THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLING AUTOBIOGRAPHY FROM THE QUEEN OF ROCK 'N' ROLL_______________________'Astonishing, soul-baring - the must-read memoir by rock's greatest survivor' DAILY MAIL***The full, dramatic story of one of the most remarkable women in music history, whose legacy will never be forgotten***'Unbearably poignant' THE TIMES, Book of the Week_______________________Love's got everything to do with it.Tina Turner was the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll. In this dramatic autobiography, she tells the story of a truly remarkable life in the spotlight.From her early years picking cotton in Nutbush, Tennessee to her rise to fame alongside Ike Turner, and finally to her phenomenal success in the 1980s and beyond, Tina candidly examines her personal history, from her darkest hours to her happiest moments and everything in between.In her honest and heart-felt voice, Tina reveals:· How (love) and a kidney transplant saved her life - and how her new husband made an incredible personal sacrifice· How she has coped with the tragic suicide of her son· How ex-husband Ike Turner forced her to go to a brothel on their wedding night... and why she tried to kill herself because of Ike's mistresses· The Cinderella moment when David Bowie made Tina a star ...· ...and the day Mick Jagger ripped her skirt off!AND MUCH MOREBrimming with her trademark blend of strength, energy, heart and soul, My Love Story is a gripping, surprising memoir, as memorable and entertaining as any of her greatest hits._______________________'The book is written with a warm heart and a generous spirit... It is a thoughtful, moving reflection on a life of spectacular achievement' DAILY EXPRESS'Turner comes across as courageous, optimistic, big-hearted and generous' SUNDAY TIMES'Fascinating, dramatic, surprising' OK! MAGAZINE'An honest, thoughtful and touching reflection on a full and fulfilling life' SUNDAY EXPRESS Read more

SUNDAY TIMES MUSIC BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023MOJO BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023A ROUGH TRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023AN UNCUT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023A VARIETY MUSIC BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023One of the few indisputable geniuses of pop music, Sly Stone is a trailblazer who created a new kind of music, mixing Black and white, male and female, funk and rock; penned some of the most iconic anthems of the 1960s and 70s, from "Everyday People" to "Family Affair"; and electrified audiences with a persona and stage presence that set a lasting standard for pop culture performance. Yet he has also been a cautionary tale, known as much for how he dropped out of sight as for what put him in the spotlight in the first place. As much as people know the music, the man remains a mystery. In Thank You, his much-anticipated memoir, he's finally ready to share his story - a story that many thought he'd never have the chance to tell. Written with Ben Greenman, who has written memoirs with George Clinton and Brian Wilson among others, Thank You will include a foreword by Questlove. The book was created in collaboration with Sly Stone's manager Arlene Hirschkowitz. "For as long as I can remember folks have been asking me to tell my story," says Stone. "I wasn't ready. I had to be in a new frame of mind to become Sylvester Stewart again to tell the true story of Sly Stone. It's been a wild ride and hopefully my fans enjoy it too." Read more

Authoritatively written and including rare photography and memorabilia, this sumptuous slipcased hardcover is the only illustrated gift book to examine Prince’s most iconic album and film, Purple Rain.In 1984, Prince, along with his band, The Revolution, released what would become his best-selling album and a touchstone of 1980s pop culture. Purple Rain has gone on to sell 25 million copies and counting. In Prince and Purple Rain, Andrea Swensson, a Minneapolis-based journalist and host/co-producer of Prince | Official Podcast, takes a deep dive into the legendary musician’s most famous album on its 40th anniversary.The book features:A lush purple velvet slipcase with gold-foil letteringA foreword by Prince superfan Maya RudolphStunning performance and off-stage photographyInterviews with musicians who worked with PrinceImages of memorabilia from top collectors Chapters cover:Prince’s youth and early music career in Minneapolis, as well as each of the five studio albums that preceded Purple RainPrince’s backing band, The Revolution, and the backgrounds of each of its individual members, with an emphasis on the Purple Rain studio and touring members: drummer Bobby Z, bassist Brown Mark, guitarist Wendy Melvoin, keyboardist Lisa Coleman, and keyboardist Matt FinkTrack-by-track analyses of each sideA look at the groundbreaking film of the same name and its multiplatinum soundtrackAwards, accolades, and critical receptionPrince’s legacy post–Purple Rain, up to his untimely death in 2016Prince and Purple Rain is a definitive and beautifully produced tribute to a legendary album from a legendary performer and artist.The Great Albums series presents authoritative explorations of rock’s most revered records, beautifully packaged for fans to treasure. Delve into even more groundbreaking releases with: Pink Floyd and The Dark Side of the Moon, The Who & Quadrophenia, Bruce Springsteen and Born to Run, and Queen & A Night at the Opera, with more to come. Read more

A Sunday Times BestsellerTHE FIRST EVER OFFICIAL BOOK―Published in celebration of BTS’s 10th Anniversary, stories that go beyond what you already know about BTS, including unreleased photos, QR codes of videos, and all album information.After taking their first step into the world on June 13, 2013, BTS will celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut in June 2023. They have risen to the peak as an iconic global artist and during this meaningful time, they look back on their footsteps in the first official book. In doing so, BTS nurtures the power to build brighter days and they choose to take another step on a road that no one has gone before.BTS shares personal, behind-the-scenes stories of their journey so far through interviews and more than three years of in-depth coverage by Myeongseok Kang, who has written about K-pop and other Korean pop culture in various media. Presented chronologically in seven chapters from before the debut of BTS to the present, their vivid voices and opinions harmonize to tell a sincere, lively, and deep story. In individual interviews that have been conducted without a camera or makeup, they illuminate their musical journey from multiple angles and discuss its significance.In addition, portrait photos that show BTS as individuals and artists open the book, and throughout there are concept photos, tracklists of all previous albums, and over 330 QR codes. As digital artists, BTS has been communicating with the world through the internet and this book allows readers to immediately access trailers, music videos, and more online to have a rich understanding of all the key moments in BTS history. Complete with a timeline of all major milestones.BEYOND THE STORY is a remarkable archive―truly everything about BTS in one volume. Read more

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERA BOOK OF THE YEAR PICK IN THE TIMES: 'Captivating'A ROUGH TRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR: 'In-depth and inspiring''Beautifully compiled ... the perfect festival experience' SUNDAY TIMESGlastonbury 50 is the authorised, behind-the-scenes, inside story of the music festival that has become a true global phenomenon. The story begins in 1970. The day after Jimi Hendrix's death... dairy farmer Michael Eavis invites revellers to his field in Somerset to attend a 'Pop, Folk & Blues' festival. Tickets are £1 each, enticing more than a thousand customers with the promise of music, dance, poetry, theatre, lights and spontaneous entertainment - as well as free milk from his own Worthy Farm cows.Fast forward through five tumultuous decades and the Eavis's vision now encompasses a gigantic 'city in the fields', with a total annual population nearing a quarter of a million. Tickets sell out within minutes, the show is beamed live to more than 40 countries around the globe, and over 3 million people are registered to attend. Meanwhile, the bill has expanded to include big name performers, artists and designers from every branch of the creative arts. Glastonbury Festival is now the largest outdoor green fields event in the world.In their own words, Michael and Emily Eavis reveal the stories behind the headlines, and celebrate 50 years of history in the Vale of Avalon. They're joined by a host of big-name contributors from the world of music - among them Adele, JAY-Z, Dolly Parton, Chris Martin, Noel Gallagher, Lars Ulrich and Guy Garvey. They're joined by artists - Stanley Donwood, Kurt Jackson and many more. Writers - Caitlin Moran, Lauren Laverne, Billy Bragg - and by a host of photographers, from Seventies icon Brian Walker to rock and roll legends Jill Furmanovsky and Greg Williams.Together they bring you the magic that makes Glastonbury, Glastonbury. Read more

Spanning over decades, this is the remarkable, heartfelt memoir from Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, the last surviving member of The Four Tops.Amidst a backdrop of Detroit, I’ll Be There features revealing anecdotes from the group’s formation, their early days as backup singers for the likes of Jackie Wilson, and their years working with Berry Gordy at the legendary Motown Records.With era-defining number ones like ‘I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)’ and ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’ came stardom and also a more enduring reward: the love of four men who become tighter than brothers.Together they comprise one of the most celebrated R&B groups of all time. But remarkable musical success didn’t spare Fakir the pain of marital distress, soured investment deals, struggles with sobriety and the sudden loss of his brothers, all of which he covers in this confessional, unmissable book. Read more

"If you are born an artist, you have no choice but to fight to stay an artist." ― Lana Del ReyWith her latest album, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, Lana Del Rey has again proven herself as one of the most crucial and original female musicians of the 21st century. So let this celebrity biography reveal the full story of Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, largely told in Lana's own words using hundreds of interviews and public statements.We connect the dots between Del Rey's humble Catholic school beginnings, her teenage troubles with alcoholism, and her earliest unknown recordings as May Jailer/Lizzy Grant. We explore how the ruthless streets of New York City and the noir of Los Angeles struck a chord of nostalgic romance in Lana's creative mind, seeking retro Hollywood glamour at whatever cost, transforming into the multi-platinum "gangster Nancy Sinatra" superstar we love today. And we illustrate how the accusations of toxic femininity and a fabricated past could never compromise her vision; instead, the opposition provided even stronger material for her unique artistic dedication, selling millions of records across the globe.More importantly, this book delves deep into her music, where Lana Del Rey has always felt the most comfortable sharing personal details. We document her hundreds of unreleased songs, her biggest hits (such as the viral sensation Video Games), her soundtrack contributions (The Great Gatsby, Maleficent, Big Eyes), and her collaboration work with The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, and Stevie Nicks. Furthermore, we passionately analyse each of her eight studio albums, including the critically acclaimed Born to Die, Ultraviolence, Honeymoon, orman F**king Rockwell!, Chemtrails Over the Country Club, and Blue Banisters. In doing so, we present a commercially successful career that hides within the darker underbelly of the pop world, just like her cult following prefers it.For dedicated fans only, here is everything there is to know about the real Lana Del Rey. Read more

This is the true and complete accounting of Rick James' life written by Rick James himself. Beginning with his childhood and into the spotlight of his famous and troubled life. Rick James shares a fascinating account of his rise, fall and rise to his international fame and fortune. The sex is steamier; the crack cocaine more potent; the music more explosive than any of a dozen other celebrities - dead or alive! Read more

The Rap Year Book takes readers on a journey that begins in 1979, widely regarded as the moment rap as a genre became recognised as part of music’s landscape and comes right up to the present. Shea Serrano deftly pays homage to the most important song of each year. Serrano also examines the most important moments that surround the history and culture of rap music–from artists’ backgrounds, to issues of race and safety, to the rise of hip-hop and the struggles among its major players–both personal and professional. Covering East Coast and West Coast, famous rapper feuds, chart toppers and show stoppers, The Rap Year Book takes an in-depth look at the last thirty-five years of the most influential genre of music to come out of the last generation. Complete with quizzes, infographics, lyric maps, hilarious and informative footnotes, portraits of the artists, and the occasional rebuttal essay by other prominent music writers, The Rap Year Book is both a narrative and illustrated guide to some of the most iconic and influential songs ever created under the umbrella of rap music. Serrano cites a variety of sources to form his arguments including biographies, magazines and documentaries, as well as his own experiences growing up at a time when hip-hop was becoming a prevalent force in the music industry. With its all-encompassing look at the ups and downs of rap music, and the landmark songs that are its tent-poles, this book will be perfect for anyone who is a fan of the genre. Read more

Under a Hoodoo Moon is one of rock's most original and infectious autobiographies. In its pages, Dr. John, the alchemist of New Orleans psychedelic funk, tells his story, and what a story it is: of four decades on the road, on the charts, in and o Read more

"I extract the negative stuff. I put it in a thing and I bring out all the bad stuff. And I serve it up to everyone so that they'll give me attention. And it poisons everyone, so they only listen to it when they're in messed-up places. And it's a good sign when they stop listening to me, because that means that they're not hurting themselves on purpose." - Fiona AppleAt the tender age of 19, Fiona Apple was thrust into the limelight with her debut, Tidal, instantly becoming the poster child for mental trauma and the unhealthy 'heroin chic' body standard. However, as the decades passed, album after album, she defied these labels, emerging as a generation-defining artist, underscored by her multiple Grammy Award wins and with Pitchfork calling her latest offering, Fetch the Bolt Cutters, the greatest record in over a decade.When a Song Ends in a Minor Key is compiled using quotes from hundreds of interviews, covering Fiona’s perspectives on music, relationships, and life in general. We further dedicate many pages to each of her releases, including When the Pawn, Extraordinary Machine, and Idler Wheel, refusing to leave any information out. This exhilarating format allows Fiona Apple to tell her own story, detailing how she overcame her addictions and disorders by opening her heart for the whole world to see. By being authentically herself without compromise, she has risen as one of the most influential songwriters in contemporary music, and it is about time such a publication praised her worth.This celebrity biography was written by Jared Woods, the author of the phenomenally popular Lana Del Rey book F**ked My Way Up To The Top, which is also available now. Read more

Longlisted for the Penderyn Music Book PrizeAn Uncut Magazine Book of the YearA Rough Trade Book of the YearA Resident Book of the YearThe story of soul legend P.P. Arnold is one of musical highs, personal lows and extraordinary endurance.From her origins in powerhouse church gospel, the talented singer's performing career began at the age of just seventeen when she joined the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. But little did the young Ikette know that her world was about to be turned upside-down...Upon arriving in London in 1966 to support the Rolling Stones, the shy but vivacious teenager caught the eye of frontman Mick Jagger. He would persuade her to stay in the city and record as a solo artist, ultimately leading to a five-decade career working with everyone from Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, the Small Faces, Nick Drake and Barry Gibb to Peter Gabriel, Roger Waters, the KLF, Paul Weller and Primal Scream.However, it has been far from a gilded life for the soul superstar. After being forced into marriage upon becoming pregnant at the age of fifteen, Arnold went on to endure a string of devastating personal traumas. Yet the versatile musician survived it all and has continued to reinvent herself throughout the years -be that as a West End actress, a much-sought-after session singer or a renowned pop vocalist in her own right.Now, for the first time, P.P. Arnold shares her remarkable adventures. This is the long-awaited memoir of a true soul survivor.'Jaw-dropping.' - Mojo'Powerful.' - Woman's Hour'Explosive.' - Daily Mail Read more

***'Eddie was there very early doors. His story is of the many.' Paul Weller'A total riot! Takes me right back to the 70s. A Superb book' Mani, The Stone Roses'What a wonderful book. Mod isn't about what decade you lived in, it's about your attitude, and this book has tons of it' Kenney Jones, The Small Faces'A charismatic storyteller, witty and unpretentious, he is at once an engaging protagonist and an indisputable authority, giving a live-wire, visceral perspective on mod life in that short flash of time. He manages to create a welcoming space in this rather exclusive world while never losing his formidable edge as a narrator' - The Big Issue'Buy it on sight. You won't be disappointed' - Louder Than War'Eddie's book is really good!' - Robert Elms'Akin to being in the company of someone with plenty of entertaining tales to tell.... the comradery and spirit of like-minded souls is inspiring.' - Paul Ritchie, Shindig! MagazineWITH A FOREWORD BY PAUL WELLERThis is the memoir of a teenage mod from the East End of London.A journey of discovery for a schoolboy dabbling with punk, funk, record shops, discos and clothes, and then... WHAAAM! An unstoppable wave of like-minded kids fall headlong in love with 60s mod culture, revived and reformatted for the 70s and 80s generation.Eddie Piller was one such kid. His life was changed forever. Written with humour, passion and attention to detail, CLEAN LIVING UNDER DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES is perhaps the ultimate mod memoir, taking us from meeting the Small Faces as a toddler, to the 1979 Mod revival, through the more purist 1980s mod scene and eventually to Acid Jazz.A born storyteller, Eddie takes us evocatively into a world of scooters, clothes, and music. We run with the crowd to decaying seaside towns, East End backstreet boozers and sweaty teenage gigs, all fizzing with an uncontainable excitement and often exploding into violence.Once mod touched your soul it changed the way you looked at life, unexpectedly broadening your horizons. In Eddie it awakens a can-do attitude that sees him setting up a fanzine, putting on club nights, hustling jobs in the music industry, and eventually setting up a record label. It even takes him to Ireland at the height of the troubles and to Australia where the local mods take him on a military exercise...Visceral and always entertaining, CLEAN LIVING UNDER DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES is a stand-out memoir that relives the thrill of the 70s and 80s, and the movement that helped make mod the most enduring and successful British youth culture of all time. Read more

The global icon, award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, actress, mother, daughter, sister, storyteller and artist finally tells the unfiltered story of her life in The Meaning of Mariah Carey.It took me a lifetime to have the courage and the clarity to write my memoir. I want to tell the story of the moments – the ups and downs, the triumphs and traumas, the debacles and the dreams – that contributed to the person I am today. Though there have been countless stories about me throughout my career and very public personal life, it’s been impossible to communicate the complexities and depths of my experience in any single magazine article or a ten-minute television interview. And even then, my words were filtered through someone else’s lens, largely satisfying someone else’s assignment to define me.This book is composed of my memories, my mishaps, my struggles, my survival and my songs. Unfiltered. I went deep into my childhood and gave the scared little girl inside of me a big voice. I let the abandoned and ambitious adolescent have her say, and the betrayed and triumphant woman I became tell her side.Writing this memoir was incredibly hard, humbling and healing. My sincere hope is that you are moved to a new understanding, not only about me, but also about the resilience of the human spirit.Love, Mariah Read more

The Life of Marvin Gaye: Divided Soul is the definitive biography of an enormously gifted and sensitive musician.David Ritz presents his uniquely candid and intimate account of the tumultuous life of the Prince of Soul music, Marvin Gaye.Assembling years of conversations and interviews from his life as a close friend and lyricist to the gifted Soul sensation, Ritz tells the Marvin Gaye story with fly-on-the-wall accuracy and detail. From his early years as an abused child in the slums of Washington DC, through his rise to the very peaks of the Motown phenomenon, his fall from grace and subsequent comeback, to his untimely death at the hands of his father, Marvin's story is the stuff of legends.The cast of characters includes the Jacksons, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and countless other icons of the world of soul music. Read more

'I see my story as a suite of songs that have a magical connection. I never understood that connection until I sat down to write. It was then that the magic started to flow.'Let Love Rule is a work of deep reflection. Lenny Kravitz looks back at his life with candor, self-scrutiny, and humour. 'My life is all about opposites,' he writes. 'Black and white. Jewish and Christian. The Jackson 5 and Led Zeppelin. I accepted my Gemini soul. I owned it. I adored it. Yins and yangs mingled in various parts of my heart and mind, giving me balance and fueling my curiosity and comfort.'Let Love Rule covers a vast canvas stretching from Manhattan's Upper East Side, Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant, Los Angeles's Baldwin Hills, Beverly Hills, and finally to France, England and Germany. It's the story of a wildly creative kid who, despite tough struggles at school and extreme tension at home, finds salvation in music. We see him grow as a musician and ultimately a master songwriter, producer, and performer. We also see Lenny's spiritual growth-and the powerful way in which spirit informs his music. The cast of characters surrounding Lenny is extraordinary: his father, Sy, a high-powered news executive; his mother, Roxie Roker, a television star; and Lisa Bonet, the young actress who becomes his muse.The central character, of course, is Lenny, who, despite his great aspirational energy, turns down record deal after record deal until he finds his true voice.The creation of that voice, the same voice that is able to declare 'Let Love Rule' to an international audience, is the very heart of this story.'Whether recording, performing, or writing a book,' says Lenny, 'my art is about listening to the inspiration inside and then sharing it with people. Art must bring the world closer together.' Read more

Winner of the Penderyn Music Book PrizeIn the 1950s and 1960s, Memphis, Tennessee, was the launch pad of musical pioneers such as Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Al Green and Isaac Hayes, and by 1968 was a city synonymous with soul music. It was a deeply segregated city, ill at ease with the modern world and yet to adjust to the era of civil rights and racial integration. Stax Records offered an escape from the turmoil of the real world for many soul and blues musicians, with much of the music created there becoming the soundtrack to the civil rights movements.The book opens with the death of the city's most famous recording artist, Otis Redding, who died in a plane crash in the final days of 1967, and then follows the fortunes of Redding's label, Stax/Volt Records, as its fortunes fall and rise again. But, as the tense year unfolds, the city dominates world headlines for the worst of reasons: the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King. Read more

Raised on a diet of glam rock and chart pop, flares and tank tops, learning the rules and then learning there were no rules. Music and fashion going hand in hand, ever-changing. Taking sides, loyalties that would last for decades, spotting the next trend and moving on, then taking it a step further, getting ahead. Reaching 16 in ‘79, scanning the radar, faced with choices, plotting a new course, mod, ska, new romantic, rockabilly, goth, choosing which route to take and for how long. Wasted youths? takes us from young farmers’ club discos to the pubs of Camden Town via early ‘80s Oxford. The fashions, fads and factions that meant the world. A celebration of youth, lost loves, lost jumpers, missed opportunities and missed gigs, favourite shirts and dream shoes. Read more

Blues is the cornerstone of American popular music, the bedrock of rock and roll. In this extraordinary musical and social history, Robert Palmer traces the odyssey of the blues from its rural beginnings, to the steamy bars of Chicago's South Side, to international popularity, recognition, and imitation. Palmer tells the story of the blues through the lives of its greatest practitioners: Robert Johnson, who sang of being pursued by the hounds of hell; Muddy Waters, who electrified Delta blues and gave the music its rock beat; Robert Lockwood and Sonny Boy Williamson, who launched the King Biscuit Time radio show and brought blues to the airwaves; and John Lee Hooker, Ike Turner, B. B. King, and many others. "A lucid . . . entrancing study" -- Greil Marcus "Palmer has a powerful understanding of the music and an intense involvement in the culture." -- The Nation Read more

'Highly entertaining' Empire'A must read' Independent'Remarkable' Judy Belushi Pisano'This book is on a mission from God' DBC PierreThe Blues Brothers hit cinemas on 20th June, 1980. Today, it 's recognised as one of the most significant films of the twentieth century. Its spotlighting of some of the world's most legendary rhythm and blues artists - Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker - made the film as unforgettable as its wild car chases. In The Blues Brothers, Daniel de Visé shares the history of this timeless movie, encompassing the colourful childhoods of Belushi and Aykroyd; the comedic revolution sparked by The Harvard Lampoon; the birth and drug-filled early years of Saturday Night Live; and of course, the indelible behind-the-scenes narrative of how the film was made. Based on original research and dozens of interviews probing the memories of principals from director John Landis and producer Bob Weiss to Aykroyd himself, The Blues Brothers illuminates in glorious technicolour, the making of an American masterpiece and the birth of modern comedy.'Droll and rigorous . . . bracingly thorough' The Times'[A] diverting celebration' Irish Times Read more