Music : Popular

What it's like to make a living making music, from the people who know best: more than a hundred of the biggest names in rock, jazz and hip-hop. Life in the world of professional music requires incredible devotion but pays big rewards. Your body clock is skewed toward night-time; touring is an endless parade of sound checks, hotel rooms and road food; success for most is a long incremental climb. But you're doing what you love most in the whole world — and there's no substitute for the reception from a room full of people who love it too. Based on interviews with more than a hundred working musicians conducted over more than twenty years, this book covers every aspect of the music life: starting out, playing the first gig, making a record, living on the road, crafting the perfect set, writing great songs, and much more. Among the musicians who share their thoughts are: Harry Connick Jr., Gene Simmons, Tim Rice, Bruce Springsteen, Leo Kottke, Phil Everly, Jerry Garcia, Robbie Robertson, Paul Simon, Donald Fagen, John Lee Hooker, Jim Webb, Frank Zappa, Keith Richards, Carole King, Randy Newman, Neil Sedaka, Brenda Lee, John Sebastian, Bruce Hornsby, George Thorogood, Leonard Cohen, and many more. The result is a lifetime's worth of wisdom and experience that will open the eyes of fans and musicians alike. more...

Price: $12.95

This is the story of the Light Crust Doughboys phenomenon, from their debut broadcast in 1930 to their contemporary live performances. more...

Price: $29.95

This guide examines the growth of Bruce Springsteen’s career, from the optimistic youth who wrote Born To Run to the respected heavyweight songwriter of today. Collaborations and side projects, and the work of band members away from E Street are also detailed and rated. more...

Price: $7.99

This first comprehensive, integrated analysis of MTV provides new ways to understand television and popular music narratives. more...

Price: $78.00

The first definitive biography of the ultimate American rock band How did a pair of little Dutch boys trained in classical music grow up to become the nucleus of the most popular heavy metal band of all time? What's the secret behind Eddie Van Halen's incredible fast and furious guitar solos? What makes David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar so wacky? And, are all those stories about groupies, booze bashes, and contract riders true? The naked truth is laid bare in Everybody Wants Some—the real-life story of a rock 'n' roll fantasy come true. more...

Price: $25.95