Showing results for "Popular Music" in Entertainment & Celebrity

Secret (and not-so-secret) weapons, side-of-the-stagers, rhythm and horn sections, backup singers, accompanists—these and other "band people" are the anonymous but irreplaceable character actors of popular music. Through interviews and incisive cultural critique, writer and musician Franz Nicolay provides a portrait of the musical middle class.

This is the first biography of Ralph Peer, the adventurous - even revolutionary - A&R man and music publisher who saw the universal power locked in regional roots music and tapped it, changing the breadth and flavor of popular music around the world. It is the story of the life and 50-year career, from the age of cylinder recordings to the stereo era, of the man who pioneered the recording, marketing, and publishing of blues, jazz, country, gospel, and Latin music.

From experimenting with punk in Big in Japan to penning and recording new-wave tracks for Care, Ian Broudie developed his musical talents early. With an independent record label in his name, he soon became a producer-for-hire, working on hit records for acts like Echo & the Bunnymen, the Fall, the Pale Fountains, Terry Hall and the Coral. But, as his debut album of home recordings took off, Ian's one-man outfit transitioned into the Lightning Seeds, and the critical acclaim of his next three records led to the assembly of a touring band to perform his music live across the Atlantic.

In 1974, at the age of 17, author Glenn Berger served as "schlepper" and apprentice to the legendary recording engineer Phil Ramone at New York City's A&R Studios, and was witness to music history on an almost daily and nightly basis as pop and rock icons such as Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Frank Sinatra, Burt Bacharach, Bette Midler, and James Brown performed their hit-making magic, honed their sound, strutted their stuff, bared their souls, and threw epic tantrums.

This audiobook profiles the hottest rock 'n roll women, spanning the 1960s to current times - from Janis Joplin, Suzi Quatro and Chrissie Hynde to Courtney Love and Pink. With perceptive biographies and in-depth music critiques, author Alison Stieven-Taylor gives an up-close and personal look at the experiences, adventures, and musical passions of these extraordinary and talented women whose wild vocals and on-stage antics have made them rock 'n roll legends.

Hearts on Fire is about the creative explosion in Canadian music of the early 2000s, which captured the world's attention in entirely new ways. The Canadian wave didn't just sweep over one genre or one city, it stretched from coast to coast, affecting large bands and solo performers, rock bands and DJs, and it connected to international scenes by capitalizing on new technology and old-school DIY methods.