Shop Categories
- Chambers, Oswald
- Nonfiction
- Doonesbury
- Billings
- Excursion Guides
- Bosch, Hieronymus
- Mozambique
- Popol Vuh
- Kellerman, Jonathan
- Dynamic & Geophysics
- Bellows, George
- Southern
- Wilson, John
- West African
- Finland
- ( U )
- Semiconductor Physics
- Garland, Mark
- Adirondacks
- Rhode Island
- General
- Irving, Washington
- Amazing Days of Abby Hayes
- Word Processing
- Public Speaking
- Bolen, Cheryl
- Music
- Tae Kwon Do
- Toole, John Kennedy
- Child Development
- Some of our other sites:
- Books
- Clothing, Shoes and Accessories
- Baby Clothes and Accessories
- Cosmetics, Beauty Products and Fragrances
- Cellphones, Call Plans and Accessories
- Video Games
- DVDs
- Electronics, Gadgets and Computers
- Health and Personal Care
- Home and Garden
- Home DIY
- Jewelry
- Magazines and Newspapers
- Music Downloads
- Musical Instruments
- Office Equipment and Supplies
- Software and Games
- Sporting Goods
- Toys and Games
- Watches
- UK Books
- UK Video Games
- UK Home and Garden
- UK Electronics, Gadgets and Computers
- UK Baby Clothes and Accessories
- UK Software and Games
- UK Sporting Goods
- UK Toys and Games
Books : Entertainment : Music : Musical Genres : Rhythm & Blues
-
In this intimate biography of the Prince of Soul, David Ritz provides a candid look at a star and a friend. Ritz had been working on Gaye’s story for several years before the singer’s tragic death, and had conducted a series of extraordinary interviews in which Gaye discussed his deepest secrets. Drawing from these interviews, Gaye’s life is recounted in his own words and the words of those who knew him best: his family, friends, and colleagues. What emerges is a full-scale portrait of a charming but tortured artist, a brilliant singer with a divided soul. Here is Marvin’s story, from his early years as an abused child in the slums of Washington, D.C., through his rise to the top of the Motown industry, his fall from grace, and his comeback, to his death at the hands of his own father. But it is also the story of his music, and the music of Black America over the past four decades—from gospel to doo-wop to soul to funk. The result is an epic tale whose cast of characters includes Diana Ross, Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder, among others.The definitive biography of an enormously gifted and sensitive man, Divided Soul takes us deep into the life and music of one of America’s most soulful—and most troubled—singers.
-
Challenging many accepted notions about the Blues, a combination of cultural commentary, musical analysis, abundant research, and wonderful visuals provides a new perspective on an enduring musical form and its place in American history. 15,000 first printing. TV tie-in.
-
James Baldwin used to tell Nina Simone, "This is the world you have made for yourself, now you have to live in it." Simone has created for herself a world of magnificent peaks. Often compared to Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf, Simone is known as one of the greatest singers of her generation. She has recorded forty-three albums, ranging from blues to jazz to folk, and her hits like "I Loves You, Porgy," "My Baby Just Cares for Me," "I Put a Spell on You," and "Mississippi Goddam" have confirmed her as an enduring force in popular music. Her song "Young, Gifted, and Black" became the anthem for the Civil Rights Movement and thrust her beyond international stardom into the center of activism. But such worlds as Simone's are not without their grim valleys: disastrous marriages, arrest and the threat of imprisonment, mental breakdown, poverty, and attempted suicide. She has survived these trials and continues to perform throughout Europe and the United States. With undiminished passion and in her unconquerable voice, this is Nina Simone’s powerful memoir of her tempestuous life.
-
This ultimate reference book for blues lovers is a comprehensive biographical encyclopedia with 600 entries profiling every known important blues artist from Bessie Smith, Charlie Patton, and Blind Willie McTell to Alberta Hunter, Robert Cray, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Discography. 40 photos.
-
An illustrated history of the blues captures the great variety of this uniquely American music form through vintage photographs and a lively text. National ad/promo.
-
First published in the early sixties, this extensively revised edition of a classic study contains many newly recovered examples of the "blues" as well as a text updated in the light of developments over the past thirty years with respect to Civil Rights reform.
-
In 1959, twenty-nine-year-old Berry Gordy, who had already given up on his dream to be a champion boxer, borrowed eight hundred dollars from his family and started a record company. A run-down bungalow sandwiched between a funeral home and a beauty shop in a poor Detroit neighborhood served as his headquarters. The building’s entrance was adorned with a large sign that improbably boasted “Hitsville U.S.A.” The kitchen served as the control room, the garage became the two-track studio, the living room was reserved for bookkeeping, and sales were handled in the dining room. Soon word spread that any youngster with a streak of talent should visit the only record label that Detroit had seen in years. The company’s name was Motown.
Motown cuts through decades of unsubstantiated rumors and speculation to tell the true behind-the-scenes narrative of America’s most exciting musical dynasty. It follows the company and its amazing roster of stars from the tumultuous growth years in Detroit, to the drama and intrigue of Hollywood in the 1970s, to resurgence in 2002.
Set against the civil rights movement, the decay of America’s northern industrial cities, and the social upheaval of the 1960s, Motown is a tale of the incredible entrepreneurship of Berry Gordy. But it also features the moving stories of kids from Detroit’s inner-city projects who achieved remarkable success and then, in many cases, found themselves fighting the demons that so often come with stardom—drugs, jealousy, sexual indulgence, greed, and uncontrollable ambition.
Motown features an extraordinary cast of characters, including Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder. They are presented as they lived and worked: a clan of friends, lovers, competitors, and sometimes vicious foes. Motown reveals how the hopes and dreams of each affected the lives of the others and illustrates why this singular story is a made-in-America Greek tragedy, the rise and fall of a supremely talented yet completely dysfunctional extended family.
Based on numerous original interviews and extensive documentation, Motown benefits particularly from the thousands of pages of files crammed into the basement of downtown Detroit’s Wayne County Courthouse. Those court records provide the unofficial—and hitherto largely untold—history of Motown and its stars, since almost every relationship between departing singers, songwriters, producers, and the label ended up in litigation.
From its peaks in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Motown controlled the pop charts and its stars were sought after even by the Beatles, through the inexorable slide caused by their failure to handle their stardom, Motown is a riveting and troubling look inside a music label that provided the unofficial soundtrack to an entire generation.
-
On October 3, 1945, ten-year-old Elvis Presley climbed atop a chair to reach the microphone and performed the song "Old Shep" for a crowd of several hundred at the Tupelo fair, coming in fifth place in the talent contest. Ten years later, the King created his first full-scale riot after an appearance in Jacksonville at a baseball park. Girls poured through an overhead window, catching the police off guard, and stole or shredded almost every stitch of clothing Elvis had on. He scaled the shower area and clung to the pipes overhead while fans clamored to touch and take home a piece of him.
Now Graceland has opened the doors to its extensive archives for the first time ever, allowing previously inaccessible historic documents and memorabilia to be reproduced in facsimile, collectible form. With biographical text by acclaimed Elvis expert Robert Gordon, The Elvis Treasures tells the King's life story through handwritten letters, press releases, movie scripts, photographs and additional artifacts. Where else can you get a ticket to "Frank Sinatra's Welcome Home Party for Elvis Presley," evaluate the King¡¦s hand-drawn football plays, read his first RCA contract, and check out a book that he borrowed from the Humes High School library as an eighth-grader? Published to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Elvis¡¦ death, this unique interactive book also contains a 60-minute CD of interviews spanning his career, providing a formerly unavailable portrait of the King in his own words.
The Elvis Treasures contains 22 removable documents, including:
-rare promotional photos issued by Sun Records in 1954-55
-a 1958 Christmas card from Elvis and the Colonel (as Santa)
-Elvis's letter to Anita, his Memphis girlfriend, expressing his love and commitment to her while he was stationed in Germany
-an invitation to the premiere for Viva Las Vegas
-telegrams Vernon received upon Elvis' death from Johnny Cash, Isaac Hayes, Governor George Wallace, B. B. King, Little Richard and others
Description of the 60-minute CD of interviews
The first interview, track 1, was conducted in 1955 by Mae Boren Axton, months before the song she gave him, “Heartbreak Hotel,” would become his breakthrough hit. Track 2, recorded roughly a year later, finds Elvis admitting, in an unguarded moment, that his performing style was inspired in part by the gospel quarters he’d always loved; it’s a confession that comes back to haunt him in the following interview, conducted in August 1956 by Paul Wilder of TV Guide (track 3). When Wilder uses the term “holy roller” in asking him about the religious influence on his music, Elvis interrupts him–“I have never used that expression”–with the hair-curling command of a preacher. The TV Guide interview makes for fascinating listening, as Elvis uses charm, biting sarcasm, and the sheer force of his conviction to parry Wilder’s interrogation. Tracks 4 and 5 are far more joyful in spirit, as we hear first Elvis’ parents and then the singer himself tossed about in the maelstrom of his triumphant Tupelo homecoming concert in 1956. (“Baby Play House,” his mother responds unforgettably when asked her favorite Elvis song.)
Then we jump ahead to Elvis’ Army years and a montage of clips reflecting his life in the service, America’s reaction, and his return home (track 6). Elvis speaks earnestly about working the same details as the other soldiers, but by the end of the selection seems quite happy about returning to his “normal” life. Track 7 finds him back at work, in a brief interview on the set of Blue Hawaii. But what follows, an excerpt from a long conversation with Lloyd Shearer of Parade magazine (track 8), is perhaps the most introspective interview Elvis ever gave. (Elvis’ half of this conversation was released on the RCA boxed set Elvis Aron Presley as “An Elvis Moonsong;” fans may enjoy hearing this excerpt in full, with Shearer’s quiet questions intact.) And the final two recordings, tracks 9 and 10, find Elvis at new conferences before his landmark shows at the Houston Astrodome (1970) and Madison Square Garden (1972)–disarming the press with clever quips, and expressing his love of good old rock ‘n’ roll–that undying love of music that had always been with him.
-
-
To unearth the true origins and meanings of blues terms like "alcorub," "mojo," and "killing floor," author Debra DeSalvo poured over lyrics, dug through obscure academic sources, and interviewed many blues artists. The result is a witty, ribald, and unparalleled dictionary of blues terminology, packed with anecdotes from DeSalvo’s interviews with such legends as Little Milton, Robben Ford, Henry Gray, John Hammond, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Bob Margolin, Bonnie Raitt, Smiley Ricks, Hubert Sumlin, and Jimmie Vaughan. The Language of the Blues also includes photos - some previously unpublished—of more than twenty artists, and an insightful foreword by Dr. John.
-
-
Charles Keil examines the expressive role of blues bands and performers and stresses the intense interaction between performer and audience. Profiling bluesmen Bobby Bland and B. B. Kind, Keil argues that they are symbols for the black community, embodying important attitudes and roles—success, strong egos, and close ties to the community. While writing Urban Blues in the mid-1960s, Keil optimistically saw this cultural expression as contributing to the rising tide of raised political consciousness in Afro-America. His new Afterword examines black music in the context of capitalism and black culture in the context of worldwide trends toward diversification.
"Enlightening. . . . [Keil] has given a provocative indication of the role of the blues singer as a focal point of ghetto community expression."—John S. Wilson, New York Times Book Review"A terribly valuable book and a powerful one. . . . Keil is an original thinker and . . . has offered us a major breakthrough."—Studs Terkel, Chicago Tribune
"[Urban Blues] expresses authentic concern for people who are coming to realize that their past was . . . the source of meaningful cultural values."—Atlantic
"An achievement of the first magnitude. . . . He opens our eyes and introduces a world of amazingly complex musical happening."—Robert Farris Thompson, Ethnomusicology
"[Keil's] vigorous, aggressive scholarship, lucid style and sparkling analysis stimulate the challenge. Valuable insights come from treating urban blues as artistic communication."—James A. Bonar, Boston Herald
-
Imperative for all jazz aficionados. DS Publishers Weekly
-
Rolling Stone's Jon Landau described Otis Redding's music as "the highest level of expression rock 'n' roll has yet attained." And now from the critically acclaimed author of Midnight Riders: The Story of the Allman Brothers Band comes an intimate look at soul brother number one and the undisputed king of soul, Otis Redding.
Music was his sole occupation. Inspired by the works of Little Richard, a singer raised in a small town just miles from his own, Otis Redding knew he wanted to become a singer. This dream, his father said, would lead him nowhere, but when Otis Redding first burst onto the scene in 1962 with his R&B hit "These Arms of Mine" music enthusiasts knew they were listening to the voice of a star. With over fourteen songs gracing the top 20 chart, Otis Redding soon became a music phenomenon. Crooning tunes such as "Respect," "I Can't Stop Loving You," and "Try a Little Tenderness," Otis Redding defined a new generation of R&B music.
He solidified his position as a superstar by stealing the spotlight at concerts like the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. But at the height of his career, three days after completing his most popular song "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," Otis Redding died in a tragic plane crash over Madison, Wisconsin.
Now, Otis!: The Otis Redding Story tells the true life story of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend who changed the face of R&B music. This revealing portrait is hailed as the most definitive text on the man who embodied the very essence of soul.
-
Millions of listeners around the world have responded to the music and lyrics of the groundbreaking Irish rock band U2. Into the Heart uncovers the reality that touched off the imagery and emotion of these works, revealing the true stories and the actual people and places that have inspired their lyrics. 160 photos.
-
The noted blues scholar Paul Oliver here examines the many different skeins of the blues form, relating them to other black traditions - musical and religious - and tracing the origin of the blues through the dense, many-colored warp and weft of influences and inspiration. He describes "the dozens," Christmas rituals, and the coded (as well as blatant) sexual imagery that has always been a vital element of every popular song tradition. With extensive source notes, photographs, a discography, and two indexes of song titles and singers, this book serves as a sound, serious, and entertaining guide to the blues heritage that has vitalized so much of the world's musical culture.
-
-
Edited by one of America's preeminent pop music journalists, "Sam and Dave" offers an inside look at Sam and Dave, the soul stars who brought the sound of the black church into popular music with such hits as "Soul Man" and "Hold on, I'm A-Comin'". Photos Print & radio interview campaign. Radio giveaway promos. Web site promo .
-
-
