The lives of twenty composers and musicians, ranging from Vivaldi, Mozart, and Bach to Gershwin, Gilbert & Sullivan, and Woody Guthrie, are profiled in this eclectic, humorous, and informative collection.

The image and lifestyle of Jimi Hendrix was larger-than-life, but beyond this was a complex man who struggled to accept his role as an idol. This sensitive, meticulously-researched biography recounts the entire arc of Hendrix's twenty-seven years, from poverty and racism to headlining Woodstock.

"Black American jazz drummer William Henry "Chick" Webb led one of the big bands of the swing era, earning him the nickname the "King of the Savoy.""--

"In 1970s Baltimore, fourteen-year-old Mary Jane loves cooking with her mother, singing in her church choir, and enjoying her family's subscription to the Broadway Showtunes of the Month record club. Shy, quiet, and bookish, she's glad when she lands a summer job as a nanny for the daughter of a local doctor. A respectable job, Mary Jane's mother says. In a respectable house.The house may look respectable on the outside, but inside it's a literal...

Believing that every great song has a fascinating backstory, Myers brings to life five decades of music through oral histories of forty-five transformative songs woven from interviews with the artists who created them. From "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" by Lloyd Price to "Losing my religion" by R.E.M., leading artists reveal the emotions, inspirations, and techniques behind their influential works. The result is a love letter to the songs that have defined...

Follows a young Cuban girl in the 1930s as she strives to become a drummer, despite being continually reminded that only boys play the drums, and that there's never been a female drummer in Cuba. Includes note about Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who inspired the story, and Anacaona, the all-girl dance band she formed with her sisters.

The town of Woodstock, New York, the original planned venue of the 1969 concert, is over 60 miles from the actual site. And Woodstock was a key location in the rock landscape even before Bob Dylan holed up there after his infamous 1966 motorcycle accident. Hoskyns re-creates Woodstock's community of brilliant dysfunctional musicians, scheming dealers, and opportunistic hippie capitalists drawn to the area by Dylan and his sidekicks from the Band.

The 25th Anniversary Edition of Keith Green's inspiring biography, revised and updated by his wife, Melody.  This expanded biography contains many added stories and insights, never before published photos, extra selections from Keith's private journals, and glimpses into Melody's season of grieving and raising their two surviving children on her own. He was only twenty-eight when he died in a plane crash with two of his small children, but singer/songwriter...

A biography of Irish rock icon, Rory Gallagher. This is a testament to the musical life of a shy and retiring working-class hero, distinguished by his checkered shirts and his astounding dexterity on acoustic and electric guitar - the guitarist and blues man who blazed a trail for others to follow.

"From the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean to the Byrds and the Mamas & the Papas, acclaimed music journalist Joel Selvin tells the story of a group of young artists and musicians who came together at the dawn of the 1960s to create the lasting myth of the California dream. From surf music to hot-rod records to the sunny pop of the Beach Boys and the Mamas & the Papas, Hollywood Eden captures the fresh blossom of a young generation who came together in the...