Biography & Autobiography : Composers & Musicians

The acclaimed, bestselling rock-and-roll biographer delivers the first complete, unexpurgated history of the world’s greatest band. The saga of the Rolling Stones is the central epic in rock mythology. From their debut as the intermission band at London’s Marquee Club in 1962 through their latest record—setting Bridges to Babylon world tour, the Rolling Stones have defined a musical genre and experienced godlike adulation, quarrels, addiction, legal traumas, and descents into madness and death_while steadfastly refusing to fade away. more...

Price: $9.95

Ordinary Girl is legendary singer-songwriter Donna Summer’s delightfully candid memoir about her journey from singing in a Boston church to her unexpected reign as the Queen of Disco—and the tragedy and spiritual rebirth that followed. more...

Price: $17.50

The bass player for the greatest improvisational band in American history tells the full, true story of his life, Jerry Garcia, and the Dead.Phil Lesh first met Jerry Garcia in 1959 in the clubs of East Palo Alto, California. At Garcia's suggestion, Lesh learned to play the electric bass, joining him in a new band that blendedR&B, country, and rock and roll with an experimental fervor never before heard. Now, in time for the Grateful Dead's 40th anniversary, Phil Lesh offers the first behind-the-scenes history of the Dead—a story no one will ever know as he does. From their first gigs to the legendary Acid Tests, in San Francisco's Summer of Love, at Woodstock, Monterey, Altamont, and the Pyramids, the Dead have been in the center of rock's defining moments. Phil Lesh tells what it has been like to live at the heart of this whirlwind, making uncompromisingly original musicwith bandmates Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Pigpen, Mickey Hart, and especially Jerry Garcia, the charismatic, enigmaticsoul of the band. He tells the stories behind songs like “Dark Star,” “Friend of the Devil,” “Truckin',” and his legendary composition “Box of Rain.” And in intimate detail, Leshdescribes what it was like to storm heaven night after night—and the price he and others have paid, up to and following Jerry Garcia's tragic death in 1995. SEARCHING FOR THE SOUND is a ruthlessly honest look inside one of thegreatest American bands, written with humor, intelligence,and a deep affection that only Phil Lesh himself could provide. more...

Price: $11.99

Janis Ian was catapulted into the spotlight in 1966 at the. age of fifteen when her soul-wrenching song “Society’s. Child” became a national hit. An intimate portrait of an. interracial relationship, “Society’s Child” climbed the charts. despite the fact that many radio stations across the country. refused to play it because of its controversial subject matter. But. this was only the beginning of a long and illustrious career. In. this fascinating memoir of her life in the music business, Ian. chronicles how she did drugs with Jimi Hendrix, went shopping. for Grammy clothes with Janis Joplin, and sang with Mel Tormé. —all the while never ceasing to create unforgettable music. In Society’s Child, Ian shares with readers what it felt like to. move in and out of the public eye. In 1975 her legendary song “At. Seventeen” earned two Grammy awards and five nominations. But during the 1980s she made a conscious decision to walk. away from the often grueling music business to study ballet and. acting. She also struggled through a difficult marriage that. ended with her then husband’s threat to kill her. The hiatus from. music lasted for nearly a decade until, in 1993, Ian returned with. the release of Breaking Silence. Rather than risk losing artistic. control, she took out a second mortgage on her home to fund. the record. It paid off as Breaking Silence gained Ian her ninth. Grammy nomination. Now in her fifth decade, Ian continues to. draw large audiences around the globe. Janis Ian has inspired generations of fans and in this moving. book she shares the fascinating story of her life in music. more...

Price: $26.95

Gram Parsons lived fast, died young, and left a beautiful corpse–a corpse his friends stole, took to Joshua Tree National Monument, and set afire in its coffin. The theft and burning of his body marked the end of Gram Parsons’ life and the beginning of the Gram Parsons legend. more...

Price: $11.95