Musician Memoirs & Bios
Larger-than-life musicians feature in this list of biographies and memoirs.
Catch a wave : the rise, fall, & redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson
Carlin, Peter Ames.
2006
Empire state of mind : how Jay-Z went from street corner to corner office
Greenburg, Zack O'Malley
2012
Face it
Harry, Debbie, author
2019
Harry recounts her path from glorious commercial success to heroin addiction, the near-death of partner Chris Stein, a heart-wrenching bankruptcy, and Blondie's breakup as a band to her multifaceted acting career in more than thirty films, a stunning solo career and the triumphant return of her band, and her tireless advocacy for the environment and LGBTQ rights.
Ice : a memoir of gangster life and redemption - from South Central to Hollywood
Ice-T (Musician)
2011
The hip-hop artist and television star shares the story of his early life, marked by the deaths of his parents, his involvement in gangs, and the single-minded work ethic that enabled his rise to international fame.
Janis : her life and music
George-Warren, Holly, author
2019
Janis Joplin has passed into legend as a brash, impassioned soul doomed by the pain that produced one of the most extraordinary voices in rock history. But in these pages, Holly George-Warren provides a revelatory and deeply satisfying portrait of a woman who wasn't all about suffering. Written by one of the most highly regarded chroniclers of American music history, and based on unprecedented access to Janis Joplin's family, friends, band mates, archives, and long-lost interviews, this is a complex, rewarding portrait of a remarkable artist finally getting her due.
Just kids
Smith, Patti
2010
In this memoir, singer-songwriter Patti Smith shares tales of New York City : the denizens of Max's Kansas City, the Hotel Chelsea, Scribner's, Brentano's and Strand bookstores and her new life in Brooklyn with a young man named Robert Mapplethorpe--the man who changed her life with his love, friendship, and genius.
My appetite for destruction : sex & drugs & Guns n' Roses
Adler, Steven, 1965-
2010
From original Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler comes the inside story and for the first time, he tells it all. In "My Appetite for Destruction", he reveals his personal struggles with drug addiction, including the financial ruin he faced after being kicked out of GNR and the health problems that almost claimed his life several times, as well as an epic 20-year addiction to crack and heroin. Now clean and sober under the watchful eye of Dr. Drew Pinsky, Steven wants to set the record straight for all Guns N' Roses fans and anyone else who is interested in discovering what really happened during the rise and collapse of one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
