Author Mark Beaumont met and interviewed Jay Z in 2009 and many quotes from that interview feature in this biography. Includes interviews with Kanye West, Chris Martin, Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Damon Dash, Dr Dre, Rick Rubin and many others. Details his early life, his Father abandoning him, his accidental shooting of his brother and his delving into cocaine dealing. The launch of his Roc-A-Fella record label and his subsequent album releases including the platinum selling In My Life and Hard Knock Life. His alleged involvement in the stabbing of record executive Lance Riviera, the trial and his three year probation sentence. How he became the CEO of Def Jam Recordings (one of his first signings was Rihanna) His relationship and marriage to Beyonce Knowles. His entrepreneurial skills from launching his own Rocawear clothing and accessories line, his New York club 40/40 and his rumoured investments in real estate and football clubs. Brings the story right up to date to include his performance at Glastonbury in 2008, the Haiti aid single Stranded, his concerts with Eminem, his Watch The Throne EP release with Kanye West and his supporting U2 on their World Tour.

Just after recording with John Coltrane in 1963, baritone singer Johnny Hartman (1923-1983) told a family member that "something special" occurred in the studio that day. He was right - the album, containing definitive readings of "Lush Life" and "My One and Only Love," resides firmly in the realm of iconic; forever enveloping listeners in the sounds of romance. In The Last Balladeer, author Gregg Akkerman skillfully reveals not only the intimate details of that album but the life-long achievements and occasional missteps of Hartman as an African-American artist dedicated to his craft. This book carefully follows the journey of the Grammy-nominated vocalist from his big band origins with Earl Hines and Dizzy Gillespie to featured soloist in prestigious supper clubs throughout the world. Through exclusive interviews with Hartman's family and fellow musicians (including Tony Bennett, Billy Taylor, Kurt Elling, Jon Hendricks, and others), accounts from friends and associates, newly discovered recordings and studio outtakes, and in-depth research on his career and personal life, Akkerman expertly recollects the Hartman character as a gentleman, romantic, family man, and constant contributor to the jazz scene. From his international concerts in Japan, Australia, and England to his steady presence as an American nightclub singer that spanned five decades, Hartman personifies the "last balladeer" of his kind, singing with a sentiment that captured the attention of Clint Eastwood, who brought Hartman's songs to the masses in the film The Bridges of Madison County. In the first full-length biography and discography to chronicle the rhapsodic life and music of Johnny Hartman, the author completes a previously missing dimension of vocal-jazz history by documenting Hartman as the balladeer who crooned his way into so many hearts. Backed by impeccable research but conveyed in a conversational style, this book will interest not only musicians and scholars but any fan of the Great American Songbook and the singers who brought it to life.

For nearly thirty years Lionel Richie has never looked back as a performer. From fronting his group the Commodores - the premier R&B pop unit of the seventies - he became the most popular singer/songwriter in the world by the eighties. A decade later he was the ultimate star entertainer with a 'nice guy' image. The "Lionel Richie" story is about a five-time Grammy winner who has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. For nine consecutive years he had no 1 singles in America, a feat matched only by Irving Berlin. It is also the story of two broken marriages, personal insecurities, near-death experiences and an insight into the man behind a success story that broke the rules. "Lionel Richie" is the first book written about Lionel Richie and the Commodores and draws on Sharon Davis' unique access to the Motown archive, her numerous in depth interviews with Richie as well as her time as the Comodores' publicist.

The central image of David Bowie's "Life on Mars?" could have been ripped from his own experience: a child sits "hooked to the silver screen," reliving fantastical scenes played out on film. Throughout his life, Bowie was similarly transfixed by the power of film. From his first film role in The Image to his final music video before his death, "Lazarus," Bowie's musical output has long been intrinsically linked to images. Analyzing Bowie's music videos, planned film projects, acting roles, and depictions in film, David Bowie and the Moving Image provides a comprehensive view of Bowie's work with film and informs our understanding of all areas of his work, from music to fashion to visual art. It enters the debate about Bowie's artistic legacy by addressing Bowie as musician, actor, and auteur.

A musician of rare artistry, the self-effacing yet charismatic Yo-Yo Ma connects with his audiences with startling effectiveness. He remains devoted to the classical repertoire yet has long roved far beyond the Western classical music canon. Despite his real superstar status and thriving solo career, he has often sought out musicians outside the classical sphere and collaborated with them on fascinating recordings. Above all, he is committed to the ever-evolving musical odyssey of his Silk Road Ensemble, itself part of a broader Silk Road Project aiming to explore the deep and varied artistic connections between East and West. Ma's legions of admirers seek out his musical genius in his recordings. Here they can become acquainted with the energetic and charming Ma himself and trace the trajectory of his unique and distinguished career.

The Rolling Stones: Sociological Perspectives, edited by Helmut Staubmann, draws from a broad spectrum of sociological perspectives to contribute both to the understanding of the phenomenon of the Rolling Stones and to an in-depth analysis of contemporary society and culture that takes The Stones a starting point. Contributors approach The Rolling Stones from a range of social science perspectives including cultural studies, communication and film studies, gender studies, and the sociology of popular music. The essays in this volume focus on the question of how the worldwide success of The Rolling Stones over the course of more than half a century reflects society and the transformation of popular culture.

A ROLLING STONE, MOJO, and PITCHFORK BOOK OF THE YEAR A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The story, in his own words, of one of the century's most feted singer songwriters: Jeff Tweedy, the man behind music by Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, and Tweedy. Through his pioneering work in the legendary country-punk band Uncle Tupelo, to his enduring legacy as the creative force behind the unclassifiable sound of Wilco, Jeff Tweedy has weaved his way between the underground and the mainstream. While his songs have been endlessly discussed and analysed, rarely has Tweedy talked directly about himself in any detail - until now. Funny, disarming and deeply honest, his memoir casts light on his unique creative process and the moments that have shaped his life and career. 'There's a big-heartedness to the way he writes: humorous, fearless, unflinching.' GUARDIAN 'Frank, engaging, and often very funny.' MOJO 'Enlightening . . . a rock'n'roll book that quietly dismantles what we expect from rock'n'roll books.' PITCHFORK 'A uniquely raw autobiography.' ROLLING STONE 'Wildly entertaining . . . breathtaking . . . unforgettable . . . it's a wonderful book, alternately sorrowful and triumphant.' NPR

Diary of a Redneck Vampire is the journal of a 23 year-old female drummer, begun shortly after auditioning for the all-male heavy metal band The Redneck Vampires in 1993. New to the band, Flo finds herself the only girl in a man's world, and she kept this diary to deal with her changing life. She captures the band's plight as they tour North America, living on stranger's couches, fighting among themselves, getting and losing record deals, and performing for just enough cash to make it to the next town. In addition to the pursuit of rock stardom, Flo also seriously studied the pagan religion of Wicca, and her spiritual life grows and changes as the pages turn. You will laugh at the idiocy, experience the raging, energetic crowds from the view of a drummer playing on stage, and recognize the struggle bands go through to meet their definition of success. Full of the drugs, the drama, and the dreams of rock and roll, Diary of a Redneck Vampire pushes limits and exposes the ugly truth of the beginning stages of a band in their struggle to make it in the music industry, shared uniquely from the perspective of a female participant.

Since the time of his death, Dmitri Schostakovich's place in the pantheon of 20th century composers has become more commanding and more celebrated, while his musical legacy, with all its wonderfully varied richness, is performed with increasing frequency throughout the world. This seemingly endless surge of interest can be attributed , at least in part, to 'Testimony'. The powerful memoirs the ailing composer dictated to the young Russian musicologist Solomon Volkov.

Over the course of his long career, legendary bluesman William ""Big Bill"" Broonzy (1893@-1958) helped shape the trajectory of the genre, from its roots in the rural Mississippi River Delta, through its rise as a popular genre in the north, to its eventual international acclaim. Along the way, Broonzy adopted an evolving personal and professional identity, tailoring his self-presentation to the demands of the place and time. His remarkable professional fluidity mirrored the range of expectations from his audiences, whose ideas about race, national belonging, identity, and the blues were refracted through Broonzy as if through a prism. Kevin D. Greene argues that Broonzy's popular success testifies to his ability to navigate the cultural expectations of his different audiences. However, this constant reinvention came at a personal and professional cost. Using Broonzy's multifaceted career, Greene situates blues performance at the center of understanding African American self-presentation and racial identity in the first half of the twentieth century. Through Broonzy's life and times, Greene assesses major themes and events in African American history, including the Great Migration, urbanization, and black expatriate encounters with European culture consumers. Drawing on a range of historical source materials as well as oral histories and personal archives held by Broonzy's son, Greene perceptively interrogates how notions of race, gender, and audience reception continue to shape concepts of folk culture and musical authenticity.

One of Lawrence Welk's most beloved entertainers, an Emmy Award winner and a Las Vegas headliner, Roberta Linn captured the hearts of fans nationwide. Her inspiring story unfolds in the pages of "Not Now, Lord, I've Got Too Much to Do."Born in a small Iowa town to a farmer's daughter and a minor league baseball player, Roberta discovered her talent for performing at a young age. She played in film productions and worked with big names stars like Shirley Temple, Cary Grant, and Clark Gable. At the age of thirteen, she fabricated her true age and enlisted in the Women's Army Corps, entertaining the troops of World War II.From 1950 to 1955, Roberta became Lawrence Welk's first television 'Champagne Lady," and she was displayed on magazine covers around the country. But the harshness of celebrity life finally took its toll, and Roberta's ill health led to a medicine-induced coma in 1958. Her amazing recovery reinforced her faith, and she continued to find success in her career. Both moving and uplifting, "Not Now, Lord, I've Got Too Much to Do" showcases the triumph of one of the most popular entertainers of Hollywood's golden age.

This book is open access and available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. It is funded by Knowledge Unlatched. Many critics have interpreted Bob Dylan's lyrics, especially those composed during the middle to late 1960s, in the contexts of their relation to American folk, blues, and rock'n'roll precedents; their discographical details and concert performances; their social, political and cultural relevance; and/or their status for discussion as "poems." Dylan's Autobiography of a Vocation instead focuses on how all of Dylan's 1965-1967 songs manifest traces of his ongoing, internal "autobiography" in which he continually declares and questions his relation to a self-determined existential summons.

This was the first attempt at a full length biography of Bach and a critical apreciation of his work as composer and performer. Translated by Walter Emery in 1941-1942 with introductory notes and two appendices, but not published in his lifetime. Walter Emery, musicologist, specialised in the works J.S. Bach.

John Cage was among the first wave of post-war American artists and intellectuals to be influenced by Zen Buddhism and it was an influence that led him to become profoundly engaged with our current ecological crisis. In John Cage and Buddhist Ecopoetics, Peter Jaeger asks: what did Buddhism mean to Cage? And how did his understanding of Buddhist philosophy impact on his representation of nature? Following Cage's own creative innovations in the poem-essay form and his use of the ancient Chinese text, the I Ching to shape his music and writing, this book outlines a new critical language that reconfigures writing and silence. Interrogating Cage's 'green-Zen' in the light of contemporary psychoanalysis and cultural critique as well as his own later turn towards anarchist politics, John Cage and Buddhist Ecopoetics provides readers with a critically performative site for the Zen-inspired "nothing" which resides at the heart of Cage's poetics, and which so clearly intersects with his ecological writing.

'Bowie, Cambo & All the Hype' traces the extraordinary and pivotal friendship between David Bowie and drummer John Cambridge, from the time when Bowie made his first major career breakthrough in 1969 to his death from cancer in 2016. John 'Cambo' Cambridge lived with Bowie at Haddon Hall when he had his first hit record 'Space Oddity' and toured with him in Junior's Eyes. He was there when Bowie lost his father, passed his driving test and played his first Glam Rock gig with Hype, even acting as best man when Bowie married Angela Barnett in 1970. And if John had not persuaded his former Rats colleague Mick Ronson to join Bowie in February 1970, there might never have been a Ziggy Stardust or the stellar career which followed. In this book we get a backstage pass to meet the key people and witness the events of those crucial times in a funny, moving, story of a unique friendship that survived the Hype.