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Want to Recommend a Book About Music

Posted on 5/22/26 at 6:19 am
Posted by razor55red
Member since Sep 2017
495 posts
Posted on 5/22/26 at 6:19 am
I know there's a book board, but I think this fits here better. Just finished "Music From Big Pink", from John Niven. Excellent portait of the rise of The Band and the period when they were all living in Woodstock along with Bob Dylan and a host of others. It's told from the perspective of a fictional drug dealer and is a super snapshot of the era. I remember - and miss - those times, but was too young to really appreciate it (born in '59). Great read, as are the rest of Niven's books. Check it out.
Posted by Loubacca
sittin on the dock of the bay
Member since Feb 2005
4150 posts
Posted on 5/22/26 at 8:45 am to
Also check out, This Wheel's on Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of the Band
Posted by BasilFawlty
Baton Rouge, LA
Member since Dec 2014
1317 posts
Posted on 5/22/26 at 9:59 am to
Recommend any of these:
The History of Country Music - Ken Burns & Dayton Duncan
Brothers - Alex Van Halen
Life - Keith Richards
Careless Love & Last Train to Memphis- Peter Guralnick (Elvis)
Johnny Cash - Greg Laurie & Marshall Terrill
Johnny Cash - Robert Hillburn
Robert Plant - Dave Thompson
Iron Man: My Journey through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath - Tony Iommi
Red - Sammy Hagar
The Wrecking Crew - Kent Hartman
Catch a Wave - Kent Hartman (Brian Wilson / Beach Boys)
Confess - Rob Halford
Beast - C.M. Kushins & Dave Grohl (Bonham)
Eruption - Brad Tolinsky & Chris Gill (EVH)
Queen Unseen - Peter Hince (Freddie Mercury)
Comfortably Numb - Mark Blake
From Cradle to Stage - Virginia Grohl
Do You Feel Like I Do? - Peter Frampton & Alan Light
Petty: The Biography - Warren Zanes
Texas Flood - Alan Paul & Andy Aledort (SRV)
The Gospel According to Luke - Steve Lukather
Mercury - Lesley-Ann Jones
Clapton - Eric Clapton
Runnin' with the Devil - Noel Monk & Joe Layden
Van Halen Rising - Greg Renoff
Posted by Bjorn Cyborg
Member since Sep 2016
35579 posts
Posted on 5/22/26 at 12:01 pm to
This is one of the best music books I've ever read.


The Birth of Loud
Book by Ian S. Port

The Birth of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock 'n' Roll is a 2019 book by Ian S. Port that chronicles the rivalry between Leo Fender and Les Paul, two key figures in the development of the solid-body electric guitar, and how their innovations fueled the rise of rock music. The book details their contrasting personalities—the quiet, self-taught Fender and the flamboyant pop star Paul—and their competition to create the instruments that would define the sound of 1950s and 1960s music, influencing artists like Muddy Waters, Buddy Holly, and the Beatles.
Key aspects of the book:

Subject: The invention of the electric guitar and its impact on rock and roll.
Main figures: Leo Fender (radio repairman) and Les Paul (musician).
Core conflict: Their competition to design the ultimate electric guitar, with Fender focusing on affordability and Paul on a more refined instrument.
Historical context: Explores the post-war American era and the cultural shift brought about by amplified music.
Musicians featured: Includes profiles of legendary musicians who adopted these new instruments, such as Muddy Waters, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton.
Author: Ian S. Port, a music critic and writer.

Posted by razor55red
Member since Sep 2017
495 posts
Posted on 5/22/26 at 2:32 pm to
How Music Works - David Byrne
Elton John's autobiography.
Keith Richards' autobiography
Posted by razor55red
Member since Sep 2017
495 posts
Posted on 5/22/26 at 2:34 pm to
That sounds fantastic.
Posted by STigers
Gulf Coast
Member since Nov 2022
4194 posts
Posted on 5/22/26 at 2:46 pm to
Posted by Bjorn Cyborg
Member since Sep 2016
35579 posts
Posted on 5/22/26 at 6:42 pm to
It is great. I will try that book you suggested as well.
Posted by morganwadefan
TN
Member since May 2023
1649 posts
Posted on 5/22/26 at 8:23 pm to
Books about music made me think of movies about music. I have a friend that was in a movie, Novem, about a band that records an album and then driving from the studio they crash their van and die. 30 years later their music is discovered.
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