# Music Biographies



## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

I thought I would start a thread on suggestions for bios to read. A friend mentioned a few to me and I ordered: No Quarter - The three lives of Jimmy Page. A recent release and apparently the definitive book on Page at over 600 pages.

The other one I'm looking forward to receiving is Glyn Johns: Sound Man. Legendary producer of Zep, Eagles, The Who and many more.

Other recommendations were ; Graham Nash and Joe Jackson biographies which are on my want list.

My all time favorite is the bio "Shakey" on Neil Young. I'm not the biggest Young fan but this bio is well written and a lot of work was put into it. It has an interesting format whereby at the end of a chapter or segment, Neil Young comments on the said segment.

Any bios to recommend or favorites?


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

Just finished "Testimony" by Robbie Robertson of The Band. Very interesting story. 

Other good ones..
Magical Mystery Tours: My Life with The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tours: My Life with the Beatles eBook: Tony Bramwell, Rosemary Kingsland: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store

Reckless: My Life as a Pretender (Chrissy Hynde) - https://www.amazon.ca/Reckless-My-L...75896&sr=8-1&keywords=reckless+chrissie+hynde

The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best Kept Secret - The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret: Kent Hartman: 9780312619749: Books - Amazon.ca


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

Hamstrung said:


> Just finished "Testimony" by Robbie Robertson of The Band. Very interesting story.
> 
> Other good ones..
> Magical Mystery Tours: My Life with The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tours: My Life with the Beatles eBook: Tony Bramwell, Rosemary Kingsland: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store
> ...


I've added those to my list. thx.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

I actually really enjoyed Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles by Don Felder.


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## Guest (Feb 22, 2017)

My wife gave me 'Walk This Way' one x-mas. 
If you're a fan, you'll enjoy it.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I enjoyed Johnny Cash's, Eric Clapton's, and Gene Simmons'


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## LanceT (Mar 7, 2014)

Bruce Cockburn, Rumours of Glory.


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## isoneedacoffee (Oct 31, 2014)

Motley Crue's _Dirt_. I'm not a fan of the band, but that book is incredible.


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

Just thought of another couple...

I am Ozzy - I Am Ozzy: Written by OZZY OSBOURNE, 1905 Edition, Publisher: Grand Central Publishing [Hardcover]: OZZY OSBOURNE: 8601420770768: Books - Amazon.ca
I actually laughed out loud at some parts. For a guy who's barely intelligible when you hear him speak, he writes quite well! 

Heroin Diaries - The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star: Nikki Sixx: 9781416511946: Books - Amazon.ca
Seeing Motley Crue's "Dirt" listed above made me think of this one. Amazing what some people can live through!


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## wayne_h (Oct 28, 2009)

here are a few I enjoyed:

mostly a biog of Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim
 
*Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian Music That Seduced the World *
by Ruy Castro

much better than Sting's autobio:
*One Train Later: A Memoir*
by Andy Summers

producer of Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, REM and many others
*White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s*
by Joe Boyd

*music producer*
*Tony Visconti: The Autobiography: Bowie, Bolan and the Brooklyn Boy*
by Tony Visconti 

*suprisingly good and I'm not really a fan:*
* Autobiography *
by Morrissey


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## Lord-Humongous (Jun 5, 2014)

Pete Townshend's bio was a good read.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

A couple other classic bio's; Miles Davis and Jaco.

I just added a few more to my want list; Mike Rutherford, Linda Ronstadt. The Joe Jackson bio is suppose to be quite good.


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## mario (Feb 18, 2006)

A few off the top of my head.

Keith Richards-Life
Graham Nash-Wild Tales
Michael Bloomfield-The Rise and Fall of An American Guitar Hero
Sammy Hager-Red
Nick Mason(Pink Floyd)-Inside Out
Ace Frehley-No Regrets
Frank Zappa-The Real Frank Zappa Book
Jim Morrison-No One Gets Out Alive


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Alex said:


> ....A couple other classic bio's; Miles Davis...


 "Miles The Autobiography" by Quincy Troupe is the one I read.
It is just over 412 pages. If you removed all occurrences the word"motherf**ker" from the book, it would be about 200 pages or so...LOL


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

greco said:


> "Miles The Autobiography" by Quincy Troupe is the one I read.
> It is just over 412 pages. If you removed all occurrences the word"motherf**ker from the book, it would be about 200 pages or so...LOL


Another 25 pages if you exclude "clean, like a broke dick dog" : - )


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

"Paul McCartney - the Life" - 2016 bio by Philip Norman. 

Norman wrote a bio on the Beatles (Shout) in the late 70s that seemed to paint Paul as a lightweight and gave John all the props for the writing. He was surprised to have Paul's blessing to do this book and I think he did a very fair treatment. I learned a lot about the Beatles - and that was only the first 3rd of the book. Excellent read, IMO, even if you've read a dozen Beatles bios already.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/05/books/review/paul-mccartney-the-life-by-philip-norman.html?_r=0


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

And if I could be so bold as put up one I could barely get through:

Waging Heavy Peace - Neil Young

Meandering, rambling stream-of-consciousness stuff. Perhaps if you love Neil, you'll love this. I don't - and I didn't.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

This one splits time between music & fishing--Classical guitarist Christopher Parkening- Grace Like A River: A Journey From Success To Joy
And I enjoyed Alice Cooper's Alice Cooper: Golf Monster. It's split between golf & music.
Randy Bachman has a couple as well-Vinyl Tap Stories & Tales from Beyond the Tap.
I found those more interesting than his older bios...
Clapton:The Autobiography was good too.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Roy Clark has been a favourite of mine since I was a little kid. I read his biography a few years back and was one of the most interesting to date.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

"Blues All Around Me: The Autobiography of BB King"

If he did half of what/who he said he did, then Magic Johnson and Gene Simmons have nothing on him. Some great stories about traveling the Chitlin circuit, too.


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## JHarasym (Mar 27, 2007)

Just finished Bruce Springsteen's memoir "Born To Run" and found it a good read.

The least memorable memoir I've read has to be Ron Wood's "Ronnie: The Autobiography". He should have hired a ghost writer.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

Just got the Page book - 698 pages! I also got notice today that the Bernie Marsden bio will be shipping. I had forgotten about that one as it was a crowd funded book on Pledgemusic a while back.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

Picked these up on a whim. Getting quite a backlog of biographies.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Alex said:


> Picked these up on a whim. Getting quite a backlog of biographies.
> 
> View attachment 79233


I'm 3/4 of the way through testimony now. It's a good read.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Just read the Gregg Allman autobiography, not worth it unless you're a real AB fan. Pretty full of himself. A few interesting insights on Dwayne. Mostly Gregg's women and substance abuse problems.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

Kristin Hersh writes some amazing songs, she also writes books, but I haven't commited myself to reading any of them.

Another great lyricist and novelist is Chris Eaton of Rock Plaza Central. Also nothing I've read.

Has anyone read Travels With My Amp, by Greg Godovitz?


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Alex said:


> Picked these up on a whim. Getting quite a backlog of biographies.
> 
> View attachment 79233


I first saw this post on my phone & the text & pictures were too small to say for sure--but I was pretty sure the one was Robbie Robertson...


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