Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, George Michael was raised in a family of Greek Cypriot immigrants in North London, and dreamed of stardom when he was a little boy. At just twelve years old he met Andrew Ridgeley and the two of them went on to achieve stunning success in the early 1980s with Wham!, creating music that remains popular to this day. Yet despite the enormous success of Wham!, George wanted more, and so set about recreating himself as a serious solo artist, reaching heights of even greater success. Ironically, however, even from the early days he was plagued with insecurity about his sexuality, which, combined with the calamity of losing his first lover to AIDS and his mother to cancer, plunged him into a lifelong struggle with drug addiction. He died, at the tragically early age of just fifty-three, on Christmas Day 2016. George Michael's life and career brought him international fame, and his sudden and unexpected death shocked the world. His unrivalled popularity as an artist, however, and the music he made, have turned him into one of the immortal greats of pop music. As Emily Herbert shows in this new biography, his legacy is not just his music, but his many extraordinary, and often anonymous, acts of charity.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Goo Goo Dolls, Nirvana, Green Day, Mariah Carey, Notorious B.I.G., Billy Ray Cyrus, Backstreet Boys... the list goes on. Meet all the 1990s' essential musical artists in one insightful volume. During the 1990s, musical genres became more commercialized than ever-and that was just one of the many changes that characterized the decade. Music of the 1990s offers a detailed and wide-ranging view of the important music of the '90s, identifying the artists and the important compositions-popular, classical, and jazz-that helped shape the period. The book focuses on key artists in specific genres in popular music, including pop, hard rock/heavy metal, rock, and country. Specialized genres are examined as well, in a chapter that discusses prominent artists and composers in musical theater, jazz, popular Christian music, and classical music. Among other topics, the book looks at the growth of urban-based rap and other popular music in the context of the rise of music television. Hard rock and heavy metal are also examined within the music video idiom. New trends in mainstream rock and country music are explored as well. Photographs A bibliography of sources on top musical trends in the 1990s

Roger Daltrey is the voice of a generation. That generation was the first to rebel, to step out of the shadows of the Second World War... to invent the concept of the teenager. This is the story from his birth at the height of the Blitz, through tempestuous school days to his expulsion, age 15, for various crimes and misdemeanours within a strict school system. Thanks to Mr Kibblewhite, his authoritarian headmaster, it could all have ended there. The life of a factory worker beckoned. But then came rock and roll. He made his first guitar from factory off-cuts. He formed a band. The band became The Who - Maximum R&B - and, by luck and by sheer bloody-mindedness, Roger Daltrey became the frontman of one of the biggest rock bands on the planet. This is the story of My Generation, Tommy and Quadrophenia, of smashed guitars, exploding drums, cars in swimming pools, fights, arrests and redecorated hotel rooms. But it is also the story of how that post-war generation redefined the rules of youth. Out of that, the modern music industry was born - and it wasn't an easy birth. Money, drugs and youthful exuberance were a dangerous mix. This is as much a story of survival as it is of success. Four years in the making, this is the first time Roger Daltrey has told his story. It is not just his own hilarious and frank account of more than 50 wild years on the road. It is the definitive story of The Who and of the sweeping revolution that was British rock 'n' roll.

This collection presents a contemporary evaluation of the changing structures of music delivery and enjoyment. Exploring the confluence of music consumption, burgeoning technology, and contemporary culture; this volume focuses on issues of musical communities and the politics of media.

From the chaotic world of music journalism comes this collection of unabridged, unexpurgated interviews with four of the brightest, most influential and complex pop and rock musicians alive: Gene Simmons of Kiss, Peter Hook of New Order, Jerry Casale of Devo, and Scott Thunes of Frank Zappa fame. They are all bass players and they are all plainspoken, profane, stressed out, caustic, antagonistic and on occasion so belligerent they are prepared to engage in psychological warfare with their interviewer. Each interview is illustrated with striking, often candid photographs, and includes an introduction and a postscript. ..".the ultimate reason I liked this book was because of the very interesting circumstances of the interviews themselves. These people are almost impossible to get a hold of, let alone interview." - YourFlesh

A guide to locating information on popular music and the people who create it, this volume is designed as a desk reference--to locate answers to specific questions and to direct library users to key resources. More than 400 comprehensive titles are carefully annotated, describing content, scope, and special features. The focus is on the musical styles that have developed measurable commercial success through recordings and live performance. Along with academic titles, many important titles from the popular press are included, as well as selected electronic resources. A necessary reference tool for any library, scholar, student, and popular music buff. The work covers bibliographies, indexes, discographies, dictionaries and encyclopedias, biographical resources, directories, almanacs, yearbooks, and guidebooks on styles that include jazz, swing, Tin Pan Alley, country, gospel, blues, rhythm and blues, soul, rockabilly, rock, heavy metal, musical theater, and film music. Its extensive appendices feature discographies and bibliographies of individual artists and ensembles. A detailed index combining authors, titles, and subjects makes cross-referencing easy. The entries are modeled after the immensely useful The Guide to Reference Books.

From Prince's superstardom to studio seclusion, this second book in the Prince Studio Sessions series chronicles the tumultuous years immediately following the Purple Rain era. Duane Tudahl takes us back into the world of Prince's musical masterpieces and personal battles, weaving together the voices of those who knew Prince best during this period. As Prince's relationship with his band, the Revolution, and his fiancee, Susan Melvoin, crumbled, he threw himself into creative catharsis, recording and releasing multiples studio albums and side projects. Prince and the Parade and Sign "O" the Times Era Studio Sessions provides a definitive chronicle of more than 260 recording sessions and two tours during 1985 and 1986. These years were full of struggle, but as millions of fans know, Prince would emerge from this darkness to show that the fire of true genius cannot be extinguished.

Beast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin is the first-ever biography of the iconic John Bonham, considered by many to be one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) rock drummer of all time. Bonham first learned to play the drums at the age of five, and despite never taking formal lessons, began drumming for local bands immediately upon graduating from secondary school. By the late 1960s, Bonham was looking for a more solid gig in order to provide his growing family with a more regular income. Meanwhile, following the dissolution of the popular blues rock band The Yardbirds, lead guitarist Jimmy Page sought the company of new bandmates to help him record an album and tour Scandinavia as the New Yardbirds. A few months later, Bonham was recruited to join the band who would eventually become known as Led Zeppelin-and before the year was out, Bonham and his three bandmates would become the richest rock band in the world. In their first year, Led Zeppelin released two albums and completed four US and four UK concert tours. As their popularity exploded, they moved from ballrooms and smaller clubs to larger auditoriums, and eventually started selling out full arenas. Throughout the 1970s, Led Zeppelin reached new heights of commercial and critical success, making them one of the most influential groups of the era, both in musical style and in their approach towards the workings of the entertainment industry. They added extravagant lasers, light shows, and mirror balls to their performances; wore flamboyant and often glittering outfits; traveled in a private jet airliner and rented out entire sections of hotels; and soon become the subject of frequently repeated stories of debauchery and destruction while on tour. In 1977, the group performed what would be their final live appearance in the US, following months of rising fervor and rioting from their fandom. And in September of 1980, Bonham-plagued by alcoholism, anxiety, and the after-effects of years of excess-was found dead by his bandmates. To this day, Bonham is posthumously described as one of the most important, well-known, and influential drummers in rock, topping best of lists describing him as an inimitable, all-time great. As Adam Budofsky, managing editor of Modern Drummer, explained, "If the king of rock 'n' roll was Elvis Presley, then the king of rock drumming was certainly John Bonham."

This book continues the objectives of the original volume: to act as a pathfinder in the study of rock music for both the serious student and the interested enthusiast, and to serve as a guide to the vast quantities of material on the subject for librarians and educators. Covering 1984-1990, it also lists many sources published between 1954 and 1983 supplemental to the earlier two volumes.

The Times Book of the Year 'There's no tougher a mind, no more tender a voice than Paul Simon, and there's no better man than Robert Hilburn to decipher the hardwiring of this hyperintellect...great songs can never be fully explained, but the great man on his way to find those songs surely can.' - Bono Through such hits as "The Sound of Silence," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "Still Crazy After All These Years," and "Graceland," Paul Simon has spoken to us in songs for a half-century about alienation, doubt, survival, and faith in ways that have established him as one of the most honoured and beloved songwriters in American pop music history. Yet Simon has refused to talk to potential biographers and urged those close to him to also remain silent. But Simon not only agreed to talk to biographer Robert Hilburn for what has amounted to more than sixty hours, he also encouraged his family and friends to sit down for in-depth interviews. Paul Simon is a revealing account of the challenges and sacrifices of artistry at the highest level. He has also lived a roller-coaster life of extreme ups and downs. We not only learn Paul's unrelenting drive to achieve artistry, but also the subsequent struggles to protect that artistry against distractions - fame, wealth, marriage, divorce, drugs, complacency, public rejection, self-doubt - that have frequently derailed pop stars and each of which he encountered. From dominating the charts with Art Garfunkel and a successful reinvention as a solo artist, to his multiple marriages and highly publicized second divorce from Carrie Fisher, this book covers all aspects of this American icon. 'When it comes to writing songs, no one does it better than Paul Simon. Robert Hilburn's is a wise and winning account of our most nimble, nuanced, and numinous poet-musician.' -Paul Muldoon 'A tantalizing look into the mind and writing process of the man who is arguably the finest craftsman of the American popular song since the Gershwin brothers, this book will delight any Paul Simon fan or student of popular culture.' -Linda Ronstadt

U2's success and significance are due, in large part, to finding inventive, creative solutions for overcoming obstacles and moving past conventional boundaries. As it has embraced change and transformation over and over again, its fans and critics have come to value and expect this element of U2. These new essays from the disciplines of organizational communication, music theory, literary studies, religion, and cultural studies offer perspectives on several ways U2's dynamic of change has been a constant theme throughout its career. The eight essays here come from the U2 Conference 2013, which explores the music, work, and influence of U2, furthering the scholarship on U2.

The story of the Beatles begins not with the rock-'n'-roll revolution of the 1950s, but in the Romantic revolution of the 1790s, when age-old notions about literature, politics, education, and social relations changed forever. Tracing the Beatles to their late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century poetic, musical, and philosophic roots, "The Long and Winding Road from Blake to the Beatles "weaves literary criticism and cultural analysis together to how the Fab Four--in their songs, personalities, and relations with each other--mirror the themes and history of Anglo-American Romanticism.

Offering commentary, musical analysis, and detailed interpretation of her songs' lyrics, this book examines the qualities of Sheryl Crow's music that have served to establish the artist's success and popularity. Sheryl Crow continues to be celebrated for her legacy as a singer-songwriter and pop culture icon. This book provides an introduction to Sheryl Crow's entire music catalog. Organized into chronological periods of time, the author weaves biographical facts throughout a narrative rich with details about her songs: how they were created, recorded, distributed, and modified in live performance. Accompanying commentary features song analysis-including song structure, chord progression, and melody-and provides fascinating insights into the lyrical content of Crow's songwriting. The work begins with Crow's upbringing, her musical roots and influences, and how they manifested themselves in her later career. Subsequent sections delve into her road to success and eventual stardom, revealing how her rise to fame and widespread popularity was littered with broken friendships, acrimony, and suicide. The last several chapters follows her life after a diagnosis of breast cancer and the adoption of her sons. The work also includes a chapter on B-sides and rare songs by Crow. Presents an in-depth and complete listening guide to all of Crow's songs, including B-sides and rarities Features insightful commentary with song analysis Includes a glossary of musical and technical terms for the non-specialist

Glen Matlock was a founding member of the Sex Pistols and co-wrote most of their iconic songs. His story of the Pistols' rise to global infamy is an honest, insightful account of a group of intelligent malcontents, determined to change the music business and to attack hypocrisy and stale conventions in society at large. Glen brilliantly captures the flavour of seventies Britain and reveals the complexities and personality clashes that made the Pistols so explosive at that time. Also includes true tales of the Pistols reunion tours of 1996 and 2003. Never mind the other bollocks-filled books about the Sex Pistols, here's the truth. -- .

Since his death in 1971, friends and band members have produced several biographies describing various aspects of Jim Morrison's life and career. Now James Riordan and Jerry Prochnicky examine with insightful clarity the entire story of Morrison's roots, his early family life, the intellectual foundations of his music, his wild days with The Doors, his private life, and the mystery that still surrounds his death.

In Break On Through, we see Morrison's angry relationship with his father and how a horrifying, deadly car accident Morrison witnessed as a small boy influenced his songs and poetry. We witness The Doors' exhilarating early days of struggle and the infamous Miami trial, where Morrison stood charged with obscenity. And here is the real story of Morrison's death in Paris, based on interviews with new sources who conclusively disprove the official finding of death by heart attack.

Break On Through is more than an insightful look at a rock legend whose cult following never stops growing. With dozens of rarely published photographs, this is the authoritative portrait of the man and his career.

Play everybody's favorite songs The 300 pages of piano/vocal/guitar sheet music in this collection allow music makers to bring dozens of the most memorable songs of the 1960s, '70s, and early '80s to life. Classic rock fans who love to play will have a blast applying their talent to more than 40 enduring songs made famous by legendary artists like The Beatles, David Bowie, Journey, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Rush, The Who, and many more. The arrangements feature piano parts that accurately reflect each song's familiar original recording. Basic chord fingering grids are provided for optional guitar accompaniment, along with vocal melodies and complete lyrics. Titles: 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (Paul Simon) * Africa (Toto) * All Along the Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix) * All My Love (Led Zeppelin) * Behind Blue Eyes (The Who) * Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell) * Blinded by the Light (Manfred Mann's Earth Band) * Blowin' in the Wind (Bob Dylan) * Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen) * Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkel) * Closer to the Heart (Rush) * Dancing in the Moonlight (King Harvest) * Do You Feel Like We Do (Peter Frampton) * Don't Stop Believin' (Journey) * Faithfully (Journey) * Fool in the Rain (Led Zeppelin) * From Me to You (The Beatles) * Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker) (Parliament) * Going Up the Country (Canned Heat) * The Great Gig in the Sky (Pink Floyd) * I Love L.A. (Randy Newman) * I Saw Her Standing There (The Beatles) * Like a Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan) * Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney) * The Load Out (Jackson Browne) * Love Reign O'er Me (The Who) * Money (Pink Floyd) * Nights in White Satin (The Moody Blues) * Paranoid (Black Sabbath) * P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up) (Parliament) * Pinball Wizard (The Who) * River (Joni Mitchell) * Saturday in the Park (Chicago) * She Loves You (The Beatles) * She's a Rainbow (The Rolling Stones) * The Sound of Silence (Simon and Garfunkel) * Space Oddity (David Bowie) *

In a music business amply buffered against surprise, Danny Gatton swam stubbornly, from country, to gospel, rockabilly, soul, and standards. "Redneck Jazz" became Gatton's calling card for playing whatever and whenever he wanted. Hailed as the best unknown guitar player by both Rolling Stone and Guitar player magazines, he was a players' player who never received the popular acclaim he deserved. The struggle to reach a wider audience while staying true to his own muse proved to much for him to bear, and in 1994 he took his own life. Gatton's legend has only grown since his untimely death, along with appreciation for his blinding speed, effortless genre-hopping, flawless technique, and never-ending appetitie for tinkering and problem-solving. Unfinished Business places Gatton's musical contributions into context, as well as his influence on those peers who admired him most, including Albert Lee, Vince Gill, Arlen Roth, and Lou Reed.

'A definitive tome for both Who fans and newcomers alike' ***** Q Magazine Pete Townshend was once asked how he prepared himself for The Who' s violent live performances. His answer? ' Pretend you' re in a war.' For a band as prone to furious infighting as it was notorious for acts of ' auto-destructive art' this could have served as a motto. Between 1964 and 1969 The Who released some of the most dramatic and confrontational music of the decade, including ' I Can' t Explain' , ' My Generation' and ' I Can See For Miles' . This was a body of work driven by bitter rivalry, black humour and dark childhood secrets, but it also held up a mirror to a society in transition. Now, acclaimed rock biographer Mark Blake goes in search of its inspiration to present a unique perspective on both The Who and the sixties. From their breakthrough as Mod figureheads to the rise and fall of psychedelia, he reveals how The Who, in their explorations of sex, drugs, spirituality and class, refracted the growing turbulence of the time. He also lays bare the colourful but crucial role played by their managers, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp. And - in the uneasy alliance between art-school experimentation and working-class ambition - he locates the motor of the Swinging Sixties. As the decade closed, with The Who performing Tommy in front of 500,000 people at the Woodstock Festival, the ' rock opera' was born. In retrospect, it was the crowning achievement of a band who had already embraced pop art and the concept album; who had pioneered the power chord and the guitar smash; and who had embodied - more so than any of their peers - the guiding spirit of the age: war.

An interdisciplinary annotated bibliography, this one volume covers 10 subject areas, eliminating the need to use disparate sources. It provides links among the various areas of rock music scholarship, thus imposing bibliographic control across a wide body of research that treats rock music in a serious manner. The disciplines include communication, education, ethnomusicology, history, literature and the arts, music, politics, psychology, religion, and sociology. Journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, and films and videos are reviewed. A quick and efficient way for scholars, students, and rock music fans to examine a broad range of works. Each entry contains full bibliographic information plus annotations that are designed to provide clear descriptive explanations of content. The publications reviewed are primarily interpretive and analytical rather than merely descriptive or just factual. They exclude most news publications, biographies, and histories, and include works that provide serious treatment of subjects that inform, enlighten, and educate. The work definitely provides an insightful, easy-to-use format for studying this particular expression of the human experience.

Winner of the Southwest Popular and American Culture Association's 2016 Peter C. Rollins Book Award in the category of Film/Television The popular music industry has become completely interlinked with the film industry. The majority of mainstream films come with ready-attached songs that may or may not appear in the film but nevertheless will be used for publicity purposes and appear on a soundtrack album. In many cases, popular music in films has made for some of the most striking moments in films and the most dramatic aesthetic action in cinema, like Ben relaxing in the pool to Simon and Garfunkel's 'The Sound of Silence' in The Graduate (1967), and the potter's wheel sequence with the Righteous Brothers' 'Unchained Melody' in Ghost (1990). Yet, to date, there have only been patchy attempts to deal with popular music's relationship with film. Indeed, it is startling that there is so little written on subject that is so popular as a consumer item and thus has a significant cultural profile. Magical Musical Tour is the first sustained and focused survey to engage the intersection of the two on both an aesthetic and industrial level. The chapters are historically-inspired reviews, discussing many films and musicians, while others will be more concentrated and detailed case studies of single films. Including an accompanying website and a timeline giving a useful snapshot around which readers can orient the book, Kevin Donnelly explores the history of the intimate bond between film and music, from the upheaval that rock'n'roll caused in the mid-1950s to the more technical aspects regarding 'tracking' and 'scoring'.

Here is the story of the boy from Brixton who became one of the most famous artists of the 20th century, returned to prominence in the 21st with music and visions informed by a sense of his own mortality and who through his life and work, changed lives and those of generations to come.