unapologetic, Technicolor, high-fiber blast, David Lee Roth comes across with seemingly unlimited energy and graphic clarity. of photos.
Freak Out! My Life with Frank Zappa
Pauline Butcher - 2011
The assignment would change her life forever. After this chance encounter with the charismatic musician, at Frank’s request Pauline moved with him, his family and his band the Mothers of Invention to a log cabin in the Hollywood Hills. There, the straight” young English girl from Twickenham spent her days in the company of a succession of famous names, mixing with Oscar winners and rock royalty, including Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Captain Beefheart and Tiny Tim. Often working nights and sleeping days, for three years Pauline served as Zappa’s secretary, running his fan club, the United Mutations, and organising rehearsals, live appearances and recording sessions for the GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously), an all-female rock act supported and produced by Zappa. Freak Out! is the captivating story of a naive young English girl thrust into the mad world of a musical legend. A vivid depiction of the late sixties rock’n’roll scene and the stark realities behind Hollywood’s perceived glamour, this memoir is also the most revealing and intimate portrait of Frank Zappa ever written.
Overkill: The Untold Story of Motörhead
Joel McIver - 2011
The book also features an exclusive foreword by rock legend Glenn Hughes (Black Sabbath, Deep Purple).
Paula, Michael and Bob: Everything You Know Is Wrong
Gerry Agar - 2003
When their lives collided, the events that unfolded were too bizarre even for fiction; the very public seduction and intense love affair, the fights, the drugs bust, heartbreaking custody battles, financial deals and the deaths of Paula and Michael were front-page news for months. But the vital facts of the web the lovers wove together were kept secret, and the reasons for their deaths were never clear, even to their family and friends.Only one person was there to witness every aspect of the story - Gerry Agar. A former publicist and Paula's long-term friend, Gerry's life, both personal and professional, became inextricably tied to those of the star-crossed lovers, and to the one who would be left behind.This is the stuff of modern legend; a red-blooded tragedy played out in the merciless glare of the media spotlight. Here are the facts, divulged in painful and deeply moving detail, and told with an intimacy that could only be disclosed by one caught in the centre of the storm. This is Gerry Agar's story of Paula, Michael & Bob.
Kids in the Riot: High and Low with The Libertines
Pete Welsh - 2005
Released early and reconciled with Barat, The Libertines confounded the critics by rounding off 2003 with three triumphant sold-out shows at London's Forum and kicking off 2004 with the prestigious Best UK band gong at the NME awards. For the first time, the full, extraordinary story of the most gifted yet nihilistic London band since The Sex Pistols is told. With the complete co-operation of the major players in their gloriously destructive ascent. A documentation of the break-ins, break-ups, punch-ups and make-ups of the first two phenomenal years of The Libertines. Illustrated with many unseen photographs from the authors archive.
Raisin' Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter
Mary-Lou Sullivan - 2010
From toughing it out in Texas to his appearance at Woodstock, his affair with Janis Joplin, his stadium-filling tours, and binging on drugs and the temptations of the road before finally fulfilling his dream of becoming a 100-percent pure bluesman, resurrecting the career of Muddy Waters, and winning a Grammy Award for his effort, this is a raucous roller coaster of a true story.
Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen
Brad Tolinski - 2021
Since his band Van Halen burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut album in 1978, Eddie had been hailed as an icon not only to fans of rock music and heavy metal, but to performers across all genres and around the world. Van Halen’s debut sounded unlike anything that listeners had heard before and remains a quintessential rock album of the era. Over the course of more than four decades, Eddie gained renown for his innovative guitar playing, and particularly for popularizing the tapping guitar solo technique. Unfortunately for Eddie and his legions of fans, he died before he was ever able to put his life down to paper in his own words, and much of his compelling backstory has remained elusive—until now. In Eruption, music journalists Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill share with fans, new and old alike, a candid, compulsively readable, and definitive oral history of the most influential rock guitarist since Jimi Hendrix. It is based on more than 50+ hours of unreleased interviews they recorded with Eddie Van Halen over the years, most of them conducted at the legendary 5150 studios at Ed’s home in Los Angeles. The heart of Eruption is drawn from these intimate and wide-ranging talks, as well as conversations with family, friends, and colleagues. In addition to discussing his greatest triumphs as a groundbreaking musician, including an unprecedented dive into Van Halen’s masterpiece 1984, the book also takes an unflinching look at Edward’s early struggles as young Dutch immigrant unable to speak the English language, which resulted in lifelong issues with social anxiety and substance abuse. Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen also examines his brilliance as an inventor who changed the face of guitar manufacturing.As entertaining as it is revealing, Eruption is the closest readers will ever get to hearing Eddie’s side of the story when it comes to his extraordinary life.