Biography: arts and entertainment Books

Book SynopsisIn 1919, the world stood at the threshold of the Jazz Age. The man who had ushered it there, however, lay murdered - and would soon plunge from international fame to historical obscurity. It was a fate few would have predicted for James Reese Europe; he was then at the pinnacle of his career as a composer, conductor, and organizer in the black community, with the promise of even greater heights to come. People don''t realize yet today what we lost when we lost Jim Europe, said pianist Eubie Blake. He was the savior of Negro musiciansin a class with Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King. In A Life in Ragtime , Reid Badger brilliantly captures this fascinating life, tracing a critical chapter in the emergence of jazz through one man''s remarkable odyssey. After an early start in Washington, Europe found his fame in New York, the entertainment capital of turn-of-the-century America. In the decade before the First World War, he emerged as an acknowledged leader in African-American mTable of ContentsPrelude ; 1. Down Home Rag ; 2. Washington Post March ; 3. On the Gay Luneta ; 4. Lorraine Waltzes ; 5. The Clef Club March ; 6. What It Takes to Make Me Love You - You've Got It ; 7. Castle House Rag ; 8. The National Negro March ; 9. Watch Your Step ; 10. The Rat-A-Tat Drummer Boy ; 11. The Separate Battalion ; 12. Over There ; 13. On Patrol in No Man's Land ; 14. Filling France Full of Jazz ; 15. All of No Man's Land is Ours ; 16. Flee as a Bird ; Coda ; Appendix 1: The Musical Compositions of James Reese Europe ; Appendix 2: James Reese Europe Discography ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisFletcher Henderson (1897 - 1952) is a major figure in the history of jazz. He led the premier black jazz band of the 1920s and the early 1930s, and wrote the swing arrangements that helped make Benny Goodman the ''King of Swing''. The Uncrowned King of Swing is the first interpretive study of his music and career, using the full range of sources documenting his work.Trade ReviewThis book first came out in hardback in 2005, but the intervening years have done nothing to diminish its status as the volume to turn to for anyone with an interest in bandleader/pianist Fletcher Henderson... * Nic Jones, All About Jazz *Table of ContentsPreface: Crossing the Tracks in Cuthbert Introduction: Out of the Jazz Tradition1: A New Negro from the Old South

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Book SynopsisOf crucial importance to scholars has been the re-emergence in Krakow of the large number of Mendelssohn manuscripts considered lost since their removal from Berlin for safekeeping during World War II. This title presents the composer's manuscripts.Trade Reviewuseful as a reference book ... thorough in its musical analysis. * Hi-Fi News *

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Book SynopsisVivaldi has emerged during the last decades as a truly major composer of the early eighteenth-century. Taking account of recent research, to which he himself has made important contributions-including the discovery in 1973 of an unknown set of violin sonatas-Michael Talbot examines the life and works of this remarkable musician in their Venetian, Italian, and international settings.Trade Reviewa very well balanced, closely researched "life and works" of Vivaldi. * The Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisThis is the largest life-and-works of Musorgsky ever to have appeared outside Russia. Musorgsky created stunning masterpieces in such creations as his opera Boris Godunov and piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition - yet his life was tragic. It is this pathetic tale, interlaced with critical discussion of music, that is this book's concern.Trade ReviewThe qualities of clarity and thoroughness familiar to readers of Professor Brown's earlier work are also in evidence here ... his style is straightforward and elegant without pretentiousness, apparently aimed at music lovers as much as those with a scholarly interest. * SEER *... excellent monograph ... David Brown has done an excellent job in treating Musorgsky in such a lively and yet learned manner ... His magisterial study deserves to be purchased by many music lovers who will find the narrative fluent and the musical analysis approachable. It should also attract musicians and musical scholars who will also discover some new ideas, approaches and materials in its pages. * SEER *... a no-holds barred biography ... Brown traces his entire output in a rich historical and social context. He ... gives us a new vision of the composer. * New York Times *... the general reader and specialist alike will value the breadth, clear exposition and enthusiasm in Brown's discussion. * Geoffrey Norris, BBC Music Magazine *Table of ContentsPREFACE ; ILLUSTRATIONS ; APPENDICES ; INDEX

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Book SynopsisGranddaughter of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn and sister of the composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Fanny Hensel (1805-1847) was an extraordinary musician who left well over four hundred compositions, most of which fell into oblivion until their rediscovery late in the twentieth century. In this book, Larry Todd offers a compelling, authoritative account of Hensel's life and music.Trade ReviewAn authoritative new biography. * Forward.com *Todd's exhaustively researched and engaging biography will probably remain the authoritative source into the foreseeable future. It has helped to life the curtain of silence" that kept Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel's works in the dark for well over a century. * Chamber Music *At last an authoritative account of Hensel's life and music. Todd accords Hensel the creative recognition that is long overdue, and builds on his Mendelssohnian expertise to trace the mutually influential relationship between Fanny and Felix. A scholarly tour de force!-Marcia J. Citron, Author of Gender and the Musical Canon (1993) and Editor of Letters of Fanny Hensel to Felix Mendelssohn (1987)The author of an acclaimed biography of Felix Mendelssohn, R. Larry Todd has now written what will surely be the authoritative life-and-works study of Fanny Hensel for a long time to come. With his superb insights into the workings of her music, he brings her out of her brother's shadow and enables her to take her rightful place in the sun. This book is an event, one that enlarges our picture of a woman, a family, a place, an era, and an important body of music. * Susan Youens, author of Heinrich Heine and the Lied (2008) and Hugo Wolf and his Morike Songs (2006) *It is hard to believe that once again Larry Todd has made history with scholarship. Close on the heels of his authoritative biography of Felix Mendelssohn, for the first time we have a comprehensive biography of Fanny Mendelssohn. The biography is magisterial and pathbreaking, replete with a useful thematic catalog of Fanny's compositions. This book represents an indispensable piece of social and cultural history concerning German-speaking Europe before 1848. * Leon Botstein, President of Bard College, Music Director of the American Symphony Orchestra and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations ; Acknowledgments ; Note On the Website ; Genealogical Tree of the Itzig and Mendelssohn Families ; Preface ; I. Fugal Fingers (1805-1818) ; II. Musical Ornaments (1819-1821) ; III. Sibling Rivalry and Separation (1822-1824) ; IV. Leipzigerstrasse No. 3 (1825-1828) ; V. Becoming Frau Hensel (1828-1830) ; VI. Secret Aspirations (1830-1833) ; VII. Youthful Decrepitude (1834-1835) ; VIII. Demonic Influences (1836-1839) ; IX. Italian Intermezzo (1839-1840) ; X. Domestic Tranquility (1840-1842) ; XI. The Joys of Dilettantism (1843-1845) ; XII. Engraver's Ink and Heavenly Songs (1846-1847) ; Epilogue ; Abbreviations ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index of Fanny Hensel's Compositions ; General Index

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Book SynopsisThe first biography of Grace Hartigan (1922-2008) traces her rise from self-taught painter to art-world fame in New York, her plunge into obscurity after moving to Baltimore, her constant efforts at artistic reinvention, and her tumultuous personal life, including four troubled marriages and a chilly relationship with her only child.Trade ReviewCurtis's biography capture the mute stubbornness involved in persisting with life, despite its many disappointments. * Jenni Quilter, London Review of Books *This spirited biography is the first to chart the career of Abstract Expressionist Hartigan (1922-2008), a painter with as much swagger as any of her male peers...an accessible portrait of a gutsy AbEx figure. * Publishers Weekly *A fascinating look at the life of Grace Hartigan, a tough Abstract Expressionist woman artist who drank with the best of the men and had a sexual appetite that equaled the alcohol. Ambitious, driven and wrestling inner demons she abandons her only child for what she believed to be necessary for her life as an artist. Cathy Curtis deals with it all in her inclusive and well documented book. * Audrey Flack *Cathy Curtis brings us a driven, determined, and dedicated Grace Hartigan who, as a rebellious young artist, attained a rare degree of success in the 1950s among the male abstract expressionist painters of the New York School. This expertly researched biography gives us a vivid, insightful, and fascinating glimpse into the world of the well-known artists and writers-including Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Frank O'Hara-whom Hartigan knew so well. * Laurie Lisle , author of Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe, and Louise Nevelson: A Passionate Life *At last, a life of the incomparable Grace! Cathy Curtis's biography is as colorful, tough-minded, and incisive as Hartigan's work at its best. * Patricia Albers, author of Joan Mitchell, Lady Painter: A Life *Table of ContentsContents ; How I Came to Write This Book ; Prologue: The Weekend That Changed Her Life ; PART ONE: Escape Artist (1922-1944) ; Chapter One: Dreaming ; Chapter Two: Searching ; Chapter Three: Learning ; PART TWO: New York Adventure (1945-1949) ; Chapter Four: Risking ; Chapter Five: Connecting ; Chapter Six: Coping ; PART THREE: Rising Star (1950-1955) ; Chapter Seven: Struggling ; Chapter Eight: Launching ; Chapter Nine: Succeeding ; Chapter Ten: Asserting ; color plates ; PART FOUR: Fame (1956-1960) ; Chapter Eleven: Celebrating ; Chapter Twelve: Swerving ; color plates ; PART FIVE: Beginning Again in Baltimore (1961-2008) ; Chapter Thirteen: Drifting ; Chapter Fourteen: Teaching ; Chapter Fifteen: Unraveling ; Chapter Sixteen: Renewing ; Chapter Seventeen: Prevailing ; Acknowledgements ; Notes ; Selected Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisCharmian Carr is an American actress and singer. She starred in the hit musical film The Sound of Music as the character Liesl with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.

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Book SynopsisShe has amassed a fortune, defined and defied fashion mores and proved wrong those who predicted her downfall. Her image is everywhere: compelling and enigmatic. But though she has become one of the most recognized women in the world, she remains the least understood. By her own admission, 'The more visible they make me, the less visible I become.' From her discovery at the age of fourteen, when her waif-life look was considered 'uncommercial', to finding international fame as a supermodel and her position today as an arbiter of fashion, this book examines Kate's ever changing career and the cultural impact she has had. It describes her turbulent relationships with Johnny Depp and Jefferson Hack, the media frenzy over her time with Pete Doherty and her on/off relationship with Jamie Hince. Based on in-depth research, including candid conversations with friends and family, Laura Collins has written the first definitive biography of one of the most glamorou

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Book SynopsisExamining the life of Kurt Weill, this text explores the phases of the composer's life, from his childhood as the son of a cantor in the Jewish section of Dessau, Germany, to his renunciation of Germany in 1933. It also looks at his emigration to America (1935) and his premature death (1950).

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Book SynopsisCertainly no singer has been more mythologized and more misunderstood than Billie Holiday, who helped to create much of the mystique herself with her autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues . Now, finally, we have a definitive biography, said Booklist of Donald Clarke''s Billie Holiday , by a deeply compassionate, respectful, and open-minded biographer [whose] portrait embraces every facet of Holiday''s paradoxical nature, from her fierceness to her vulnerability, her childlikeness to her innate elegance and amazing strength. Clarke was given unrivaled access to a treasure trove of interviews from the 1970s,interviews with those who knew Lady Day from her childhood in the streets and good-time houses of Baltimore through the early days of success in New York and into the years of fame, right up to her tragic decline and death at the age of forty-four. Clarke uses these interviews to separate fact from fiction and, in the words of the Seattle Times , finally sets us straight. . .evokin

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Trade ReviewChicago Tribune, 10/11/16 "Wilson's book documents scattered memories and streamlines them into a series of impressions and anecdotes...Offer[s] valuable if unsettling insights into the personal dynamics inside an American band." AXS, 10/13/16 "Wilson goes beach-combing through the past, panning the sands of time for the socio-psychological seashells that gave rise to America's most successful singing group--and launched Wilson's lifetime bout with mental illness...Here Wilson recounts the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful in the straightforward conversational tone of a mature, experienced man reclining in his Lay-Z-Boy, albeit tempered with his boyish enthusiasm (and melancholy)." Dallas Morning News, 10/14/16 "An unflinching portrait." New York Journal of Books, 10/11/16 "Immediate, informal, and confessional...Behind the wholesome image of shy boys and cute girls in a world of eternal sunshine, the Beach Boys inhabited a much darker reality. Brian Wilson nails it in his latest memoir." The LA Beat, 10/13/16 "One of the most honest and forthcoming autobiographies ever written by a musician...As you start to read, you really feel less an observer, and more of a participant in [Wilson's] journey...If you only read one book this year, it should be Brian's book." Publishers Weekly, 9/12/16 "[A] charming and powerfully written memoir that will engage a readership beyond the multitude of Beach Boys fans...Despite his fame and success, Wilson comes off as a genuinely modest and gentle soul...Wilson's emotional authenticity is beguiling as he takes readers deeply into his mind, voices and all, to describe his unique manifestation of musical genius." No Depression, 9/16/16 "Wilson's memoir offers a more sober glance at the spiritual and physical forces that haunt artists and that often drive them to produce the beautiful, sad, and relentlessly affecting music we often embrace...Wilson's memoir eventually grabs us at a deeper level than Love's. If you're looking for fun, fun, fun, pick up Love, but if you're searching for a more introspective, in my room, experience, pick Wilson." Canadian Living, 9/22/16 "In this tell-almost-all memoir, Brian Wilson candidly reflects on his struggles with family, substance abuse and mental illness and digs deep into the inspiration and meaning behind his music. It's a must-read for any fan of The Beach Boys--or the '60s pop scene, in general--with big-name music icons of the era (Phil Spector, Carole King, Paul McCartney) featuring in many of the stories." Record Collector, Issue 459 "His recollections of the abuse he suffered at the hands of life-coach Eugene Landy and his father are told with such blunt economy that they are quite crushing. Wilson's equally candid and plainspoken about his work...There's a good deal of myth-busting." Goldmine, November 2016 "Wilson's memoir is streaked with melancholy...Wilson fans will find it a compelling book." Huffington Post, 10/12/16 "Wilson takes you on a journey into the life of a creative genius, exploring his turbulent life and creative influences and how, regardless of his inner and outer demons, there is always hope...I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir isn't the kind of book you can read in a day. Like a summer vacation, you want it to last forever...As a memoir, honest and insightful. But it's very much a memoir of a musician. From reading this book, you'll gain a deeper appreciation for the man behind some of the world's greatest hits and for music in general." Forbes.com, 10/11/16 "Wilson sets the record straight...His voice definitely comes through...It is a wonderful insight into a troubled genius." Rolling Stone, 9/27/16 "Excellent...I Am Brian Wilson is soulful and earnest--like spending quality time with a gentle sage with an endearingly erratic attention span...Wilson is heartbreakingly blunt about his mental breakdowns and suffering at the hands of his father. He has startling insights into the music."--Rob Sheffield Time magazine, 9/29/16 "Disarmingly personal." Minneapolis Star Tribune, 9/29/16 "When you read his new memoir...you'll get an even deeper exploration into the mental illness and the rebound, the villains and heroes in his life." Wall Street Journal, 9/30/16 "As plain-spoken as its title. Here the band's presiding genius wanders over the terrain of his life as a son, father, husband and supremely gifted musician...Tell[s] us much that we didn't know...Suggest[s] how we might best view the artistic life--any life, really." Loud and Quiet, October 2016 "In I Am Brian Wilson, Wilson is unflinching in his rendering of the euphoric highs and chaotic lows that have made up the last seven decades. His and the Beach Boys' story has been told many times before and is one we may think we know already, but it has never before been voiced with the clarity, honesty and insight on offer here." A New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly Best Seller! Vanity Fair, September 2016 "I Am Brian Wilson slipstreams through the past like a message in a bottle...It has moments of personal testimony that are poignant and indelible." New York Post, 8/11/16 "1960s Beach Boy on mental illness, sorrow, drugs, destabilization, demons, turbulence and discord." Booklist, 9/1/16 "Music journalist Greenman helps keep this meandering memoir coherent and poignant." CNN.com, 8/24/16 "Plenty of authors have written about this Beach Boy and now he'll get his say." Rolling Stone, 9/8/16 "Wilson tells his own story: his battles with his abusive father, the pressure to score hits in the Sixties, and his long struggle with mental illness." Billboard, 9/3/16 "Wilson delves into his battle with mental illness and how he created the band's pioneering sound." The Scotsman, 10/15/16 "As much about Wilson's reclusive existence in the 1970s and '80s as it is about the heyday of his band...This is no misery memoir, however--the tone throughout is almost breezy; difficult subjects are dealt with honestly, but never in such detail as to become uncomfortable...I Am Brian Wilson succeeds in shedding new light on Wilson's remarkable life." Herald Scotland, 10/14/16 "This autobiography of one of the most creative minds in 20th century popular music is clearly worth the reading, but the fact that it turns out to be an eloquent witness for a 21st century approach to mental illness may ultimately be its greater value." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 10/14/16 "[An] essential read for Beach Boys fans." Foreword Reviews, 10/20/16 "With the release of his memoir, I Am Brian Wilson, those who love the music and wonder about the man are afforded access into his thoughts and insights. In nonlinear and candid prose, Wilson discusses his music, yes, but also his battles with mental illness, his career highs and lows, and sprinkles these accounts with peeks into his fascinating worldview. The work is empathetic and raw; there is humility here, and ingenuity as well." Esquire.com, 10/11/16 "A fascinating peek into the life and creative process of one of the 20th Century's most lauded songwriters and record producers...[An] intriguing glimpse into what makes one of rock's true legends tick." Parade.com, 10/10/16 "[Wilson] bares his heart and soul...He recalls the many personal and professional highs and the plentiful painful lows of his life and career." Publishers Weekly, 10/10/16 "In I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir, the founder of the Beach Boys speaks candidly about his musical inspirations and mental illness...A wonderful gift to [his] fans." Houston Chronicle, 10/9/16 "In this honest and nonlinear memoir, one of rock 'n' roll's greatest composers talks honestly about both his musical triumphs and his struggles with mental illness and substance abuse...For fans of the music, Wilson does dig deep into the inspirations and recording of albums." Psychology Today, 10/11/16 "[Wilson's] extraordinary journey is intimately described in his new memoir." Library Journal, 10/6/16 "Wilson's memoir digs deep, with fierce honesty from the opening pages." The Arts Desk, 10/16/16 "It's intriguing to get a Wilson's-eye view of his own legend--it's one of the great tales of the music business, after all...All the key elements of Brian's life are here...Where the book really lights up is when Wilson talks in detail about music. There are fascinating descriptions of the recording of "God Only Knows", the Pet Sounds, Surf's Up and Holland albums and the difficulties he had with the SMiLE material...When he analyses the influence of the Beatles, the Stones and Phil Spector, it evokes the extraordinary intensity of the mid-Sixties musical eruption that the Beach Boys were caught up in." Toronto Star, 10/15/16 "The book jumps through time, the drugs, the mental illness, the music, the love and the pain. It has charming asides." Maclean's, 10/16/16 "[The] book pulls no punches: Wilson openly discusses his five decades of mental issues, his struggles with an abusive father, drugs, alcohol and weight, his debilitating fears and his failures (and successes) as a husband, dad and bandmate." The Arts Fuse, 10/11/16 "Pleasures await the Wilson/Beach Boys fan, as Wilson recounts the making of the Beach Boys album (Pet Sounds) and song ('Good Vibrations') he's proudest of and enthuses over his favorite non-Beach Boys album (the Beatles' Rubber Soul) and song ('Be My Baby,' produced by Phil Spector), his favorite classical composer (Bach), and his influences...Wilson speaks at length about his mental illness, how it robbed him of the joy and optimism his music provided for so many people." ABC News Radio, 10/11/16 "Wilson talks candidly about his struggles with mental illness and drugs, while giving fascinating insight into the creation of many of The Beach Boys' beautiful, catchy and complex songs." New York Magazine's Vulture, 10/11/16 "The Beach Boys leader's story is well told by now, but reading his often blunt retelling is harrowing, especially as he describes years swaddled in drugs and alcohol, and controlled by the notorious Dr. Landy. But as much as the book delves behind the so-called madman, it also gets behind the genius. Wilson and writer Ben Greenman lay the story out simply and with limited sensationalism, including fascinating sections where Wilson recounts his creative process and the work behind so many classic songs." The Australian, 10/22/16 "Freakishly, genre-transcendingly good: a rock memoir of genius, if ever there was one...Brilliantly unusual, like Wilson himself...It gets his unique inner world on to the page intact...It's also illuminated, along the way, by sudden lightning-flashes of insight into the world of mental illness." National Post, 10/18/16 "The book's voice [is] plainspoken, earnest, prone to both anxieties and boyish excitement...[and] true to the man." The Guardian, 10/16/16 "A beguilingly honest account of what it is to be Wilson." Phoenix New Times, 10/17/16 "Reading I Am Brian Wilson is like having a conversation with Brian Wilson...It feels authentic...It's imperfectly flawless...This is the story of a hero as well as an artist, a genius, and a musician. He frankly portrays his mental illness from the beginning to his lowest depths to the heights he's at today...Famous people from the music world make appearances...In 300 pages Brian Wilson tells a tale that's as fascinating as any of his American sagas, a book that reads as much as a confessional as it does an act of catharsis." VICE's Noisey, 10/16/16 "Tells the harrowing, heartbreaking story of the life of Brian." "Fascinating and intensely personal...The utter lack of pretense in the prose captures that familiar slightly flat, slightly sad, often rhapsodic voice with true authenticity...I Am Brian Wilson would fail as the Brian Wilson story if it did not deal with the darker corners of his life, and Wilson wanders through these areas fearlessly...Love, music, and an immensely sincere man's true voice are what you should expect and what I Am Brian Wilson delivers."-Psychobabble, 10/21/16 "An unconventional but fascinating read...One gets a terrific feel for Brian Wilson as a person and how he both thinks about and is affected by music. This is one true joy of the book...In all, I Am Brian Wilson is as interesting a book as you'd want it to be. It's not a linear history. It's not a juicy tell-all. But it is a beautiful view into the brilliant and sometimes troubled mind of a true genius of American music."-Under the Radar, 10/25/16 "Candid and tragic, yet in the end exquisitely triumphant and love affirming, I am Brian Wilson is the last (and only) word on Brian's all-too-written-about and over-analyzed past."-Elmore, 10/25/16 "A book almost the opposite of Love's: forgiving, chaotically associative."-New York Review of Books, 10/26/16 "A candid, heartfelt autobiography about a pop-music icon who managed to overcome dark influences that might have defeated someone less resilient."-New York Times Syndicate, 10/11/16 "The book is kind of like his music-gentle, spiritual, lyrical-and provides the expansive commentary that Brian does not usually provide in interviews...It's also funny as hell in places...An altogether lovely read."-The Suburban, 10/29/16 "He has worked with a ghostwriter, but anyone who has seen his spectacular solo shows or seen him interviewed will recognise the voice immediately: vulnerable, faltering, pained, unexpectedly funny...There is a candour and even a childlike openness to how he describes the battling voices in his head and the self-doubt and self-imposed pressure...Wilson's memoir has a weepily beautiful mellowness and a real poignancy that shines through the acrimony and wasted years."-Sydney Morning Herald, 11/5/16 "The enigmatic Wilson documents the poetic lyricism, inspiration and creativity behind his vast discography while at the same time showing a man who is over-time coming to terms with his past...Extremely candid...You aren't going to find any other story like that of Brian Wilson's. Very rarely if ever will you find a person with Brian's notoriety be as truthful and forth coming as he is in this book."-Media Mikes, 11/1/16 "Join the genius behind The Beach Boys as he takes a stroll down memory lane, revealing never-before-heard details about his upbringing with brothers Carl and Dennis, as well as his struggle with mental illness, drug use and more. In I Am Brian Wilson, the legendary surf rocker discusses how these hardships shaped the man he is today, and how he's learnt to forgive those who wronged him."-Over Sixty, 11/3/16 "A frank and revealing portrait of a troubled and popular music pioneer...Worth reading if you are a fan of the Beach Boys, or enjoy reading about how even extreme mental difficulties can be faced, and if not overcome, at least lived with." -Portland Book Review, 11/2/16 "The Beach Boys frontman has a fascinating story...He recounts the ups and downs of his life with candor." -InStyle.com, 11/1/16 "[An] alternatingly sad and inspiring memoir." -Downtown Magazine, 11/17/16 "Beach Boys fans finally get the scoop from the man himself...Provide[s] a crucial blueprint of the rise and fall of one of America's most interesting pop musicians. Wilson carefully answers questions that many die-hard fans have been wondering for years and doesn't shy away from exploring the darker, less glamorous side of being in one of the most famous American bands of all time."-Memphis Flyer, 11/17/16 "The 312-page book...convey[s] Brian Wilson's way of thinking-mostly gentle, conciliatory, a little disjointed and tinged with resignation."-Stockton Record, 11/17/16 "The Beach Boys legend once thought he just wasn't made for these times, but in his new memoir, he reflects on his brilliant career and his successful struggle against his personal demons." -Los Angeles Times "[Wilson] depicts mental illness candidly."-Austin Chronicle "In this candid testament, Wilson examines sources of his creative inspiration and reveals his mental and spiritual struggles, his highs and lows." -RTE "Filled with perspective and wisdom."-Music Is My Sanctuary, Top 10 Music Books of 2016 "A patchwork of memories covering childhood through stardom with The Beach Boys, dark years of mental illness and the comeback he has enjoyed in recent years." -Milwaukee Shepherd Express "[Wilson] tells it his way, and that makes it better than any history I've read of the Beach Boys to date. His no-holds-barred admissions of his mistakes and triumphs are revealing and engaging...The book is also peppered with surprises." -San Francisco Book Review "[Wilson] weighs in on his extreme highs and lows." -SouthCoast Today undefined-iHeartRadio "A strange kind of surfing through the Beach Boy's interior life."-The Guardian "[Wilson] tell[s] his story in his own way...For Wilson admirers it's a gift from Brian, that, more than anything reveals a sweet, mentally troubled man for whom making music is like breathing for the rest of us." -Lincoln Journal Star "A page turner...If you're at all a fan, you need this book." -Vintage Guitar "Offer[s] some fascinating glimpses under the hood."-New York Times Book Review "[A] must-read for any Beach Boys fan, packed with never-before-seen personal photos and incredible anecdotes." -Over Sixty "[Wilson] tells his story with incredible intensity, candidness, and humor...It is as if we are having an extended and intimate conversation with Wilson...There has been a veritable avalanche of autobiographies and memoirs from aging rockers in recent years as they begin to contemplate their place in rock history. I Am Brian Wilson takes its hard-earned place in the front of these books. It is not to be missed." -Washington Independent Review of Books "Touchingly modest...From the start you know you're in for something special...Honest and affecting." -The Spectator (UK)

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Book SynopsisRobert Altman—visionary director, hard-partying hedonist, eccentric family man, Hollywood legend—comes roaring to life in this rollicking oral biography.  After an all-American boyhood in Kansas City, a stint flying bombers in World War II, and jobs ranging from dog tattoo entrepreneur to television director, Robert Altman burst onto the scene in 1970 with M*A*S*H. He reinvented American filmmaking, and went on to produce such masterpieces as McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Nashville, The Player, Short Cuts, and Gosford Park. In Robert Altman, Mitchell Zuckoff has woven together Altman’s final interviews; an incredible cast of voices including Meryl Streep, Warren Beatty, Paul Newman, among scores of others; and contemporary reviews and news accounts into a riveting tale of an extraordinary life.

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Book Synopsis“You can almost taste the food in Bill Buford’s Dirt, an engrossing, beautifully written memoir about his life as a cook in France.” —The Wall Street JournalWhat does it take to master French cooking? This is the question that drives Bill Buford to abandon his perfectly happy life in New York City and pack up and (with a wife and three-year-old twin sons in tow) move to Lyon, the so-called gastronomic capital of France. But what was meant to be six months in a new and very foreign city turns into a wild five-year digression from normal life, as Buford apprentices at Lyon’s best boulangerie, studies at a legendary culinary school, and cooks at a storied Michelin-starred restaurant, where he discovers the exacting (and incomprehensibly punishing) rigueur of the professional kitchen. With his signature humor, sense of adventure, and masterful ability to bring an exotic and unknown world to life, Buford has writ

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Book SynopsisLaura Nyro was a pioneering singer-songwriter of the 1960s and 1970s whose songs were covered by the Fifth Dimension, Blood, Sweat and Tears, and Three Dog Night. This biography uncovers details of her life including her romance with Jackson Browne and her relationship with painter Maria Desiderio.

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Book SynopsisThis reference work details Frank Sinatra's extensive creative accomplishments and includes biographical information as it relates to his art.Table of ContentsThe Voice - The Music of Frank Sinatra; The Songs; The Albums; The Big Screen and the Small - Sinatra on Film, Radio, Television, Video and the Internet; The Films; Small Screens - Radio, Television, Video and the Internet; The Performer and the Citizen - Concerts, Benefit Performances and Awards; Major Concerts and Benefit Performances; Awards and Honours; Appendices - Appendix 1 - The Studio Recordings, Appendix 2 - The V-Discs, Appendix 3 - Sinatra on CD.

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Book SynopsisThis biography examines the life of a person raised in poverty and a single mother at 14, who is now one of the richest and most influential people in the world-Oprah Winfrey.Table of ContentsOprah Gail Winfrey has been a world-famous television star for more than 25 years, so well known that people refer to her as Oprah, with the assurance of no misunderstanding. Her programs are shown in many parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, although her career began in the United States, her country of birth. She has been both an actress and producer almost as many years as her television program has run. Adding to her fame and fortune, 16 years after reaching the pinnacle of television stardom, in conjunction with the Hearst Company, she launched O, The Oprah Magazine in 2000. Even though she closed The Oprah Winfrey Show at the end of 2010, publication of the magazine continued. Born January 29, 1954, the illegitimate child of mother Vernita Lee and father Vernon Winfrey, in the small town of Kosciusko, Mississippi, until she reached the age of six she lived on the farm of grandparents Hattie Mae and Earless Lee. Vernita, who never married, had settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she gave birth to another daughter, Patricia, and later to a son, Jeffrey. Although the reasons are unclear, Vernita decided to have Oprah move to Wisconsin to live with her and the other children. It was an arrangement fraught with problems from poverty to indifferent supervision that led to Oprah becoming an angry, hostile, promiscuous teen, completely out of control and subjected to the sexual advances of relatives and her mother's male visitors. In 1968, a pregnant teenage Oprah was sent to live with her father, Vernon, and his wife, Velma, in Nashville, Tennessee. Shortly after the birth and death of her baby boy, Oprah's world changed completely. The Winfreys had no children together, so Oprah became the focus of their home life. It was a religious, organized existence in which Oprah was expected to follow strict rules, earn the highest grades, attend church regularly, and set the example of a model student. She joined a number of clubs in East Nashville High School, including both a drama club and forensics club; was admitted to the honor society and student council; and served as a representative at a White House conference. All of these activities obviously were forerunners of her later successes in radio and television. Oprah was developing the personality that brought her the vote for the most popular girl in her senior class. During her last years in high school, an active Oprah won a number of awards and contests. Upon graduation, she went to Tennessee State University. She had been awarded a scholarship and she accepted it, despite the fact that she would have preferred a school with a more mixed student body. She remained at Tennessee State until her senior year but left before graduation; several years later—after she had become famous—the university awarded her a degree. Her decision to work rather than stay in college came when she was offered a job as a reporter and co-anchor for an evening news program in Baltimore. During her time in Baltimore, she met Gayle King, who became and remains her closest friend. After two years working on the evening news show, Oprah was transferred to a morning program, People Are Talking. After several years with that show, she accepted an offer to host the Chicago program AM Chicago. Chicago became her home, a city where she found her niche. There she met two men who have been very influential in her life: Stedman Graham, her longtime significant other, and Quincy Jones, who recognized her potential and gave her a leading role in his movie The Color Purple, bringing her an Academy Award nomination and starting her on the path to national and international recognition. Not long after that triumph, in 1986, Oprah's television program was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show, making her the first African American woman to have a nationally syndicated program. She also formed her own company that later became Harpo Productions, a company that still belongs to her, and bought an elegant penthouse condominium on Chicago's lakefront. Following her success in The Color Purple, she played a role in a movie based on another famous novel, Native Son, and a year after that had a cameo role in the movie Throw Momma from the Train. Moviemaking of various kinds became a part of her work, something she continues to this day. Through the years, she has continued to appear in and produce films, including Waiting to Exhale, a work based on a very popular novel. By 1988, having gained ownership and control of Harpo, Oprah became the first black woman to own both a studio and production company. With increased income, she was able to buy a farm and other homes. Even as she continued to expand her interests in various types of films, series, and documentaries, she initiated the National Child Protection Act, which President Clinton signed in 1993. In 1996, she made news by running in the 25-mile Marine Marathon. Additionally, she helped her chef in the writing of In the Kitchen with Rosie, as well as doing a small part of Bob Greene's exercise book, Make the Connection. Another chef, Art Smith, gained fame and fortune through his association with Oprah, appearing on her show, writing a cookbook, participating in charities, and opening restaurants in prime locations, including one in Washington, DC, during the period when thencandidate Barack Obama was running for president. Because of his connection to Oprah, when Smith and his partner were married in 2010, the event was covered by multiple newspapers. Over two decades, Oprah was given one award after another for her many achievements, including the prestigious Peabody Award. Another great success came with the introduction on her show of what became the most famous book club in the United States. There were, however, some roadblocks in her career along the way, one of which was a suit brought by the Independent Cattlemen's Association of Texas, which claimed that on her show she had been disparaging beef products, production, and distribution. It was necessary for Oprah to move her daily show to Texas for a short time while fighting the case. While there, she met Dr. Phil McGraw, who became one of her advisers and joined her television program after the cattlemen lost the case. McGraw became a star when Oprah sponsored a new show for him, and he continues with his own program. Oprah has proved to have another skill—that of star maker, with her support of chef Rachel Ray's program as well as the exceedingly popular medical guru Dr. Oz. After joining the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005, where he remained for five years, Mehmet Oz became host of his own immediately successful show. Briefly, Oprah had a foray in politics, something she has always avoided in the past. The nomination of a black presidential candidate in 2007 brought her into the activities of a democratic partisan as she campaigned vigorously for Barack Obama. Every involvement of hers in the election was reported, bringing strong support and equally strong anger among Oprah's fans. With the conclusion of the campaign and election, which brought an ecstatic and tearful Oprah before the public, she appears to have retired from her role in the political arena. Ten years earlier, Oprah had created the Angel Network, a charity that flourished until Oprah decided to bring it to an end in 2010 in order to focus on her future shows as well as other charitable activities. Harpo Productions has continued to produce successful movies, while Oprah, with the support of the Hearst Company, created O, The Oprah Magazine, first publishing it in the United States, then later an international version followed in South Africa. Two years after the first issue of the magazine appeared, Oprah announced the discontinuation of her very popular book club, because, she claimed, there were no more worthwhile current books to read. However, when a strong reaction among her followers and much public criticism ensued, the club was reborn, but, as her daily television show comes to an end, she suggests the club also, again, will be dropped. Oprah's interest in South Africa was fanned by Nelson Mandela, who convinced her of the need for schools in his country. His persuasion led to the construction in the beginning of 2003 of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. In 2005, the academy was opened to much acclaim as well as dire predictions about failure. The road has not been a smooth one, with scandals reported throughout the media. Lawsuits in Africa and in the United States have been brought; questions have been raised about the validity of her efforts to establish schools abroad. But the difficulties appear to be resolved, and the first graduates have been visiting U.S. colleges and universities to make choices of future education. Oprah has emphasized her determination to continue with this type of philanthropy, even as she winds down her 25-year-old television show and makes plans for the coming years of her different role in television.

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Book SynopsisA backstage look at the making of Nora Ephron''s revered trilogy--When Harry Met Sally, You''ve Got Mail, and Sleepless in Seattle--which brought romantic comedies back to the fore, and an intimate portrait of the beloved writer/director who inspired a generation of Hollywood women, from Mindy Kaling to Lena Dunham. In I''ll Have What She''s Having entertainment journalist Erin Carlson tells the story of the real Nora Ephron and how she reinvented the romcom through her trio of instant classics. With a cast of famous faces including Rob Reiner, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, and Billy Crystal, Carlson takes readers on a rollicking, revelatory trip to Ephron''s New York City, where reality took a backseat to romance and Ephron--who always knew what she wanted and how she wanted it--ruled the set with an attention to detail that made her actors feel safe but sometimes exasperated crew members. Along the way, Carlson examines how Ephron explored in the cinema answers to the questions that plagued her own romantic life and how she regained faith in love after one broken engagement and two failed marriages. Carlson also explores countless other questions Ephron''s fans have wondered about: What sparked Reiner to snap out of his bachelor blues during the making of When Harry Met Sally? Why was Ryan, a gifted comedian trapped in the body of a fairytale princess, not the first choice for the role? After she and Hanks each separatel balked at playing Mail''s Kathleen Kelly and Sleepless'' Sam Baldwin, what changed their minds? And perhaps most importantly: What was Dave Chappelle doing . . . in a turtleneck? An intimate portrait of a one of America''s most iconic filmmakers and a look behind the scenes of her crowning achievements, I''ll Have What She''s Having is a vivid account of the days and nights when Ephron, along with assorted cynical collaborators, learned to show her heart on the screen.

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Book SynopsisThe long-awaited memoir from John Fogerty, the legendary singer-songwriter and creative force behind Creedence Clearwater Revival. Creedence Clearwater Revival is one of the most important and beloved bands in the history of rock, and John Fogerty wrote, sang, and produced their instantly recognizable classics: Proud Mary, Bad Moon Rising, Born on the Bayou, and more. Now he reveals how he brought CCR to number one in the world, eclipsing even the Beatles in 1969. By the next year, though, Creedence was falling apart; their amazing, enduring success exploded and faded in just a few short years. Fortunate Son takes readers from Fogerty''s Northern California roots, through Creedence''s success and the retreat from music and public life, to his hard-won revival as a solo artist who finally found love.

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Book SynopsisThe Alexander Technique is a method of muscular re-education, which has become standard training for actors, dancers and singers, and is practised for health reasons all over the world. Its founder, Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869-1955), was an Australian actor who stumbled upon it in the 1890s after studying himself in mirrors to discover why he had lost his voice. He realised that most people suffered from the same postural defects he had noticed in himself, and that this explained much of what went wrong with them. F.M. (as he was known) came to London in 1904 and became enormously successful. During the First World War he practised in America with equal success, converting the American philosopher John Dewey to his cause. He wrote four books (all still in print), and his supporters included Aldous Huxley, George Bernard Shaw and Stafford Cripps. He was, however, a difficult and argumentative man who made enemies. Towards the end of his life he embarked on a libel action against Trade ReviewMichael Bloch has done the world a great service by writing this life of a man who deserves to be more widely acknowledged and celebrated. * COUNTRY LIFE *Bloch presents the facts in poised, gentlemanly prose, noting foibles without moralising, and dryly alive to amusing details. * TLS *

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Book SynopsisPart mystery, part biography, part meditation on a forgotten singer from the early days of jazz, this is Nick Tosches piecing together of a life - that of Emmett Miller, whose songs prefigured jazz, country, blues and much of the popular music of the 20th century.

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Book SynopsisAfter leaving the Specials Horace played with General Public and later with Specialbeat. Today he teaches art and music to children with special needs during the week but can be found playing his bass on weekends in various pubs around Coventry.Trade ReviewContemporaneous diary keeping, a dry wit and impressive recall mean the sheer excitement of events shines through -- Q MagazineThe warmth and honesty of this book sets it a notch above others of its ilk. And as a lesson in what it's like to make it in the music game, it's essential reading -- Daily Sport

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Book SynopsisTO LOVE MUSIC IS TO LOVE VINCE GILLHis pure tenor voice, amazing guitar playing, and superb songwriting skills have earned Vince Gill eleven Grammies and seventeen Country Music Association Awards--making him the biggest CMA winner of all time. But it's the man behind the music who inspires so much love and devotion from his fans and his peers. Humble, wholesome, funny, and kind, Vince Gill is a superstar with heart--and his numerous volunteer activities raise millions of dollars for charity every year.From his childhood as the son of a banjo-playing judge in Oklahoma to his roots in Kentucky bluegrass music . . . from his years in Los Angeles as the lead singer for the acclaimed group Pure Prairie League to his first forays into Nashville . . . from his mastery of bluegrass, rock, pop, and country to his acclaim as the host of the annual Country Music Association Awards national telecast . . . here is the heartwarming story of an inspiring man who gives his all for the

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