Popular Music in Print

B.B. King reminisces in his typically modest way about his life's journey from poverty to international stardom, meeting the greats along the way and confronting the ridiculous racism of the USA. He's met them all and has mostly kind words to say, too, especially about a young Memphis singer called Elvis Presley. Great stuff

Rock'n'Roll (the fifties progression from Blues) also plays a major part in this excellent study of the roots of modern music, a series of portraits of influential artists and companies. Amongst the artists profiled are Muddy Waters, Robert Pete Williams and Jerry Lee Lewis. An excellent companion to Guralnick's own "Lost Highway". Good stuff.

Want a decent, readable, not too involved history of the Blues? This is the book to get! From the early nineteen-hundreds up to the early nineteen-nineties, this book is a real joy. Purists and snobs will more than likely balk at Davis's comments regarding Elvis Presley ("He was one of the finest white blues singers."), but he's only agreeing with B.B. King and they've probably never actually listened to Elvis sing the blues anyway! Wonderfully illustrated (Blind Blake, Blind Willie McTell, Lucille Bogan, an loads of others). Do yourself a favour -- buy this book!

Very personal autobiography, which I didn't particularly enjoy reading. Still, its forthright and honest, as I imagine Cash to be, so perhaps it's better than I think! Includes b&w illustrations (though I could do without those of the grandchildren!) and a review of the most significant releases, both US and foreign. Sadly, no index.

Colin Escott doesn't disappoint in this excellent biography of one of country music true greats, both as a performer and a composer. If you're looking for a book about Williams, this is the one to get.

Subtitled, "The Honky-tonk Life of Country Music's Greatest Singer," which, apart from the hyperbole, is a fairly accurate description of the contents. Well written, well illustrated, and interesting to read the wild tales of the early touring days and the ups and downs of an often all too forgotten singer.

Excellent biography of Patsy Cline, THE female country singer, who still acts as a yardstick by which to judge other country artists. Includes good discography, with session dates and list of session musicians.

A largely photographic record of the many musicians who were born (and some bred) in Mississippi. Some textual background and brief biographical data. Excellent photos, spanning many years and styles: Blues, Country, Gospel, Urban Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Rock & Roll, Jazz. A worthy addition!

Superbly illustrated , excellently annotated look at some of the great guitars and guitarists of the 50s -- even has sidebars, putting everything into historical context. If you like guitars, don't miss this book!

Subtitled, "40 Years of Hits in Flanders," so the book looks at Flemish hits rather than Belgian, as implied by the main title. Information is listed in five sections: alphabetically by artist(s); alphabetically by title; weekly charts; annual top 50 and top 100; chronological list of number 1's.

Based on Murrells' "Million Selling Records," but extending the information with additional biographical information about the major stars of the decade. Also includes interesting reviews of each year, British and US number one singles, British silver discs, American gold albums, and various British and American award listings. This is a book that no DJ should be without!

All the million sellers from 1903 to 1983, with background information about each number (artist(s), country of origin, original label, comments), though the lists for '81 to '83 give only performer, title, label and country. Illustrated in b&w. Includes title and artist index for easy reference.

The book against which all other modern music books seem to be judged. It was good when it was written and it's still a good read, though comes across as a bit dated now. But where else will you find this much information about Harmonica Frank? Also a good profile of Robert Johnson, but the essay "Elvis Presliad" is probably one of the best analyses of Elvis Presley, his influence and importance, that you will ever read. Includes extensive notes and discographies, almost worthy of a book in themselves.

Music guide-cum-travel guide for Tennessee, with occasional excursion over its borders with other states. Covers all the genres of popular music that have emanated from the state, though necessarily in somewhat abridged format -- there's a lot to write about! Nice thumbnail sketches of well known, not so well known, and far from well known performers, both past and present. Interesting read and probably an excellent book to have at hand when visiting Tennessee.

All you ever wanted to know about the development of the electric guitar, from the early amplified acoustics to the modern solid bodies, via the 1932 Frying Pan. Key models are profiled, including the Stratocaster, the Les Paul, the Telecaster and the Gibson ES150. If you like guitars, you'll love this book.

More than 5000 original titles with information about their original recordings and covers, though, sadly, some well known gospel numbers are missing. Otherwise an excellent reference: titles are listed alphabetically and an index of performers completes a very worthy effort. Inevitably a few errors have crept in, such as Elvis's cover of Long Tall Sally being listed as having been recorded in 1973 (well, he sang it a lot in concert, but his "original cover" was in 1956!). And where's Little Egypt?

Buddy Holly, Hank Marvin, Jimi Hendix, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Mark Knopfler, Ry Cooder... and ME (well, mine's only a Squier copy) -- they and many other great players (leave me out there) all play(ed) the Strat. Excellent book, superbly illustrated, telling the story of the development of one of the icons of modern music. Wonderful!

Excellent book covering many genres of modern music: blues, jazz, pop, R&B, rock'n'roll, rap, gospel, opera... What happened on each day of the year, relevant to all aspects of black music (and therefore ALL music). And not just American artists are featured -- no less than Welsh diva Shirley Bassey is also included! Definitely a browsing book. Good stuff! Extract for August 24: "Elvis Presley listed Big Boy Crudup as one of his major influences. In fact, Presley seems to have been the only one to give Crudup the credit he is due..."

Subtitled "Untimely Deaths in the Music World." Brief bios of no less than sixty names of greater and lesser fame, from all areas of popular music. Entries are listed in order of birth, starting with Billie Holiday and ending with Steve Clark, with Johnny Ace, Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran and Jimi Hendrix along the way. A few other names are listed with very brief comment towards the end of the book, which is well indexed and has some decent illustrations, too.

Includes a CD with chords and backing tracks. Nice introduction to basic rock guitar playing, including brief history of the guitar and look at additional equipment from effects boxes to amplifiers. Nice set.

Some thirty pieces, ranging from popular to clssical, clearly explained and preceded by specific instruction on playing techniques for each piece. More interesting than most guitar instruction books, but you'll probably still need one of those for some basic music theory.

Beautifully printed book with excellent if brief history of the development of the guitar. A foreword by Les Paul should inspire confidence, but the book is generally too busy and confusing for the learner. Short section on sound and amplification completes the book.

Includes a CD with examples and exercises. In addition to what seems to be the usual history and sound and amp information (as well as "Choosing a manager"!), this is a sort of expanded version of Burrows' "Play Rock Guitar". Clear, well explained lessons. Good sideboxes about some of the great modern players.

They don't make amps like that any more! Book packed full of stories from the early days of British rock, as it developed from Skiffle and gradually became dominated by the guitar. An amp of 17 watts was then considered almost excessive, much equipment was hand-made, touring was decidely less than glamorous. Plenty of laughs, lots of information about names from the past -- incredible to see just how many players popped up all over the place, moving from one group to another and from one studio session to another. Illustrated with pics of the main cast, as well as photos of old amps and guitars. Includes thumbnail bios of most concerned.

A look at the development of the British beat scene in the mid-1960s, covering more than 1,000 groups of that time. The most successful groups are favoured with detailed biographies and discographies. 104 pages crammed full of delicious trivia.

Brief and very superficial bios of over sixty "classic" rock (well, pop) stars. Probably more space is reserved for illustrations than text. Nothing special.

He started in the fifties, but he changed the sixties: Phil Spector. Excellent biography, well illustrated and a fitting tribute to the man who brought us "River Deep, Mountain High," "Then He Kissed Me," The Ronnettes and the wonderful Darlene Love.

Curtis Knight more or less discovered Hendrix. His biography of rock's "wild" guitarist concentrates on his musical career -- don't look for any family history here! Not especially enlightening and sad that, given the nature of Jimi's death, the book should seem to glorify drug use ("soft" drugs are drugs, too). Jimi's career was short and he seems to have burned out quickly, but at least he left some good stuff behind -- better than the book.

Connolly is a respected pop jounalist and author. In this bio of the chameleon of pop, John Lennon does not emerge as the nice chap he is generally considered to be. Either Connolly has done a Goldman on Lennon, or it is indeed so that Lennon was a scheming, jealous, bitter person, prone to fits of rage. Certainly, prior to the birth of his son by Yoko Ono, he does not seem to have been a likable individual. A good initial bio, but there is probably a lot more that could be written and explored. Well illustrated in black and white.

The dustjacket alone is almost worth the price of the book! Highly readable and well illustrated account of the ups and downs in the life of Diana Ross.

All the number one hits off the US "Adult Contemporary" (aka Easy Listening) chart from July 1961 until March 1999. In addition to the basic title and performer information, each entry shows label and number, date of attaining #1 position and length of stay, writer and producer. There hten follows an article, providing background information on performer, song, producer, previous versions, later versions, etc. Note that the amount of information varies and few entries cover all of these subjects.

Part of a 3-volume set, basically covering the 50s to the 70s. Alphabetic listing of artists, producers, labels, styles and many other aspects of popular music. This volume subtitled, "From Liverpool to San Francisco."

Part of a 3-volume set, basically covering the 50s to the 70s. Alphabetic listing of artists, producers, labels, styles and many other aspects of popular music. This volume subtitled, "The Sounds of the Seventies." Given the publishing date, this volume can hardly cover all aspects of "the Seventies"!

An excellent dive into the history of The Beatles: The Quarrymen (aka Quarry Men) were the skiffle group that started The Beatles. John Lennon and five of his school friends started The Quarrymen in 1956; by the end of 1957 all but Lennon had left. In 1997 they were invited to a one-off reunion, which developed into international tours which continue still. The story of each member, with many references to Lennon, both as a young boy and as a star (one of the Quarrymen became his PA), is told, together with an account of their lives up to the present time. Fascinating stuff, but marred by foul language. Excellently illustrated in b/w and Lennon fans will love the previously unpublished pic of him performing with The Quarrymen.

Early biography of Buddy Holly, wonderful at the time, but now seeming a bit superficial.

Huge biography containing much previously unpublished information about the life and career of one of the greats.

Well researched biography of one of the true innovators, Buddy Holly, which formed the basis for the film, "The Buddy Holly Story." Unusually good rock book for 1975 which, I'm sure, formed an example for later books.

(Reprint) Well researched biography of one of the true innovators, Buddy Holly, which formed the basis for the film, "The Buddy Holly Story." Unusually good rock book for 1975 which, I'm sure, formed an example for later books.

Rather superficial biography of one of the great writers and performers of r&r, but to be fair, it seems he's not an easy man to work with and he was planning his autobiography at the time (and I've lost my copy!). Well worth it, however, just to have at least something about the great man.

Wonderfully readable and informative bio of the Bard of Rock 'n' Roll. Great addition to any fan's collection or to the collection of anyone remotely interested in popular music of the second half of the 20th century. Probably the best Berry bio there is.

Like the rest of his career, Chuck took care of the story of his life by himself, no managers, no ghost-writers. The Shakespeare of Rock tells it all in this fascinating book, with frankness and style: racial bigotry and harassment, his many loves, his musical influences, his achievements and his run-ins with the law, they're all related using alliteration and rhyme. Put on a few Cuck Berry CDs and enjoy!

Carl died just about eighteen months after the publication of this autobiography, in which he looks back over his life and career. Learn the true story of "Blue Suede Shoes," "Matchbox," "Pink Pedal Pushers" and many of the other great r&r numbers he wrote (I still find him a better r&r writer than performer and he didn't really write "Matchbox," either -- that credit should go to Blind Lemon Jeffeson) and about Carl's problems with drink and his personal struggles. Excellent read.

The amazing story of the Sun record company. From the weird (Harmonica Frank) to the great (Elvis Presley), from the sickly-sweet (Howard Seratt) to the provocative (Jerry Lee Lewis), from the sublime (B.B. King) to the ridiculous (Doug Poindexter) with everything in-between, Sam Phillips recorded it all and changed modern music. Excellent account! And if Colin Escott wasn't recommendation enough, the foreword is by Peter Guralnick! Little Milton is reported as saying, "When they write the stories about Sun Records, they always mention Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and so on, but they never mention Junior Parker, Ike Turner, Howlin' Wolf or Little Milton -- and that's a pity. We were the roots. The beginning of Sun Records." Little Milton has clearly not read this book, or he made his comments before its publication.

Dutch translation of the biography of Jerry Lee Lewis, excellently told and very complete.

The epitome of a rock'n'roll performer, both on stage and in real life, The Killer himself (Jerry Lee Lewis, for those of you who have been in space for the last forty years) tells some of it, but much of the book is actually composed of interview material with family and friends. Where would we be without him?

Country and Blues also form part of this excellent study by one of the best writers on modern music. Amongst those profiled are Hank Snow, Charlie Feathers, Howlin' Wolf and Elvis Presley. An excellent companion to Guralnick's "Feel Like Going Home".

Darlene who? If you have to ask this, just think of numbers like "He's A Rebel" "Today I Met The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" "Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Hearts" and "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home." Her name may not have been on the label, but it was her singing (and she did so, either as lead or as backup on hundreds of other hits), probably the greatest unknown singer in pop. Her bio is a straight from the hip look at her personal and private life; no holds barred and she has a lot to be bitter about: Phil Spector gets a roasting, along with quite a few others. Some, like Cher and Elvis (she played in "Change of Habit" and sang in his 68 TV Special) Darlene has kind words for. Get one of her compilation CDs to listen along to as you read -- you'll enjoy!

26 stars of the rock'n'roll era tell of their lives, influences, and careers in 24 interviews carried out over almost twenty years, the first being Charlie Gracie in 1981 and the last, Freddy Cannon in 2000. Full list of interviewees: Jerry Allison, Gary 'U.S.' Bonds, Pat Boone, Freddy Cannon, Sonny Curtis, Bo Diddley, Dion, Fats Domino, Duane Eddy, Frankie Ford, Charlie Gracie, Brian Hyland, Marv Johnson, Ben E. King, Brenda Lee, Little Eva, Joe B. Mauldin, Chris Montez, Johnny Moore, Gene Pitney, Johnny Preston, Tommy Roe, Del Shannon, Edwin Starr, Johnny Tillotson, Bobby Vee. Well illustrated, great reading! If you can't find this book, try the publisher's site.

To commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of Buddy Holly's birth, this biography contains many fascinating new bits of information about one of the great influences on modern music, gained through access to previously unseen material and the first in-depth interview with Maria Elena, Holly's widow, for over twenty years.

Well, perhaps not "The Definitive Biography of Buddy Holly," as the subtitle suggests, but a good, well illustrated general biography of the man, which also includes good session information, track releases, and discography. A useful addition.

Boudewijn is a Dutch broadcaster and rock'n'roll fan. His regular TV programmes, examining specific rock numbers or artists are excellent and this "personal history" matches the quality. Boudewijn looks at all the big names, including Elvis Presley, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and many others. Good Stuff, but you'll have to be able to read Dutch.

A brief history of this style of music, written for schools. Text covers American and British artists (remember Terry Dene?) and is well illustrated. Great dustjacket!

From Abba to Zager and Evans -- a real A to Z! And if you didn't think that either Abba or Zager and Evans had any connection with Buddy, this book proves otherwise! Okay, a few of the connections are rather tenuous and some have more to do with the Crickets than Buddy himself, but the author shows a depth of knowledge of Buddy Holly, The Crickets and rock'n'roll in general (along with some country and r&b on the way!) that puts a lot of others to shame. The book is, unfortunately, out of print, but you might still be able to buy a copy directly from the author.

Somewhat superficial biography, presumably issued to coincide with and profit from the release of the film of the same name.

Brief, but interesting look at the three stars who died in the plane crash of 3 February, 1959 in Clear Lake, Iowa: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper). Well illustrated in black and white, though unfortunately some pictures are pixelated.

A quite excellent account of the facts leading up to and the events surrounding and following the plane crash in which Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson, the "Big Bopper," died.

Part of a 3-volume set, basically covering the 50s to the 70s. Alphabetic listing of artists, producers, labels, styles and many other aspects of popular music. This volume subtitled, "The Age of Rock'n'Roll."

Like Little Richard himself, this biography is outrageous and wonderful. If only half of it is true, you'll still be shocked! Definitely one for the rockers!