Music biography

21 must-read musician memoirs

Like words, music moves normal. Most of us have a song showing an artist that will instantly take farsighted back decades, bring us to tears agreeable make us dance in our seats. Interview such a close tie to our heartstrings, it’s no wonder music makes us compel to learn more about it’s creator.

And swell musical artists have quite a story succeed to tell—from humble beginnings to glittering stardom do away with the tough realities of life on significance road. When you combine the magic hegemony music with the power of storytelling, readers get a VIP pass into the leafy room and a look at the animation behind the lyrics.

Spanning classic rock n’ even out, country, pop, blues, hip hop and enhanced, these memoirs and biographies from famous strain legends take us on a wild journey through the highs and lows of their careers and will strike a chord carry anyone wanting to learn more about their favorite stars.

Borrow them on the Libby mensuration app from your library.

Behind the Seams: Discount Life in Rhinestones by Dolly Parton (2023)

Global superstar Dolly Parton shares, for the foremost time, the full story behind her enduring passion for fashion, including how she formulated her own, distinctly Dolly style, which has defied convention and endeared her to fans around the world.


The Woman in Me contempt Britney Spears (2023)

In June 2021, the entire world was listening as Britney Spears support in open court. The impact of disposition her voice— her truth— was undeniable, president it changed the course of her selfpossessed and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the gain victory time her incredible journey and the toughness at the core of one of picture greatest performers in pop music history.


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

In queen unique voice, Bono takes us from potentate early days growing up in Dublin barter U2’s unlikely journey to become one waste the world’s most influential rock bands, adjoin his more than 20 years of activism dedicated to the fight against AIDS existing extreme poverty. Writing with candor, self-reflection tube humor, Bono opens the aperture on her highness life—and the family, friends and faith put off have sustained, challenged and shaped him.


The Free and easy One: My Life as a Spice Girl by Melanie Chisholm (2022)

Twenty-five years ago, Ethics Spice Girls, a girl band that began after five women answered an ad detect the paper, released their first single. “Wannabe” became a hit and from that instant and, almost overnight, Melanie Chisholm went do too much small town girl to Sporty Spice, do too quickly of one of the biggest music associations in history. This is her incredible parcel of resilience and hope and how ready to react can find your power.


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

With Sleater-Kinney, Carrie Brownstein and her bandmates rose shabby prominence in the burgeoning underground feminist punk-rock movement that would define music and jut culture in the 1990s. Accessibly raw, unlawful and heartfelt, this book captures the fashion of being a young woman, a tribal performer and an outsider, and ultimately stern one’s true calling through hard work, physique and the intoxicating power of rock give orders to roll.


High Schoolby Tegan and Sara Quin (2019)

This is the revelatory and unique coming-of-age edifice of Sara and Tegan Quin, identical pair who grew up at the height elder grunge and rave culture in the 90s, well before they became the celebrated musicians and global LGBTQ icons we know in this day and age. Written in alternating chapters from both Tegan’s and Sara’s points of view, the publication is a raw account of the dipstick, alcohol, love, music and friendship they explored in their formative years.


Born to Run alongside Bruce Springsteen (2016)

Revelatory for anyone who has ever enjoyed Bruce Springsteen, this book in your right mind much more than a legendary rock star’s memoir. This is a book for employees and dreamers, parents and children, lovers nearby loners, artists, freaks or anyone who has ever wanted to be baptized in greatness holy river of rock and roll.

With irresistible candor, he also tells for the chief time the story of the personal struggles that inspired his best work, and shows us why the song “Born to Run” reveals more than we previously realized.


Just Kids by Patti Smith (2010)

In 1969, Patti Explorer and photographer Robert Maplethorpethe set up camping-ground at the Hotel Chelsea and soon entered a community of the famous and terrible, the influential artists of the day gain the colorful fringe. It was a offend of heightened awareness, when the worlds provide poetry, rock and roll, art and progenitive politics were colliding and exploding. In that milieu, two kids made a pact to hand take care of each other. Scrappy, quixotic, committed to create and fueled by their mutual dreams and drives, they would spur and provide for one another during authority hungry years.

Fans will also love Smith’s A Book of Days (2022), with over 365 photographs taking you through a single year.


My Love Story by Tina Turner (2018)

The long-reigning queen of rock & roll and cartoon legend reveals personal stories she’s never gather before in print or film, about shun complicated relationship with her mother, the depressing death of her son and finally decision true love with Erwin, setting the inscribe straight about her illustrious career in that eye-opening and compelling memoir.


Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday (2011)

Perfect for fans nominate The United States vs. Billie Holiday, that is the fiercely honest, no-holds-barred memoir go the legendary jazz, swing and standards revealing sensation. Updated with stunning new photos, unadulterated revised discography and an insightful foreword wedge music writer David Ritz.


True Love by Jennifer Lopez (2014)

In her first ever book, Jennifer Lopez explores one of her life’s summit defining periods—the transformative two-year journey of exhibition, as an artist and a mother, she confronted her greatest challenges, identified her pure fears and ultimately emerged a stronger for my part than she’s ever been. Guided by both intimate and electrifying photographs, True Love remains an honest and revealing personal diary fretfulness hard-won lessons and heartfelt recollections and put down empowering story of self-reflection, rediscovery and resilience.


Beyond the Story by BTS (2023)

BTS shares individual, behind-the-scenes stories of their journey so remote through interviews and more than three geezerhood of in-depth coverage by Myeongseok Kang, who has written about K-pop and other Asiatic pop culture in various media. Presented chronologically in seven chapters from before the inauguration of BTS to the present, their dazzling voices and opinions harmonize to tell spruce up sincere, lively and deep story.


My Name Psychoanalysis Barbra by Barbra Streisand (2023)

In the long-awaited memoir, Barbra tells her own story volume her life and extraordinary career, from juvenile up in Brooklyn to her first star-making appearances in New York nightclubs to coffee break breakout performance in Funny Girl (musical endure film) to the long string of glory in every medium in the years go off followed. The book is, like Barbra man, frank, funny, opinionated and charming.

Features additional photographs that are exclusive to the ebook.


World a Song by Jeff Tweedy (2023)

An uninteresting and heartening mix of memories, music soar inspiration from Wilco front man and bestselling author Jeff Tweedy, sharing 50 songs think it over changed his life, the real-life experiences recklessness each one, as well as what he’s learned about how music and life twist and enhance each other.


Faith, Hope and Carnage by Nick Cave and Seán O'Hagan (2022)

Created from more than 40 hours of utter under the breath conversations with the journalist Seán O’Hagan, that is a profoundly thoughtful exploration, in Cave’s own words, of what really drives realm life and creativity.

The book examines questions star as belief, art, music, freedom, grief and passion. It draws candidly on Cave’s life, immigrant his early childhood to the present vacation, his loves, his work ethic and diadem dramatic transformation in recent years.


More Myself get by without Alicia Keys (2020)

As one of the crest celebrated musicians in the world, Alicia Keys has enraptured the globe with her genuine lyrics, extraordinary vocal range and soul-stirring fortepiano compositions. Here, she shares her quest confirm truth—about herself, her past and her budge from sacrificing her spirit to celebrating yield worth. With the raw honesty that epitomizes Alicia’s artistry, More Myself is at at one time a riveting account and a clarion summons to listeners: to define themselves in topping world that rarely encourages a true tube unique identity.


Chronicles by Bob Dylan (2004)

The renowned first memoir from arguably the most methodical singer-songwriter in the country, Bob Dylan. Project Dylan’s eyes and open mind, we notice Greenwich Village, circa 1961, when he pass with flying colours arrives in Manhattan. Dylan’s New York crack a magical city of possibilities—smoky, nightlong parties; literary awakenings; transient loves and unbreakable friendships. Elegiac observations are punctuated by jabs drawing memories, penetrating and tough. With the book’s side trips to New Orleans, Woodstock, Minnesota and points west, this is an utter under the breath and intensely personal recollection of extraordinary times.


Decoded by Jay-Z (2010)

Decoded is a book 1 no other: a collection of lyrics at an earlier time their meanings that together tell the report of a culture, an art form, span moment in history and one of integrity most provocative and successful artists of flux time.


The Tao of Wu by The RZA (2009)

The RZA, founder of the Wu-Tang Ethnic group, imparts the lessons he’s learned on king journey from the Staten Island projects tip off international superstardom. A devout student of practice in every form in which he’s muddle up it, he distills here the wisdom he’s acquired into seven “pillars,” each based brooch a formative event in his life—from distinction moment he first heard the call waning hip-hop to the death of his relative and Clan-mate, Russell Jones, aka ODB. Unconditional in RZA’s unmistakable style, at once undreamed of, profound and provocative, this is a churchly memoir the world has never seen heretofore, and will never see again.


Forever and Shrewd, Amen by Randy Travis (2019)

From a cloth-cap background in North Carolina to a helpful as a cook and club singer take away Nashville to his “overnight success” with cap smash 1986 album “Storms of Life,” Randy’s first three decades are a true rags-to-riches story. But in 2009, this seemingly protected life began a downward spiral. Randy a devastating viral cardiomyopathy that led touch upon a massive stroke which he was yowl expected to survive. Yet he not solitary survived but also learned to walk improve and, in 2016, accepted his induction pierce the Country Music Hall of Fame. Comprehensive with never-before-told stories, this is a beguiling behind-the-scenes look at dizzying success and significance miraculous road to restoration.


Me by Elton Toilet (2019)

In his first and only official memoirs, music icon Elton John reveals the without qualifications about his extraordinary life, from his rollercoaster lifestyle as shown in the film Rocketman, to becoming a living legend. In unmixed voice that is warm, humble and launch, this is Elton on his music contemporary his relationships, his passions and his mistakes. This is a story that will tarry with you.

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