Unassuming late guitarist Paul Yandell described his career not as one of celebrity but as sideman, the musician that audiences hear while they're focused on the star. From his humble beginnings as a poor Kentucky farm boy learning to play to taking the stage at the Grand Ole Opry, he ultimately gained the trust and confidence of two of America's finest musicians, Jerry Reed and the incomparable Chet Atkins. Compiled from personal correspondence and interviews, Paul's online posts, and family members, a lifetime in the music business is recounted, from breaking in with the Louvin Brothers in the 1950s to his 25-year association with "Mr. Guitar" Chet Atkins, to his last recording in 2006. Along the way, Paul provides a wealth of information and history about guitar modification, gear and gadgets, and the people and personalities of country music's golden era in the second half of the 20th century.

When author Steve Burton heard the plan for transforming a relatively untouched bird sanctuary in the Middle Eastern emirate of Abu Dhabi into a complex, global entertainment and premier yachting destination within thirty months, he thought the idea was impossible. The Rulers believed otherwise. It will be done. Burton was tasked with performing at the highest level and not sweating the small stuff like money. No was removed from his vocabulary. Those were the rules. Deadlines were another one. It was no small endeavor. Recognized as one of today s premier marina development specialists, Burton was hired by Abu Dhabi s flagship real estate development company in 2007. In Staying Afloat he narrates an account of cross-cultural encounters, stratospheric expectations, unimaginable obstacles, and hilarious day-to-day experiences faced as an American expatriate living for three years in one of the wealthiest and most culturally diverse countries on the planet in the midst of the world s most politically volatile regions. Staying Afloat conveys a unique blend of cultural insight, candor, and wit while communicating that an open mind, a keen sense of humor, and a supreme level of patience and determination are indispensable for living and working in a foreign country.

Robert Plant is one of the few genuine living rock legends. Frontman of Led Zeppelin, musical innovator and seller of millions of records, Plant has had a profound influence on music for over four decades. But the full account of his life has barely been told ... until now. Robert Plant: A Life is the first complete and comprehensive telling of Plant's story. From his earliest performances in folk clubs in the early 1960s, to the world's biggest stages as Led Zeppelin's self-styled 'Golden God', and on to his emergence as an emboldened solo star. The sheer scale of Zeppelin's success is extraordinary: in the US alone they sold 70 million records, a figure surpassed only by the Beatles. But their success was marred by tragedy. These pages contain first-hand accounts of Plant's greatest highs and deepest lows: the tragic deaths of his son Karac and his friend, Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Told in vivid detail, this is the definitive story of a man of great talent, remarkable fortitude and extraordinary conviction.

This book provides an informal biography of the wunderkind who became one of America's greatest living artists and most well-known architects. Many are familiar with the art and architectural design work of Maya Lin, but the compelling details of her personal background are less well known. This book not only focuses upon Lin's substantial achievements throughout her life, but also presents Maya Lin's "prehistory," describing family events in China that led to her parents' flight to the United States. Author Donald Langmead guides readers through Lin's ancestry and family connections in precommunist China; her childhood and youth in Athens, Ohio; the story behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC; her career after 1982 (by decades); and emphasis on environmental conservation. Written for a young adult and general readership, Maya Lin: A Biography provides an up-to-date description of how she became one of the most famous and respected artists in America. Provides a timeline of Maya Lin's significant life events, artworks, and exhibitions Includes various photographs to accompany the text Contains a bibliography organized by types of sources, including writings by Maya Lin, books, monographs and catalogues, transcripts of interviews, and videos Includes an index of important people and artworks

Few Mexican musicians in the twentieth century achieved as much notoriety or had such an international impact as the popular singer and songwriter Agustin Lara (1897-1970). Widely known as "el flaco de oro" ("the Golden Skinny"), this remarkably thin fellow was prolific across the genres of bolero, ballad, and folk. His most beloved "Granada," a song so enduring that it has been covered by the likes of Mario Lanza, Frank Sinatra, and Placido Domingo, is today a standard in the vocal repertory. However, there exists very little biographical literature on Lara in English. In AgustinLara: A Cultural Biography, author Andrew Wood's informed and informative placement of Lara's work in a broader cultural context presents a rich and comprehensive reading of the life of this significant musical figure. Lara's career as a media celebrity as well as musician provides an excellent window on Mexican society in the mid-twentieth century and on popular culture in Latin America. Wood also delves into Lara's music itself, bringing to light how the composer's work unites a number of important currents in Latin music of his day, particularly the bolero. With close musicological focus and in-depth cultural analysis riding alongside the biographical narrative, Agustin Lara: A Cultural Biography is a welcome read to aficionados and performers of Latin American musics, as well as a valuable addition to the study of modern Mexican music and Latin American popular culture as a whole."

Little Book of Chanel is the pocket-sized and beautifully illustrated story of the most celebrated fashion designer in history. Chronicling the life and legacy of Coco Chanel, one of fashion's most influential couturiers, this gorgeous book offers a fascinating account of Chanel's evolution and innovation. From her early days of millinery, through her revolutionary inventions in sportswear and jersey fashions for women, to the classics that made her name, such as the Chanel cardigan jacket, little black dress and exquisite perfumes. Detailed photographs and sketches of Chanel's designs, along with fashion photography and catwalk shots, pay tribute to one of the world's most highly regarded fashion houses and the woman behind it, making a striking gift for any lover of fashion.

In The Image Business, Steve Powell's autobiography lifts the lid on the development of sports photography and photojournalism. With a no holds barred account of his life as a working photographer and business innovator, he tells of covering world-beating sporting successes and occasional failures, and of how he built the Allsport Photographic agency into an industry leader that made him a millionaire. "The authors' experiences are so vast and often outrageous that it's easy to forget that this is a true story." L Lemay. He has worked with everyone from world beating powerboat racers to Olympic greats such as Seb Coe and Daley Thompson. Muhammad Ali, Bjorn Borg, Seve Ballesteros and Diego Maradona have all been his subjects during a lifetime of capturing iconic images. "In a book market full of often told stories, this is a unique and compelling read." MarcoVB. Unique insights into the athletes and administrators who shaped sport over thirty years could only come from a true insider. He gives a fascinating and fast-paced narrative of a career that began on the gritty streets of London and took him to every global arena where sport is played, working with every major publication and sponsor as he developed ways to help them deliver their messages. - "This book is right up there with Phil Knight's "Shoe Dog"." Anonymous Powell reveals the struggles of an emerging independent agency as it fought to gain recognition, how it helped break the union stranglehold on Fleet Street and established Allsport and its photographers as the go-to source for all that was best in the emerging sports photography industry. - "This is a thoroughly entertaining book and, I believe, an important one." R Bundy. Follow his riveting personal narrative as he describes how he overcame personality clashes that almost brought the agency to its knees and how riding the tide of advancing technologies helped create a unique business model. Always just one step ahead of the opposition, his career mirrors how he harnessed fast moving changes in the industry to create his own unique place in sports media history. "(The author) has you feeling as if you are right there living it alongside him." Anonymous. This is the story of the man who built the world's biggest and most famous sports photography business and under whose guidance, became the first official photographer to the International Olympic Committee and worked with every major sporting organisation, governing body and athlete in Europe, and North America. "A truly inspiring read, by a truly inspiring guy. His life, his travels keep you reading until the end. What a life, great read." J Tilley. Finally, the book traces with engaging candour his learning curve in preparing the company for sale, turning the business of capturing images into capitalising images as a business. The buyer was Mark Getty and guided by Powell, Allsport became a bedrock in the rapidly emerging Getty Images and made Powell more successful than he could have imagined.

In here is an offering. An offering designed to enlighten and inspire anyone who is on the less traveled road laid out by the 12 steps of recovery. I say less traveled because the numbers of true recoverees is relatively small in comparison to the numbers of people caught in addictions. This collection has been many, many years in the making. I hope that it may bring some light and maybe a little humor to a relatively dark subject.I have tried not to offend sensitive eyes and pallets but there is some language used in the cramped world of users that works when other language doesn't, and some of it is in this collection. I have refrained from vulgarity however and if you can tolerate some compromise I am sure you will be pleasantly rewarded. If you are new to recovery you may be surprised at some of the things here that you thought no one else had ever thought.It is important to remember that the common thread in addiction is the lie that you are the only one who has ever done the things you are doing. There is only so much dysfunction in the world, and when you have been on the road of recovery for a while it becomes amazingly redundant. Everybody is stunned to find out they are not alone in their weirdness. Stunned and then relieved to find out that there is a way out.The bottom line is that we give up a life of using for a life of service. When you find this and come to terms with serving people who usually don't care, and you serve them anyway, then and only then will you start receiving the rewards that await you.

A memoir by the woman who knew Bob Marley best--his wife, Rita.
Rita Marley grew up in the slums of Trench Town, Jamaica. Abandoned by her mother at a very young age, she was raised by her aunt. Music ran in Rita's family, and even as a child her talent for singing was pronounced. By the age of 18, Rita was an unwed mother, and it was then that she met Bob Marley at a recording studio in Trench Town. Bob and Rita became close friends, fell in love, and soon, she and her girlfriends were singing backup for the Wailers. At the ages of 21 and 19, Bob and Rita were married.
The rest is history: Bob Marley and the Wailers set Jamaica and the world on fire. But while Rita displayed blazing courage, joy, and an indisputable devotion to her husband, life with Bob was not easy. There were his liaisons with other women--some of which produced children and were conducted under Rita's roof. The press repeatedly reported that Bob was unmarried to preserve his "image." But Rita kept her self-respect, and when Bob succumbed to cancer in 1981, she was at his side. In the years that followed, she became a force in her own right--as the Bob Marley Foundation's spokesperson and a performer in her reggae group, the I-Three.
Written with author Hettie Jones, No Woman No Cry is a no-holds-barred account of life with one of the most famous musicians of all time. In No Woman No Cry, readers will learn about the never-before-told details of Bob Marley's life, including:
How Rita practiced subsistence farming when first married to Bob to have food for her family. How Rita rode her bicycle into town with copies of Bob's latest songs to sell. How Rita worked as a housekeeper in Delaware to help support her family when her children were young. Why Rita chose to befriend some of the women with whom Bob had affairs and to give them advice on rearing the children they had with Bob. The story of the attack on Bob which almost killed the two of them. Bob's last wishes, dreams, and hopes, as well as the details of his death, such as who came to the funeral (and who didn't).

Film and theatre director Tony Richardson's death in 1991, the publication of his memoirs in 1993, and the posthumous release of his final movie, Blue Sky in 1994 have resulted in the beginning of a critical reevaluation of Richardson's career. The first major reference on Richardson's life and work in British and American theatre and film, this book is a necessary first step in that reevaluation. Richardson's life and work are summarized in a brief opening biography. A chronology then outlines the major events in his career. The chapters that follow provide extensively annotated listings for all of his professional film, theatre, and television work. Entries provide plot summaries, cast and credit listings, review excerpts, and commentary. Also included is a list of awards and nominations given to Richardson and his productions. Of great significance is the annotated bibliography of books and articles by, about, or with significant references to Richardson.

The Black Horn: The Story of Classical French Hornist Robert Lee Watt tells the story of the first African American French Hornist hired by a major symphony in these United States. Today, the number of African Americans who hold chairs in major American symphony orchestras are few and far between, and Watt is the first in many years to write about this uniquely exhilarating and at times painful experience. The Black Horn chronicles the upbringing of a young boy first fascinated by the sound of the French horn. Watt walks readers through the many obstacles presented by the racial climate in the United States both on and off stage in his efforts learn and eventually master an instrument little considered in the African American community, with even the author s own father, who played trumpet, seeking to dissuade the young classical musician in the making. Opposition from within the community--a middle instrument suited only for thin-lipped white boys, Watt s father once chided and from without, Watt document his struggles as a student at an all-white major music conservatory as well as his first job in a major symphony orchestra after his conservatory canceled his scholarship. Watt subsequently chronicles his triumphs and travails as a musician, sometimes alone when confronting the realities of race in America and the world of classical music. This work will surely interest any working classical musician and student, particularly those of color, seeking to grasp firsthand the sometimes troubled history of being the only black horn. "

The man who brought a mountain of soul to Houston, Texas. The man who brought and promoted many Houston rhythm and blues performers. The man who brought and promoted many comedy shows including Amos &Andy. The man who watched the church he is a member of grow from 25 members to over 14,000 members.

This volume offers the first comprehensive analysis of the work of East German theatre director Fritz Bennewitz in India between 1970 and 1994. Joerg Esleben has gathered together many of Bennewitz' own writings, most published for the first time, in which he reflects on his production of plays by Bertolt Brecht, Shakespeare, Goethe, Chekhov, and Volker Braun. By translating these writings into English, the editors have provided unprecedented access to Bennewitz' thinking about intercultural work in India. This material is illuminated by explanatory annotations, contextualized commentary, and critical perspectives from Bennewitz's former colleagues in India and other leading scholars. Through its kaleidoscope of perspectives, Fritz Bennewitz in India offers a significant counter to dominant models of Western theatrical interculturalism.