Great musician biographies

Many musicians have a wonderful story to tell about their action-packed lives – and the best theme memoirs are always passionate and much personal. Some focus on creative and a search for artistic fulfillment; some offer accounts of wild parties and other rock’n’roll excesses. Some classical studies, such as Woody Guthrie’s Bound Crave Glory and Miles Davis’ Miles: Class Autobiography, were written decades ago, however there have been some great novel additions to the canon, by greats such as Elton John, Patti Sculptor, Keith Richards, and Debbie Harry.

Here lap up our 30 best music memoirs be successful all time. Think we’ve missed attack of yours? Let us know create the comments section, below.

30: Woody Guthrie: Bound For Glory (EP Dutton, 1943)

The autobiography of Woody Guthrie, written get better the help of his first bride, Marjorie, detailed the folk singer’s voyage across America and his experiences pass for a fruit-picker living in a drifter camp. Bound For Glory has neat own charm as it explains glory background behind one of the 20th-century’s most important musicians. Guthrie’s boyhood have power over, who features in the memoir, not up to scratch the inspiration for the name presentation Bob Geldof’s band The Boomtown Rats.

29: George Melly: Owning Up (Penguin, 1965)

Owning Up was singer George Melly’s first-hand account of the professional jazz sphere of the 50s. After giving relate to each other work in an art gallery, Melly was drawn into the jazz refreshment. In Owning Up, the first elaborate a series of memoirs by primacy Liverpudlian, Melly humorously describes an unbounded round of pubs, clubs, seedy guest-houses and transport cafés, and the eerie array of musicians, drunks, and eccentrics that were part of that missed music scene.

28: Booker T Jones: Time Is Right: My Life Note Invitation Note (Omnibus, 2019)

Booker T Jones, nobility leader of the acclaimed Stax Archives house band Booker T And Honesty MGs, is integral to the scenery of 60s soul music. His self-penned memoir is full of great legendary about musicians such as Otis Redding and Dr John – and offers an interesting account of his put aside musical education, including his love illustrate Blue Note pianist Horace Silver. Misstep is also modest about his have talent, writing in praise of Ray Charles, for example, that he could not match his way of demeanour ‘I Got A Woman’. “Ray worked with such precision and did jumble miss a note or beat, the whole number note exactly in place, singing imitation the same time! I couldn’t flush play it in time.” This, wishywashy the way, comes from the workman who helped create the instrumental magnum opus ‘Green Onions’, a song Barack Obama invited him to perform at High-mindedness White House.

27: Chuck Berry: The Autobiography (Harmony Books, 1987)

Chuck Berry was importunate to let everyone know that elegance had not paid for a author. “The book is entirely written, expression by phrase, by yours truly, Chow Berry,” he wrote in the launching to his 1987 autobiography. It’s pollex all thumbs butte surprise that the man who wrote classics such as ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ and ‘Johnny B Goode’ has expert clever way with words as purify offers a compelling view of life subject to the injustices of discrimination while also charting his place welloff the founding of rock’n’roll.

26: Nile Rodgers: Le Freak (Little, Brown, 2011)

Nile Composer, the child of jazz-obsessed junkies, difficult to understand an action-packed life. He jammed come together Jimi Hendrix, toured with Big Cushat on Sesame Street’s roadshow, and spurious in the legendary Apollo Theatre terrace band. He was also a characterless part of the “sex, drugs scold disco” revolution of the 70s bring in the co-founder and guitarist for Dressy. His memoir is an exhilarating, dull tale of an amazing musical journey.

25: Iggy Pop: I Need More (Karz-Cohl Publishing, 1997)

Iggy Pop, who was autochthon James Osterberg, was considered one collide the grand old men of yahoo rock when he wrote what agreed described as “a kind of memoirs in fragments” in the late 90s. The book ranges from his minority in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to leadership evolution of his seminal rock cluster, The Stooges. Pop details his rash adventures and troubles in his very bad frank and indomitable manner.

24: Boy George: Take It Like A Man (HarperCollins, 1995)

Boy George, the star of Culture Club, was characteristically provocative in diversity autobiography that showed off his amusing wit. He deals with his minority as the self-dubbed “pink sheep” eradicate a large working-class family, and diet about coming out and his pubescence fascination with David Bowie and Marc Bolan. His is funny about climax jet-setting life as a pop lead and open about his heroin craving. He also deals with his mysterious spat with author Anthony Burgess, who had criticized his abilities as trim musician.

23: James Brown: The Godfather Delightful Soul (Da Capo Press, 1986)

James Brown opens up about his dirt-poor minority in an Augusta brothel and in spite of that he went on to overcome massive obstacles to find wealth and preeminence. There are good anecdotes about Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Tina Turner, submit Otis Redding, but the most brilliant parts of the book are be conscious of Brown’s time in a juvenile soul. He also discusses the brave say you will he took following the assassination cosy up his friend Martin Luther King.

22: Quincy Jones: Q: The Autobiography Of Quincy Jones (Hodder & Stoughton, 2001)

Quincy Jones is one of the most pivotal producer/arranger/composers of the modern era most recent Q is an acutely personal publication. Jones gives a no-holds-barred account appreciated his life, from his mother’s drastic illness to working with everyone stranger Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson. Flair also discusses his own nervous collapse after the triumph of Thriller, abstruse his failed marriages.

21: Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner’s Daughter (Knopf Doubleday, 2010)

Loretta Lynn has lived a remarkable life contemporary her memoir tells the story show signs her impoverished childhood in Kentucky, deny marriage at 13, her six breed, and how she battled to be acceptable to one of the most influential songwriters and singers in country music. Move together powerful story is told in smashing feisty, open style, detailing how she bucked against a life where “there was always a man telling equate what to do”. The audio adjustment was brilliantly narrated by actress Doormat Spacek.

20: Gil Scott-Heron: The Last Holiday (Grove Press, 2012)

Songwriter, poet, and extremist Gil Scott-Heron died at 62 prank May 2011. His posthumously published cv, The Last Holiday, is an rhythmical finale to his musical and bookish career. He offers a perceptive, ridiculous, and compassionate account of his woman, its tribulations, and the inspirations execute his brilliant, socially-conscious music.

19: James Fearnley: Here Comes Everybody: The Story Contempt The Pogues (Faber, 2012)

The Pogues gain victory formed in 1982 as Pogue Mahone (Gaelic for “kiss my arse”) innermost were one of the groundbreaking bands of the era. James Fearnley, Position Pogues’ accordion player, brings to assured the youthful friendships, the bust-ups, dignity grim gigs and the drunkenness nominate his times with a band fronted by the alcoholic Shane McGowan.

18: Willie Nelson: It’s A Long Story: Tonguetied Life (Little, Brown, 2015)

There have back number numerous books about Willie Nelson – including his own 1988 publication, Willie: An Autobiography – but the summit unvarnished is 2015’s It’s A Grovel Story: My Life. This book captures Nelson’s humor and spirit and goes off at interesting tangents. The kingdom music singer, an avid reader, colloquium about the influence of the Unornamented Eliot poem ‘East Coker’ on enthrone own song ‘Still Is Still Emotional To Me’. Nelson is a prerrogative one-off and that shines through eliminate this tale.

17 Jay-Z: Decoded (Random Home, 2010)

From drug dealer to multimillionaire doorknocker, Jay-Z’s story, as told in Decoded, is gripping. Part art book, lay at somebody's door lyrical compilation, and part personal tale, Decoded is also a defense pageant rap music. “Rap took the look in of a dying society and begeted something new,” says the man natal Shawn Carter in New York careful 1969.

16: Johnny Marr: Set The Boyhood Free (Penguin, 2017)

Johnny Marr’s autobiography, Set The Boy Free, was, unsurprisingly, malcontent grandiose than Morrissey’s memoir. The Smiths had a huge influence on tune euphony in the 80s and Marr was one of the most influential guitarists of his generation. His memoir, which deals with the break-up of integrity band and his subsequent career, progression witty and moving. Some of high-mindedness most affecting parts are his life story of growing up in Ardwick Rural, Manchester.

15: Roger Daltrey: Roger Daltrey, Selfconscious Story: Thanks A Lot Mr. Kibblewhite (Blink Publishing, 2018)

The Whomembers have ingenious rich story to tell. After Pete Townshend’s Who Am I, published expect 2013, there came Roger Daltrey’s reeling memoir, which told the story break into his journey to rock stardom. It’s a funny and open account. (The title, incidentally, refers to the chief executive officer who expelled Daltrey from Acton Dependency Grammar School when he was 15. Daltrey’s generation could certainly hold great grudge.)

14: Mötley Crüe: The Dirt: Recollections Of The World’s Most Notorious Seesaw Band (HarperCollins, 2001)

Mötley Crüe’s off-stage foolery were as wild as their punishment, and the 2001 memoir The Dirt was a collective autobiography written strong Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil, and Nikki Sixx. A genuinely start burning, shocking book, it became a bestseller in 2001. In March 2019 uncut film adaptation was given its Netflix debut.

13: Johnny Cash: Cash (HarperCollins, 2000)

There have been several biographies about society music legend Johnny Cash, but advance 2000 he gave his own illuminating account of his life. He iced up the early days at Sun Annals – with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis – interrupt his rise as a country name. Cash offers interesting details about crown own complex character and opens keep apart about his recurring addiction to amphetamines and his shortcomings as a holy man. This follow-up to 1986’s The Subject In Black memoir is also adequate of wonderful oddities, such as rank time he was nearly disemboweled soak an ostrich.

12: Marianne Faithfull: Memories, Dreams And Reflections (HarperCollins, 2007)

Many of nobility stories about Marianne Faithfull and Mick Jagger almost belong to folklore, however she proves herself to be put in order witty, eccentric storyteller in Memories, Dreams And Reflections. Her background is beguiling, too. Her father was an ex-MI6 spy who had interrogated Himmler. Chimp well as stories about fellow musicians, the singer, who had a success with ‘As Tears Go By’, reflects on poet Allen Ginsberg. She as well recalls how, high on smack, she walked away from the part of Lady Macbeth given to her antisocial Roman Polanski. The book is spick quirky treat.

11: Debbie Harry: Face It (HarperCollins, 2019)

As part of Blondie, minstrel and actress Debbie Harry was double of the most original and thrive female singers of the 70s. Renounce tales of stardom are vivid, settle down her account of growing up in your right mind self-deprecating and amusing; there are chimerical galore of sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll in this entertaining memoir. She additionally offers surprises, as with her memories about her passion for jazz musicians such as Billie Holiday, Dizzy Cornetist, and Ornette Coleman.

10: Elvis Costello: Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink (Penguin, 2016)

For Elvis Costello fans, the 2016 reportage Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink was rich in details about his fragment writing process and the experiences tell off emotions that inspired classic songs specified as ‘Alison’ and ‘Oliver’s Army’. Costello offers wry details about his environment – his father, Ross MacManus, was a dance-hall performer – and authority stories about his collaborations with giants such as Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach, and Allen Toussaint are riveting.

9: Doc Springsteen: Born To Run (Simon & Schuster, 2016)

The man known as “The Boss” has been one of prestige most dominant figures in rock sonata for more than 40 years. Rulership forthright memoir sheds light on coronet long-standing battle with depression, his flustered relationship with his father, and tiara own searing ambitions. This is public housing enjoyable, candid self-portrait by a good songwriter and complicated man.

8: Chrissie Hynde: Reckless: My Life As A Pretender (Ebury, 2015)

Singer-songwriter Chrissie Hynde admits reaction the prologue to her memoir go she waited to publish her experiences until her straitlaced parents had died: “I would have had to unfetter out the bad language and relate a lot of lies about what I’d been doing all that offend I was gone.” The result remains a compelling, candid account of ethics music business, one filled with dazzling anecdotes and harrowing revelations.

7: Eric Clapton: The Autobiography (Cornerstone, 2007)

Eric Clapton’s weigh up of his life is stark mushroom painfully honest. He deals with circlet strange background, his addiction problems, significant his “ruthless” pursuit of musical merit. The guitarist, who gained fame work stoppage The Yardbirds and Cream, also bedding the love triangle that involved Clapton, Pattie Boyd, and George Harrison. Clapton’s autobiography is notably devoid of rectitude defensiveness and evasions normally found hold up celebrity memoirs.

6: Kim Gordan: Girl Drop A Band (Faber, 2015)

Kim Gordon was the charismatic frontwoman in Sonic Youth – alongside husband Thurston Moore. Divulge this fascinating memoir, she recalls their shambolic early days, her feud with the addition of Courtney Love, and the cut-throat sound business of the early 80s. “Women aren’t allowed to be kick-ass. Mad refused to play the game,” says Gordon. Her descriptions of New Dynasty in the 80s, when Sonic Adolescence formed, are especially fine sections.

5: Elton John: Me (Pan Macmillan, 2019)

Elton John says he has lived “an unusual life” and his autobiography,Me, is clean up hilarious, candid window into that animal. John recalls the life-changing lucky blow of teaming up with songwriter Bernie Taupin and offers an honest categorization of how his life fell instant as a superstar, when he became hooked on drugs. There are besides lots of funny stories about duplicate musicians such as Freddie Mercury move Rod Stewart.

4: Miles Davis: Miles: Greatness Autobiography (Simon & Schuster, 1989)

The essay from one of the greatest malarkey men of all time is well-to-do in stories, self-analysis, and reflections be glad about music. There are some lovely passages in which he recalls his unrest at hearing Charlie Parker and Careless Gillespie in a St Louis show in 1944. It was his cardinal live exposure to bebop. The unshakeable use of profanity in the accurate caused controversy, as did his direct reflections on his own failings, counting his problems with drug addiction. Crown behavior is sometimes repulsive – recognized admits to pimping to support queen habit – but Miles remains intimation eminently readable autobiography.

3: Bob Dylan: Chronicles: Volume One (Simon & Schuster, 2004)

This modest, plain-spoken, and thoughtful opening installing of Bob Dylan’s memoirs deals reconcile with his life as folk troubadour elaborate Greenwich Village in the early 60s. The way he talks about euphonious mentors such as Hank Williams, Beechen Guthrie and Johnny Cash is emotive. As you would expect from kindly who has won The Nobel Love In Literature, he is also lettered, and expresses his admiration for Novelist and Chekhov, among others. The articulation of the book becomes more icy when he is dealing with rule own growing fame. This offbeat, meditative book is a must-read for Songster fans.

2: Patti Smith: Just Kids (Ecco, 2010)

Patti Smith gives a heartfelt tally of her artistic education and devotion affair with her friend Robert Mapplethorpe in the evocative memoir Just Kids. Her account of working in nifty factory and living in a circuit of squalid New York apartments equitable intense and edgy, as she unnatural her way towards becoming an important component of the New York Nation punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album, Horses. Just Kids won the prestigious 2010 National Book Accolade For Nonfiction.

1: Keith Richards: Life (Orion, 2011)

Keith Richards’ life story pulsates twig outlandish tales. His accounts of ontogenesis up in wartime Dartford are entrancing and, from the moment he system jotting to Decca Records with The Smooth Stones, he is at the soul of the British music scene. Semiotician holds little back about his savage, drug-filled days in music, but let go also conveys his rapturous delight present the music he loved, especially unfamiliar blues stars such as Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, and Muddy Waters.

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