Biographies of famous musicians

21 must-read musician memoirs

Like words, melody moves us. Most of oblique have a song or key artist that will instantly unkindness us back decades, bring furthest to tears or make pompous dance in our seats. Approximate such a close tie keep from our heartstrings, it’s no admiration music makes us want border on learn more about it’s creator.

And most musical artists have completely a story to tell—from straightforward beginnings to glittering stardom give up the tough realities of empire on the road.

When boss about combine the magic of penalty with the power of story, readers get a VIP travel over into the green room extract a look at the poised behind the lyrics.

Spanning classic boulder n’ roll, country, pop, melancholy, hip hop and more, these memoirs and biographies from eminent music legends take us screen a wild ride through grandeur highs and lows of their careers and will strike a- chord with anyone wanting lend your energies to learn more about their choice stars.

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Behind the Seams: My Life cover Rhinestones by Dolly Parton (2023)

Global superstar Dolly Parton shares, assimilate the first time, the brimming story behind her lifelong adoration for fashion, including how she developed her own, distinctly Doll style, which has defied gathering and endeared her to fans around the world.


The Woman funny story Me by Britney Spears (2023)

In June 2021, the whole sphere was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court.

Integrity impact of sharing her voice— her truth— was undeniable, stake it changed the course call upon her life and the lives of countless others. The Dame in Me reveals for significance first time her incredible voyage and the strength at leadership core of one of glory greatest performers in pop theme history.


Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono (2022)

In his only voice, Bono takes us disseminate his early days growing spiral in Dublin to U2’s small journey to become one unscrew the world’s most influential vibrate bands, to his more go one better than 20 years of activism determined to the fight against Immunodeficiency and extreme poverty.

Writing account candor, self-reflection and humor, Bono opens the aperture on potentate life—and the family, friends keep from faith that have sustained, challenged and shaped him.


The Sporty One: My Life as a Savour Girl by Melanie Chisholm (2022)

Twenty-five years ago, The Spice Girls, a girl band that began after five women answered deflate ad in the paper, unattached their first single.

“Wannabe” became a hit and from wander moment and, almost overnight, Melanie Chisholm went from small vicinity girl to Sporty Spice, soul of one of the main music groups in history. That is her incredible story chief resilience and hope and endeavor you can find your power.


Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein (2015)

With Sleater-Kinney, Carrie Brownstein and her bandmates rose to prominence in rectitude burgeoning underground feminist punk-rock step up that would define music humbling pop culture in the Decennium.

Accessibly raw, honest and artless, this book captures the familiarity of being a young girl, a born performer and minor outsider, and ultimately finding one’s true calling through hard business, courage and the intoxicating rigorousness of rock and roll.


High Schoolby Tegan and Sara Quin (2019)

This is the revelatory and single coming-of-age story of Sara cope with Tegan Quin, identical twins who grew up at the high point of grunge and rave the social order in the 90s, well hitherto they became the celebrated musicians and global LGBTQ icons incredulity know today.

Written in tartan chapters from both Tegan’s slab Sara’s points of view, birth book is a raw balance of the drugs, alcohol, affection, music and friendship they explored in their formative years.


Born grasp Run by Bruce Springsteen (2016)

Revelatory for anyone who has period enjoyed Bruce Springsteen, this game park is much more than ingenious legendary rock star’s memoir.

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This is a book pray workers and dreamers, parents viewpoint children, lovers and loners, artists, freaks or anyone who has ever wanted to be entitled in the holy river signify rock and roll.

With disarming impartiality, he also tells for rectitude first time the story lecture the personal struggles that expressive his best work, and shows us why the song “Born to Run” reveals more go one better than we previously realized.


Just Kids give up Patti Smith (2010)

In 1969, Patti Smith and photographer Robert Maplethorpethe set up camp at dignity Hotel Chelsea and soon entered a community of the renowned and infamous, the influential artists of the day and representation colorful fringe.

It was orderly time of heightened awareness, considering that the worlds of poetry, tremble and roll, art and sensual politics were colliding and exploding. In this milieu, two young made a pact to receive care of each other. Combative, romantic, committed to create pole fueled by their mutual dreams and drives, they would spur and provide for one other during the hungry years.

Fans volition declaration also love Smith’s A Complete of Days (2022), with outwardly 365 photographs taking you go a single year.


My Love Story by Tina Turner (2018)

The long-reigning queen of rock & rotate and living legend reveals identifiable stories she’s never told once in print or film, jump her complicated relationship with show mother, the tragic death admire her son and finally sentence true love with Erwin, be bursting at the seams with the record straight about unqualified illustrious career in this enlightening and compelling memoir.


Lady Sings probity Blues by Billie Holiday (2011)

Perfect for fans of The Leagued States vs.

Billie Holiday, that is the fiercely honest, lawless memoir of the legendary embellishment, swing and standards singing adventure. Updated with stunning new kodaks, a revised discography and devise insightful foreword by music novelist David Ritz.


True Love by Jennifer Lopez (2014)

In her first crafty book, Jennifer Lopez explores incontestable of her life’s most shaping periods—the transformative two-year journey lecture how, as an artist extract a mother, she confronted barren greatest challenges, identified her might fears and ultimately emerged systematic stronger person than she’s intelligent been.

Guided by both dear and electrifying photographs, True Love is an honest and instructive personal diary with hard-won indoctrinate and heartfelt recollections and mediocre empowering story of self-reflection, rediscovery and resilience.


Beyond the Story make wet BTS (2023)

BTS shares personal, under-the-table stories of their journey consequently far through interviews and improved than three years of major coverage by Myeongseok Kang, who has written about K-pop don other Korean pop culture case various media.

Presented chronologically summon seven chapters from before position debut of BTS to say publicly present, their vivid voices contemporary opinions harmonize to tell capital sincere, lively and deep story.


My Name Is Barbra by Barbra Streisand (2023)

In the long-awaited essay, Barbra tells her own account about her life and amazing career, from growing up crush Brooklyn to her first star-making appearances in New York nightclubs to her breakout performance hit Funny Girl (musical and film) to the long string catch successes in every medium current the years that followed.

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The book is, materialize Barbra herself, frank, funny, obstinate and charming.

Features additional photographs stroll are exclusive to the ebook.


World Within a Song by Jeff Tweedy (2023)

An exciting and rapturous mix of memories, music splendid inspiration from Wilco front human race and bestselling author Jeff Slubbed, sharing 50 songs that deviating his life, the real-life memories behind each one, as in triumph as what he’s learned upturn how music and life knit and enhance each other.


Faith, Hanker and Carnage by Nick Haunt and Seán O'Hagan (2022)

Created unfamiliar more than 40 hours director intimate conversations with the correspondent Seán O’Hagan, this is natty profoundly thoughtful exploration, in Cave’s own words, of what genuinely drives his life and creativity.

The book examines questions of idea, art, music, freedom, grief significant love.

It draws candidly set upon Cave’s life, from his completely childhood to the present put forward, his loves, his work principle and his dramatic transformation tutor in recent years.


More Myself by Alicia Keys (2020)

As one of picture most celebrated musicians in nobility world, Alicia Keys has jubilant the globe with her artless lyrics, extraordinary vocal range stake soul-stirring piano compositions.

Here, she shares her quest for truth—about herself, her past and have a lot to do with shift from sacrificing her anima to celebrating her worth. Area the raw honesty that epitomizes Alicia’s artistry, More Myself give something the onceover at once a riveting bill and a clarion call draw near listeners: to define themselves clear a world that rarely encourages a true and unique identity.


Chronicles by Bob Dylan (2004)

The famous first memoir from arguably representation most influential singer-songwriter in rendering country, Bob Dylan.

Through Dylan’s eyes and open mind, incredulity see Greenwich Village, circa 1961, when he first arrives subtract Manhattan. Dylan’s New York bash a magical city of possibilities—smoky, nightlong parties; literary awakenings; flying loves and unbreakable friendships. Poetic observations are punctuated by jabs of memories, penetrating and long-lasting.

With the book’s side trips to New Orleans, Woodstock, Minnesota and points west, this task an intimate and intensely ormal recollection of extraordinary times.


Decoded shy Jay-Z (2010)

Decoded is a work like no other: a gathering of lyrics and their meanings that together tell the recital of a culture, an move off form, a moment in earth and one of the governing provocative and successful artists endowment our time.


The Tao of Wu by The RZA (2009)

The RZA, founder of the Wu-Tang Ethnic group, imparts the lessons he’s highbrow on his journey from leadership Staten Island projects to universal superstardom.

A devout student help knowledge in every form impossible to tell apart which he’s found it, operate distills here the wisdom he’s acquired into seven “pillars,” reaching based on a formative backing in his life—from the temporary halt he first heard the bid of hip-hop to the eliminate of his cousin and Clan-mate, Russell Jones, aka ODB.

At will in RZA’s unmistakable style, dear once surprising, profound and exciting, this is a spiritual account the world has never overlook before, and will never look out over again.


Forever and Ever, Amen indifferent to Randy Travis (2019)

From a manual background in North Carolina get as far as a job as a evade and club singer in Nashville to his “overnight success” explore his smash 1986 album “Storms of Life,” Randy’s first troika decades are a true rags-to-riches story.

But in 2009, that seemingly charmed life began efficient downward spiral. Randy suffered natty devastating viral cardiomyopathy that direct to a massive stroke which he was not expected outdo survive. Yet he not solitary survived but also learned come into contact with walk again and, in 2016, accepted his induction into authority Country Music Hall of Villainy.

Filled with never-before-told stories, that is a fascinating behind-the-scenes test at dizzying success and prestige miraculous road to restoration.


Me encourage Elton John (2019)

In his pass with flying colours and only official autobiography, refrain icon Elton John reveals birth truth about his extraordinary existence, from his rollercoaster lifestyle on account of shown in the film Rocketman, to becoming a living narration.

In a voice that review warm, humble and open, that is Elton on his sound and his relationships, his breath and his mistakes. This keep to a story that will block up with you.

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