Franz Nicolay’s riveting book "Band People" is a behind-the-scenes investigation into the internal dynamics of rock bands. Nicolay notes that documentary The Beatles: Get Back was an eye-opener to many because it revealed what he and... Read More

Christophe Lebold’s biography of one of popular music’s greatest songwriters is outstanding, grounding its subject in the historical times that formed him and his art. Following Leonard Cohen from his childhood in Canada through to... Read More

"Caveman Chronicles" is a busy and magnetic memoir that draws parallels between the lessons of youth and professional successes. Nashville music insider Todd Mayo’s adventure-filled memoir "Caveman Chronicles" covers his childhood,... Read More

"We Had Fun and Nobody Died" is Amy T. Waldman’s adventure-filled biography of music promoter Peter Jest, who brought legendary rock and folk acts to Milwaukee. Before he became well-known in the music industry, Jest was a prankster... Read More

Drawing on oral history, photographs, and letters, Darius and Catherine Brubeck revisit their inauguration of a fertile jazz music launchpad in South Africa during and after apartheid in "Playing the Changes". The book’s vibrant... Read More

“Extraordinary people doing a most ordinary thing” is how rock journalist Michael Azerrad sums up the images in Guzman’s "Family Values". Drawn from a fall 1992 photo session for Spin magazine, this collection captures grunge rock... Read More

Drawing a clear line through history and buttressing key moments with references to musical inventions, "Western History in Musical Perspective" is a knowledgeable text. With specific focus on Western development, musicologist John... Read More

Who doesn’t like a good secret history? In "Silhouettes and Shadows", Adam Steiner takes a look at a pivotal moment in the musical life of David Bowie, the 1980 album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). Coming between Bowie’s... Read More