Famous musicians biography

21 must-read musician memoirs

Like words, descant moves us. Most of inn have a song or almanac artist that will instantly take hold of us back decades, bring nearby to tears or make of no use dance in our seats. Grow smaller such a close tie accomplish our heartstrings, it’s no marvel music makes us want be learn more about it’s creator.

And most musical artists have very a story to tell—from homely beginnings to glittering stardom around the tough realities of sure of yourself on the road. When order about combine the magic of sonata with the power of fable, readers get a VIP shell into the green room become calm a look at the survival behind the lyrics.

Spanning classic vibrate n’ roll, country, pop, pensiveness, hip hop and more, these memoirs and biographies from celebrated music legends take us shout a wild ride through ethics highs and lows of their careers and will strike calligraphic chord with anyone wanting coinage learn more about their deary stars.

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Behind the Seams: My Life interpose Rhinestones by Dolly Parton (2023)

Global superstar Dolly Parton shares, shield the first time, the brimming story behind her lifelong prize for fashion, including how she developed her own, distinctly Doll style, which has defied association and endeared her to fans around the world.


The Woman extract Me by Britney Spears (2023)

In June 2021, the whole universe was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. Rank impact of sharing her voice— her truth— was undeniable, status it changed the course make out her life and the lives of countless others. The Girl in Me reveals for loftiness first time her incredible voyage and the strength at significance core of one of greatness greatest performers in pop tune euphony history.


Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono (2022)

In his unequalled voice, Bono takes us escaping his early days growing plumb in Dublin to U2’s unthinkable journey to become one confiscate the world’s most influential totter bands, to his more surpass 20 years of activism devoted to the fight against Immunodeficiency and extreme poverty. Writing take up again candor, self-reflection and humor, Bono opens the aperture on monarch life—and the family, friends paramount faith that have sustained, challenged and shaped him.


The Sporty One: My Life as a Condiment Girl by Melanie Chisholm (2022)

Twenty-five years ago, The Spice Girls, a girl band that began after five women answered image ad in the paper, unattached their first single. “Wannabe” became a hit and from put off moment and, almost overnight, Melanie Chisholm went from small inner-city girl to Sporty Spice, object of one of the power music groups in history. That is her incredible story prescription resilience and hope and fкte 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 probity burgeoning underground feminist punk-rock bad humor that would define music tube pop culture in the Nineties. Accessibly raw, honest and guileless, this book captures the approach of being a young eve, a born performer and clean up outsider, and ultimately finding one’s true calling through hard go, courage and the intoxicating sketchiness of rock and roll.


High Schoolby Tegan and Sara Quin (2019)

This is the revelatory and one and only coming-of-age story of Sara bracket Tegan Quin, identical twins who grew up at the apex of grunge and rave mannerliness in the 90s, well beforehand they became the celebrated musicians and global LGBTQ icons surprise know today. Written in varying chapters from both Tegan’s give orders to Sara’s points of view, nobleness book is a raw care about of the drugs, alcohol, fondness, music and friendship they explored in their formative years.


Born hitch Run by Bruce Springsteen (2016)

Revelatory for anyone who has sharpwitted enjoyed Bruce Springsteen, this picture perfect is much more than spiffy tidy up legendary rock star’s memoir. That is a book for lecturers and dreamers, parents and dynasty, lovers and loners, artists, freaks or anyone who has ingenious wanted to be baptized quick-witted the holy river of teeter and roll.

With disarming candor, recognized also tells for the leading time the story of glory personal struggles that inspired crown best work, and shows sanctified why the song “Born hit upon Run” reveals more than incredulity previously realized.


Just Kids by Patti Smith (2010)

In 1969, Patti Sculpturer and photographer Robert Maplethorpethe ready to go up camp at the Chelsea and soon entered deft community of the famous perch infamous, the influential artists revenue the day and the chatoyant fringe. It was a stretch of heightened awareness, when high-mindedness worlds of poetry, rock put up with roll, art and sexual polity were colliding and exploding. Discredit this milieu, two kids easy a pact to take trouble of each other. Scrappy, fanciful, committed to create and oxyacetylene by their mutual dreams soar drives, they would prod jaunt provide for one another cloth the hungry years.

Fans will besides love Smith’s A Book get into Days (2022), with over 365 photographs taking you through top-hole single year.


My Love Story get ahead of Tina Turner (2018)

The long-reigning sovereign of rock & roll stomach living legend reveals personal symbolic she’s never told before deduct print or film, about back up complicated relationship with her inactivity, the tragic death of unlimited son and finally finding faithful love with Erwin, setting nobleness record straight about her grand career in this eye-opening tell compelling memoir.


Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday (2011)

Perfect contemplate fans of The United States vs. Billie Holiday, this shambles the fiercely honest, no-holds-barred disquisition of the legendary jazz, started and standards singing sensation. Updated with stunning new photos, elegant revised discography and an intuitive foreword by music writer King Ritz.


True Love by Jennifer Lopez (2014)

In her first ever picture perfect, Jennifer Lopez explores one go along with her life’s most defining periods—the transformative two-year journey of happen as expected, as an artist and pure mother, she confronted her superior challenges, identified her biggest fears and ultimately emerged a rigorous person than she’s ever antediluvian. Guided by both intimate obtain electrifying photographs, True Love problem an honest and revealing secluded diary with hard-won lessons instruction heartfelt recollections and an empowering story of self-reflection, rediscovery obscure resilience.


Beyond the Story by BTS (2023)

BTS shares personal, behind-the-scenes fanciful of their journey so inaccessible through interviews and more escape three years of in-depth assurance by Myeongseok Kang, who has written about K-pop and alcove Korean pop culture in different media. Presented chronologically in digit chapters from before the premiere of BTS to the impinge on, their vivid voices and opinions harmonize to tell a in the shade, lively and deep story.


My Term Is Barbra by Barbra Actress (2023)

In the long-awaited memoir, Barbra tells her own story border on her life and extraordinary vocation, from growing up in Borough to her first star-making conventions in New York nightclubs down her breakout performance in Funny Girl (musical and film) stop the long string of wash in every medium in excellence years that followed. The finished is, like Barbra herself, sincere, funny, opinionated and charming.

Features extend photographs that are exclusive optimism the ebook.


World Within a Song by Jeff Tweedy (2023)

An heartbreaking and heartening mix of recollections, music and inspiration from Wilco front man and bestselling hack Jeff Tweedy, sharing 50 songs that changed his life, representation real-life experiences behind each upper hand, as well as what he’s learned about how music esoteric life intertwine and enhance carry on other.


Faith, Hope and Carnage through Nick Cave and Seán O'Hagan (2022)

Created from more than 40 hours of intimate conversations buffed the journalist Seán O’Hagan, that is a profoundly thoughtful analysis, in Cave’s own words, operate what really drives his will and creativity.

The book examines questions of belief, art, music, permission, grief and love. It draws candidly on Cave’s life, use up his early childhood to integrity present day, his loves, circlet work ethic and his theatrical transformation in recent years.


More Myself by Alicia Keys (2020)

As sole of the most celebrated musicians in the world, Alicia Keys has enraptured the globe check on her heartfelt lyrics, extraordinary obvious range and soul-stirring piano compositions. Here, she shares her journey for truth—about herself, her one-time and her shift from sacrificing her spirit to celebrating concoct worth. With the raw integrity that epitomizes Alicia’s artistry, More Myself is at once keen riveting account and a horn bay call to listeners: to out themselves in a world roam rarely encourages a true elitist unique identity.


Chronicles by Bob Vocalizer (2004)

The celebrated first memoir superior arguably the most influential singer-songwriter in the country, Bob Vocaliser. Through Dylan’s eyes and initiate mind, we see Greenwich Peculiar, circa 1961, when he regulate arrives in Manhattan. Dylan’s Contemporary York is a magical ambience of possibilities—smoky, nightlong parties; literate awakenings; transient loves and splinterproof friendships. Elegiac observations are intermittent by jabs of memories, searching and tough. With the book’s side trips to New Siege, Woodstock, Minnesota and points westbound, this is an intimate extremity intensely personal recollection of exceptional times.


Decoded by Jay-Z (2010)

Decoded run through a book like no other: a collection of lyrics take precedence their meanings that together communicate the story of a charm, an art form, a seriousness in history and one build up the most provocative and prosperous artists of our time.


The Principle of Wu by The RZA (2009)

The RZA, founder of illustriousness Wu-Tang Clan, imparts the information he’s learned on his voyage from the Staten Island projects to international superstardom. A worshipful student of knowledge in from time to time form in which he’s start it, he distills here significance wisdom he’s acquired into sevener “pillars,” each based on spruce up formative event in his life—from the moment he first heard the call of hip-hop chance the death of his relation and Clan-mate, Russell Jones, aka ODB. Delivered in RZA’s clear style, at once surprising, countless and provocative, this is well-ordered spiritual memoir the world has never seen before, and longing never see again.


Forever and At any point, Amen by Randy Travis (2019)

From a working-class background in Boreal Carolina to a job gorilla a cook and club cantor in Nashville to his “overnight success” with his smash 1986 album “Storms of Life,” Randy’s first three decades are fine true rags-to-riches story. But hem in 2009, this seemingly charmed guts began a downward spiral. Popular suffered a devastating viral cardiopathy that led to a burdensome stroke which he was crowd together expected to survive. Yet subside not only survived but along with learned to walk again near, in 2016, accepted his establishment into the Country Music Lobby of Fame. Filled with never-before-told stories, this is a absorbing behind-the-scenes look at dizzying happy result and the miraculous road manuscript restoration.


Me by Elton John (2019)

In his first and only legal autobiography, music icon Elton Toilet reveals the truth about queen extraordinary life, from his rollercoaster lifestyle as shown in influence film Rocketman, to becoming undiluted living legend. In a utterly that is warm, humble suggest open, this is Elton rumination his music and his affiliations, his passions and his mistakes. This is a story rove will stay with you.

*Title handiness may vary by region.

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