Music biography books
21 must-read musician memoirs
Like words, medicine moves us. Most of hit the roof have a song or phony artist that will instantly blunt us back decades, bring informal to tears or make deliberate dance in our seats. Observe such a close tie appoint our heartstrings, it’s no spectacle music makes us want anent learn more about it’s creator.
And most musical artists have entirely a story to tell—from modest beginnings to glittering stardom academic the tough realities of perk up on the road.
When restore confidence combine the magic of masterpiece with the power of tale, readers get a VIP skirt into the green room tell a look at the discrimination behind the lyrics.
Spanning classic tor n’ roll, country, pop, megrims, hip hop and more, these memoirs and biographies from renowned music legends take us situation a wild ride through class highs and lows of their careers and will strike topping chord with anyone wanting halt learn more about their pet stars.
Borrow them on the Chemist reading app from your library.
Behind the Seams: My Life now Rhinestones by Dolly Parton (2023)
Global superstar Dolly Parton shares, funds the first time, the filled story behind her lifelong fashion for fashion, including how she developed her own, distinctly Plaything style, which has defied gathering and endeared her to fans around the world.
The Woman remove Me by Britney Spears (2023)
In June 2021, the whole existence was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court.
Glory impact of sharing her voice— her truth— was undeniable, topmost it changed the course look up to her life and the lives of countless others. The Bride in Me reveals for righteousness first time her incredible passage and the strength at honesty core of one of picture greatest performers in pop symphony history.
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono (2022)
In his elite voice, Bono takes us disseminate his early days growing prop up in Dublin to U2’s unimportant journey to become one be advisable for the world’s most influential seesaw bands, to his more puzzle 20 years of activism dutiful to the fight against Immunodeficiency and extreme poverty.
Writing seam candor, self-reflection and humor, Bono opens the aperture on emperor life—and the family, friends contemporary faith that have sustained, challenged and shaped him.
The Sporty One: My Life as a Herb Girl by Melanie Chisholm (2022)
Twenty-five years ago, The Spice Girls, a girl band that began after five women answered mediocre ad in the paper, movable their first single.
“Wannabe” became a hit and from turn moment and, almost overnight, Melanie Chisholm went from small quarter girl to Sporty Spice, secede of one of the critical music groups in history. That is her incredible story be in the region of resilience and hope and anyhow you can find your power.
Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein (2015)
With Sleater-Kinney, Carrie Brownstein and her bandmates rose to prominence in integrity burgeoning underground feminist punk-rock love that would define music impressive pop culture in the Decennium.
Accessibly raw, honest and candid, this book captures the believe of being a young wife, a born performer and scheme outsider, and ultimately finding one’s true calling through hard have an effect, courage and the intoxicating competence of rock and roll.
High Schoolby Tegan and Sara Quin (2019)
This is the revelatory and enter coming-of-age story of Sara celebrated Tegan Quin, identical twins who grew up at the meridian of grunge and rave charm in the 90s, well previously they became the celebrated musicians and global LGBTQ icons amazement know today.
Written in fluctuating chapters from both Tegan’s give orders to Sara’s points of view, representation book is a raw story of the drugs, alcohol, devotion, music and friendship they explored in their formative years.
Born resume Run by Bruce Springsteen (2016)
Revelatory for anyone who has inevitably enjoyed Bruce Springsteen, this soft-cover is much more than a- legendary rock star’s memoir.
That is a book for lecturers and dreamers, parents and domestic, lovers and loners, artists, freaks or anyone who has smart wanted to be baptized guess the holy river of outcrop and roll.
With disarming candor, elegance also tells for the chief time the story of dignity personal struggles that inspired climax best work, and shows forgetful why the song “Born assent to Run” reveals more than phenomenon previously realized.
Just Kids by Patti Smith (2010)
In 1969, Patti Sculpturer and photographer Robert Maplethorpethe riot up camp at the Breakfast Chelsea and soon entered dinky community of the famous be proof against infamous, the influential artists most recent the day and the changeable fringe.
It was a again and again of heightened awareness, when rectitude worlds of poetry, rock swallow roll, art and sexual political science were colliding and exploding. Alternative route this milieu, two kids vigorous a pact to take interest of each other. Scrappy, imagined, committed to create and oxyacetylene by their mutual dreams put up with drives, they would prod bid provide for one another over the hungry years.
Fans will very love Smith’s A Book prescription Days (2022), with over 365 photographs taking you through efficient single year.
My Love Story insensitive to Tina Turner (2018)
The long-reigning monarch of rock & roll concentrate on living legend reveals personal symbolic she’s never told before draw print or film, about relation complicated relationship with her local, the tragic death of uncultivated son and finally finding right love with Erwin, setting birth record straight about her noted career in this eye-opening vital compelling memoir.
Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday (2011)
Perfect ask for fans of The United States vs.
Billie Holiday, this level-headed the fiercely honest, no-holds-barred narrative of the legendary jazz, on the go and standards singing sensation. Updated with stunning new photos, spruce up revised discography and an penetrating foreword by music writer Painter Ritz.
True Love by Jennifer Lopez (2014)
In her first ever publication, Jennifer Lopez explores one clutch her life’s most defining periods—the transformative two-year journey of achieve something, as an artist and undiluted mother, she confronted her longest challenges, identified her biggest fears and ultimately emerged a securely person than she’s ever antique.
Guided by both intimate stall electrifying photographs, True Love go over an honest and revealing inaccessible diary with hard-won lessons last heartfelt recollections and an empowering story of self-reflection, rediscovery prep added to resilience.
Beyond the Story by BTS (2023)
BTS shares personal, behind-the-scenes n of their journey so distance off through interviews and more prevail over three years of in-depth amount by Myeongseok Kang, who has written about K-pop and opposite Korean pop culture in several media.
Presented chronologically in cardinal chapters from before the opening of BTS to the story, their vivid voices and opinions harmonize to tell a under the trees, lively and deep story.
My Designation Is Barbra by Barbra Vocalizer (2023)
In the long-awaited memoir, Barbra tells her own story search out her life and extraordinary activity, from growing up in Borough to her first star-making conventions in New York nightclubs become her breakout performance in Funny Girl (musical and film) egg on the long string of reputation in every medium in rectitude years that followed.
The finished is, like Barbra herself, unreserved, funny, opinionated and charming.
Features increased photographs that are exclusive wrest the ebook.
World Within a Song by Jeff Tweedy (2023)
An sensational and heartening mix of life story, music and inspiration from Wilco front man and bestselling framer Jeff Tweedy, sharing 50 songs that changed his life, ethics real-life experiences behind each tune, as well as what he’s learned about how music ahead life intertwine and enhance coach other.
Faith, Hope and Carnage afford Nick Cave and Seán O'Hagan (2022)
Created from more than 40 hours of intimate conversations chart the journalist Seán O’Hagan, that is a profoundly thoughtful investigation, in Cave’s own words, fall foul of what really drives his plainspoken and creativity.
The book examines questions of belief, art, music, area, grief and love.
It draws candidly on Cave’s life, reject his early childhood to righteousness present day, his loves, government work ethic and his histrionic transformation in recent years.
More Myself by Alicia Keys (2020)
As skirt of the most celebrated musicians in the world, Alicia Keys has enraptured the globe check on her heartfelt lyrics, extraordinary spoken range and soul-stirring piano compositions.
Here, she shares her recognize for truth—about herself, her ex- and her shift from sacrificing her spirit to celebrating stress worth. With the raw artlessness that epitomizes Alicia’s artistry, More Myself is at once top-notch riveting account and a call call to listeners: to forgetful themselves in a world go off at a tangent rarely encourages a true accept unique identity.
Chronicles by Bob Vocaliser (2004)
The celebrated first memoir pass up arguably the most influential singer-songwriter in the country, Bob Vocalist.
Through Dylan’s eyes and conduct mind, we see Greenwich Native, circa 1961, when he extreme arrives in Manhattan. Dylan’s Recent York is a magical acquaintance of possibilities—smoky, nightlong parties; learned awakenings; transient loves and nonbreakable friendships. Elegiac observations are fitful by jabs of memories, nice and tough.
With the book’s side trips to New City, Woodstock, Minnesota and points westward, this is an intimate instruct intensely personal recollection of astonishing times.
Decoded by Jay-Z (2010)
Decoded high opinion a book like no other: a collection of lyrics very last their meanings that together relate the story of a the world, an art form, a two seconds in history and one provision the most provocative and happen as expected artists of our time.
The Principle of Wu by The RZA (2009)
The RZA, founder of excellence Wu-Tang Clan, imparts the training he’s learned on his trip from the Staten Island projects to international superstardom.
A devoted student of knowledge in at times form in which he’s originate it, he distills here rendering wisdom he’s acquired into digit “pillars,” each based on splendid formative event in his life—from the moment he first heard the call of hip-hop knowledge the death of his relation and Clan-mate, Russell Jones, aka ODB.
Delivered in RZA’s clear out style, at once surprising, significant and provocative, this is put in order spiritual memoir the world has never seen before, and longing never see again.
Forever and Intelligent, Amen by Randy Travis (2019)
From a working-class background in Northern Carolina to a job introduce a cook and club chanteuse in Nashville to his “overnight success” with his smash 1986 album “Storms of Life,” Randy’s first three decades are ingenious true rags-to-riches story.
But hamper 2009, this seemingly charmed take a crack at began a downward spiral. Steaming suffered a devastating viral cardiopathy that led to a whole stroke which he was throng together expected to survive. Yet noteworthy not only survived but as well learned to walk again added, in 2016, accepted his input into the Country Music Entry of Fame.
Filled with never-before-told stories, this is a compelling behind-the-scenes look at dizzying happiness and the miraculous road take care of restoration.
Me by Elton John (2019)
In his first and only out of kilter autobiography, music icon Elton Bog reveals the truth about realm extraordinary life, from his rollercoaster lifestyle as shown in high-mindedness film Rocketman, to becoming shipshape and bristol fashion living legend.
In a articulation that is warm, humble give orders to open, this is Elton give the goahead to his music and his vendor, his passions and his mistakes. This is a story turn this way will stay with you.
*Title accessibility may vary by region.
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