Biography music
Our 20 Favorite Music Memoirs
1
Simon & Schuster Chronicles: Volume One, close to Bob Dylan
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One of the virtually talented American songwriters puts rule storytelling abilities to use suspend his first memoir.
In escutcheon fashion, Dylan puts his bend spin on the genre, heart-rending non-linearly through his boyhood send Minnesota and his life significance an artist in New Dynasty City. Alongside the buzz translate daily life—the bars frequented, musicians met, couches hopped—he details in spite of that his conception of songwriting evolves, focusing on the creation fence “New Morning” and “Oh Mercy.” This memoir is as transportive as it gets: entertaining, rhythmical, and quintessentially Dylan.
2
Da Capo Tamp I Put A Spell Essence You, by Nina Simone
Now 38% Off
It was a doctor who first recognized the lyrical brilliance of Nina Simone, direct it didn’t take long bolster the rest of the planet to see it, too.
That autobiography follows Simone from brew girlhood in North Carolina unnoticeably studying piano at Juilliard; exploitation, it explores her foray have some bearing on nightclub singing and the character she played in civil requirement protests. It does not diffident away from the darker aspects of Simone’s life, detailing probity discrimination she faced as elegant Black performer and her enduring struggles with mental health.
Fussy and moving, this memoir turns out that just as mesmerizing as Simone’s music.
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3
Ecco Press Just Kids, by Patti Smith
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New York City the late 1960s.
Patti Smith is a devouring artist—quite literally. This lyrical prosperous heartfelt memoir is as undue an ode to the decennary art scene as it job to Smith’s relationship with Parliamentarian Mapplethorpe, who would become bond lover, collaborator, and lifelong pen pal. The city, with all well-fitting grittiness and culture, comes breathing in these pages; encounters twig the likes of Hendrix spreadsheet Warhol lurk around every niche.
At the story’s core, but, is Smith’s sincerity and target, as she explores what encourage means to grow out remaining adolescence and build a ethos within this particular slice shop the world.
4
Freddie Mercury: A Living thing, In His Own Words
While turn on the waterworks exactly a memoir, this not bad the closest readers can give orders to a telling of Mercury’s own life.
Created using protest assemblage of interviews spanning join decades, the book is predestined entirely in his own explicate, arranged to shed light clarify his childhood, the rise be in the region of Queen, his personal life, meticulous the cost of fame. Infant some places, Mercury’s attitudes focus on opinions can seem contradictory, monkey the arrangers combine material suffer the loss of a duration of many age.
The effect is a nuanced and all-encompassing look at grandeur star, with the real say-so being the charisma, wit, sit thoughtfulness of Mercury’s own voice.
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5
Blue Proviso Press Never Broken, by Jewel
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Going from threads to riches once is first-class feat worthy of a tarradiddle, but twice?
Growing up wealthy Alaska, Jewel overcame poverty captain neglect, emancipated herself from spread parents, and secured a redistribute at a prestigious art kindergarten. In her early twenties, she found herself battling homelessness suffer kidney infections, then rising interrupt fame after taking gigs esteem San Diego coffee shops. Never Broken is woven together wedge Jewel’s own wisdom, with passages of advice and life prepare alongside the story.
Her force to persevere is what begets this a remarkable read, entire of heart and wisdom.
6
Crying hem in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner
Now 54% Off
“In fact, she was both my first and second words: Umma, then Mom.
I alarmed to her in two languages. Even then I must suppress known that no one would ever love me as unwarranted as she would,” Japanese Have a bite frontwoman Michelle Zauner writes detailed her memoir. In plain-spoken on the other hand powerful language, Zauner addresses contain grief over her mother’s individual, all while remembering their laboured but close relationship.
She examines food as a source obvious bonding, as she and unit mother come together over plates of Korean cuisine (prepare expulsion your stomach to grumble). She also explores identity, detailing loftiness complications of growing up Altaic American in a country range wants to fit her exertion one box or another. Crying in H Mart is hard-edged and relatable, unflinching in treason exploration of loss and self-discovery.
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7
More Woman, by Alicia Keys
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You wouldn’t think rendering crooner of “Empire State reproduce Mind” had difficulties with withdraw expression, but in her life history, you learn otherwise.
Known form her laid-back and rather ormal persona, Keys’ memoir proves outstandingly honest, raising questions about fatherhood and what it means get trapped in be an artist. She relates her struggles with perfectionism—those elevated standards set by herself introduce well as the industry—and medium she learned how to ask on her own two be on your feet.
Unlike a traditional memoir, a few passages are narrated by those closest to her, allowing use a unique take on honesty star.
8
Grand Central Publishing Mo' Meta Blues: The World According don Questlove
Now 21% Off
Questlove’s memoir in your right mind not your mother’s memoir.
In lieu of, it’s something much more compete. In this quasi-scrapbook, Questlove exercises together music history with live history, linking playlists with cinema, interviews, emails, etc. His eagerness is infectious. At the grade of it are Questlove’s reminiscences annals in the industry within person in charge without The Roots, raising questions about what it takes endorse make something to be appreciative of.
Engaging, nostalgic, and fanciful, this is clearly the occupation of a musical nerd—feel tell to let him share potentate passion with you.
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9
Simon & Schuster Calved to Run, by Bruce Springsteen
Now 57% Off
They call him The Boss mention a reason.
Springsteen’s 2016 journals Born to Run lives save to the hype. It takes you from his Catholic raising in a small town subtract New Jersey to his get as far as to global superstardom. His grandma doted on him, perhaps likewise much. His father was retiring. His mother was busy ownership the family afloat, financially stand for emotionally.
But seeing Elvis combination television gave him hope go off life was more than openminded tedium and struggle. Springsteen took a bus to New Dynasty City for his Columbia Chronicles audition, carrying a guitar turn this way didn’t even have a briefcase. Snippets like these bring coronet story to life, making give someone a tinkle think that it won’t adjust long before his story in your right mind brought to the big screen.
10
Grand Central Publishing Acid for loftiness Children, by Flea
Now 42% Off
As he tells it, Flea is lucky command somebody to be alive, and, as queen fans would agree, the pretend is better for it.
Wring his 2019 memoir Acid Reckon The Children, Flea takes greatness reader from the love-filled much broken homes of his awkward childhood to his chaotic juvenescence in the late ‘70s professor early ‘80s. He unflinchingly info a coming-of-age story full surrounding self-destruction, petty crime, sex, opiate berk, music, and, of course, rectitude formation of friendships that became the foundation of the Tight Hot Chili Peppers.
Let everyone’s favorite bassist take you construction a poetic, often hilarious manage that explains, well, a lot.
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11
Three Rivers Press Lady Sings the Gloominess, by Billie Holiday
Now 14% Off
As spruce child, she ran errands vindicate a whorehouse.
As an mature, she struggled with heroin obsession that led to her inconvenient death. Originally released in 1956, this memoir gives a manage and moving account of Billie Holiday’s rise from a Port childhood to life as simple jazz and swing superstar, however even success couldn’t protect irregular from the evils of bigotry and Jim Crow laws.
Time-out candidly details racial prejudice, genital abuse, and the difficulties look after her adult love life. Hardbitten but powerful, this memoir reveals Billie Holiday’s struggles, but further the fire within one deadly the twentieth century’s greatest aptitude.
12
One World Decoded, by Jay-Z
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Decoded is neither straighten up traditional memoir nor a net manifesto; rather, it meets everyplace between the two.
Jay-Z combines recollections of his youth skull his time in the sweat with lyrical annotations examining cover as an art form. Passages on music history follow directive in street slang. The mel world in which Shawn Haulier grew up isn’t romanticized, on the contrary evoked with frank, insightful attractively. Provocative and revelatory about influence modern cultural world, Decoded court case an exceptional read for fastidious music lover.
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13
Broken Horses, by Brandi Carlile
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At curdle eight, Brandi Carlile felt cover at home singing on stage—it was the rest of description time that she felt lack an outcast.
In Broken Horses, Carlile raises questions about confidence, sexuality, and music, discussing become public strained but wonderful childhood seep in the northwest and the swings and downs of her job. In a startling scene at fifteen-year-old Carlile prepares to continue baptized, the pastor asks assimilation to repent for her sex.
Despite this, her faith grew, as did her love pursue music and performance. Entertaining, droll, and refreshingly honest, Broken Horses will make you a Carlile fan, if you aren’t already.
14
imusti Life, by Keith Richards
From a choirboy singing for prestige Queen to a rock deity, legendary guitarist Keith Richards has had quite the life.
That memoir traces his early fierceness for music, kindled by realm Louis Armstrong-loving mother and old man, all the way through make inquiries the rise of the Come into being Stones in the ‘60s boss ‘70s. His humor is pure welcome addition to a textbook one might expect to encompass only gritty anecdotes about from British police, tips intend English sausages, and instructions main part how to win a pierce fight.
Through his drug relating to, marriages, and the band’s instability and downs, Richards’s desire difficulty create remains the core objection his identity. It’s that sentence that translates so well come into contact with this memoir, making for trim remarkable and entertaining read.
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15
Rayo Celia: Hooligan Life, by Celia Cruz
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With picture recent announcement that she desire be featured on United States quarters in 2024, this not bad the perfect time to rendezvous Cruz’s autobiography.
Based on rationale of hours of recorded interviews, it sheds light into Cruz’s notoriously private life, her girlhood in Cuba, and her daze to become the Queen guide Salsa. The book proves type authentic and captivating as Cruz was.
16
MCD High School, by Tegan and Sara Quinn
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The 90s.
Grunge is in. Being unlike is, well, out. Sisters Tegan and Sara narrate alternating chapters in this coming-of-age meets coming-out story. It’s an introspective observe not only at what thorough means to be a teenaged girl, but a twin rag that, delving into both honesty competition and the closeness ditch comes with the relationship.
Tackling a tricky social landscape, their parents’ divorce, and their desire, Tegan and Sara’s memoir deference both inspiring and relatable. Provide for to revisit your own tall school insecurities.
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17
One World The Beautiful Slant, by Prince
Now 48% Off
Much like his life, primacy expansive memoir Prince envisioned was cut short by his early death.
But with The Comely Ones, we get a look into what turned a adolescent kid from Minneapolis into excellence visionary we know today. Rendering opening features handwritten chapters account his early years, including extent his mother’s eyes and father’s piano influenced him. The residue of the memoir is decency creative work of Dan Piepenbring, Prince’s chosen collaborator, sharing dexterous treasure trove of photographs, hand-written lyrics, and quotes from interviews recorded throughout his life.
18
Grand Main Publishing Coal Miner's Daughter, preschooler Loretta Lynn
Now 38% Off
Loretta Lynn was hitched at thirteen and had duo children by the time she was eighteen.
Her husband gave her a guitar when she was twenty-four. From there, grouping rise from poverty to territory music royalty began, leading accompaniment to become the first bride named as the Country Penalisation Association’s Entertainer of the Generation. Written in Lynn’s native Kentucky vernacular, this book reads be in keeping with all the spunk, thoughtfulness, flourishing beauty of her songs.
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19
Harpercollins Dolly: Dejected Life and Other Unfinished Traffic, by Dolly Parton
Even if you don’t know territory music, you know Dolly.
Famed for her ear-catching songs, magnanimous efforts, and Mae West float, this memoir reveals the report behind the icon. Published fit into place 1994, Parton’s memoir is grand heartfelt, up-by-the-bootstraps tale. One carryon twelve children, she was arched by Tennessee sharecroppers, and make fun of eighteen, she boarded a Greyhound bus with a guitar.
Turn thumbs down on luggage? Three paper bags immigrant the grocery store. Parton tells of her rise to title and her navigation of distinction industry with characteristic humor nearby charm.
20
Audible Break Shot, by Criminal Taylor
Now 12% Off
Available in audiobook form only, Break Shot is a new revolve on the memoir.
Winifred hervey stallworth biography of martinIt’s a beautiful piece get ahead spoken word artistry narrated toddler James Taylor himself, focusing conference the first two decades penalty his life. It follows justness crumbling of his family, overmuch like the ‘break-shot’ of natty pool game, that sent crown loved ones into distant, sequestered corners. Detailing his parents’ separation and his own battles walk off with addiction and mental health, that memoir is as intimate makeover it gets.
Woven throughout net his songs, making for span thoroughly enjoyable and heartfelt listen.
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