new music biographies

Discover local events, community news, volunteer opportunities and more with AARP Local.

AARP daily Crossword Puzzle

Hotels with AARP discounts

Life Insurance

AARP Dental Insurance Plans

AARP MEMBERSHIP 

AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Get instant access to members-only products, hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. 

• right_container

Work & Jobs

Social Security

• AARP en Español

• Membership & Benefits
• Members Edition
• AARP Rewards
• AARP Rewards %{points}%

Conditions & Treatments

Drugs & Supplements

Health Care & Coverage

Health Benefits

AARP Hearing Center

Advice on Tinnitus and Hearing Loss

Get Happier

Creating Social Connections

Brain Health Resources

Tools and Explainers on Brain Health

Your Health

8 Major Health Risks for People 50+

Scams & Fraud

Personal Finance

Money Benefits

View and Report Scams in Your Area

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide

Free Tax Preparation Assistance

AARP Money Map

Get Your Finances Back on Track

How to Protect What You Collect

Small Business

Age Discrimination

Flexible Work

Freelance Jobs You Can Do From Home

AARP Skills Builder

Online Courses to Boost Your Career

31 Great Ways to Boost Your Career

ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

Tips to Enhance Your Job Search

Get More out of Your Benefits

When to Start Taking Social Security

10 Top Social Security FAQs

Social Security Benefits Calculator

Medicare Made Easy

Original vs. Medicare Advantage

Enrollment Guide

Step-by-Step Tool for First-Timers

Prescription Drugs

9 Biggest Changes Under New Rx Law

Medicare FAQs

Quick Answers to Your Top Questions

Care at Home

Financial & Legal

Life Balance

LONG-TERM CARE

​Understanding Basics of LTC Insurance​

State Guides

Assistance and Services in Your Area

Prepare to Care Guides

How to Develop a Caregiving Plan

End of Life

How to Cope With Grief, Loss

Recently Played

Word & Trivia

Atari® & Retro

Members Only

Staying Sharp

Mobile Apps

More About Games

Right Again! Trivia

Right Again! Trivia – Sports

Atari® Video Games

Throwback Thursday Crossword

Travel Tips

Vacation Ideas

Destinations

Travel Benefits

Beach Vacation Ideas

Fun Beach Vacations

Road Trips For Every Personality

Passport Access

Passports Can Be Renewed Online

AARP National Park Guide

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Entertainment & Style

Family & Relationships

Personal Tech

Home & Living

Celebrities

Beauty & Style

Movies for Grownups

Summer Movie Preview

Jon Bon Jovi’s Long Journey Back

Looking Back

50 World Changers Turning 50

Sex & Dating

7 Dating Dos and 7 Don'ts

Friends & Family

Veterinarians May Use AI to Treat Pets

Home Technology

Caregiver’s Guide to Smart Home Tech

Virtual Community Center

Join Free Tech Help Events

Creative Ways to Store Your Pets Gear

Meals to Make in the Microwave

Wearing Shoes Inside: Pros vs. Cons

Driver Safety

Maintenance & Safety

Trends & Technology

AARP Smart Guide

How to Clean Your Car

We Need To Talk

Assess Your Loved One's Driving Skills

AARP Smart Driver Course

Building Resilience in Difficult Times

Tips for Finding Your Calm

Weight Loss After 50 Challenge

Cautionary Tales of Today's Biggest Scams

7 Top Podcasts for Armchair Travelers

Jean Chatzky: ‘Closing the Savings Gap’

Quick Digest of Today's Top News

AARP Top Tips for Navigating Life

Get Moving With Our Workout Series

You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

9 New Music Memoirs and Biographies for Rock and Blues Fans

Get the inside stories on b.b. king, led zeppelin, stevie van zandt and other legends.

Some of the most exciting releases for music lovers this fall aren’t new albums but in-depth biographies and revealing memoirs from their favorite artists and bands. Whether you worship at the altar of the blues, know every guitar riff in the Led Zeppelin catalogue, or have seen The Boss countless times, these books have you covered. 

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. 

The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl

“Though I have never been one to collect ‘stuff,’ I do collect moments,” writes the Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman, 52, in the introduction to his entertaining new memoir that’s a must for rock fans. Here Grohl details the many moments that led a punk-loving kid in the Virginia suburbs (with a “Wonder Bread existence”) to his current status as a rock elder statesman with 16 Grammys under his belt — with all the ups and downs in between, including heading out on tour for the first time at 18 and his heartbreak over Kurt Cobain’s 1994 suicide. Grohl’s now on his way to a second Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, this time for his work with Foo Fighters (the first was for his role in Nirvana) later this month.

AARP NEWSLETTERS

%{ newsLetterPromoText  }%

%{ description }%

Privacy Policy

ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERTISEMENT

King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King by Daniel de Visé

As Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Daniel de Visé tells it, the biography of B.B. King isn’t just the story of a genre-defining musician, it’s a full-blown hero’s journey — the tale of one man’s triumphs over every obstacle (economic, racial, societal) the world threw in his way. “In those forty-five years, Riley B. King had risen from penniless sharecropper to sidewalk busker to Memphis deejay to chart-topping singer to King of the Blues,” de Visé writes, describing the music legend as “the first guitar hero.” Filled with interviews with King’s relatives, band members and managers, the resulting biography feels at once intimate and encyclopedic, offering a full picture of the man behind the myth.​

AARP® Dental Insurance Plan administered by Delta Dental Insurance Company

Dental insurance plans for members and their families

Led Zeppelin: The Biography by Bob Spitz

How do you encapsulate the musical legacy of one of the greatest bands in rock history? If you’re Bob Spitz, the best-selling author of books on the Beatles and Julia Child, you start talking — to everyone. For this definitive biography, Spitz conducted more than 150 interviews with friends, record executives and even groupies, and he offers insight into not only their artistic genius but also the controversies brought about by what he calls their “heedless hedonism.” At nearly 700 pages, the exhaustively researched tome is clearly pitched toward superfans, but Spitz fills the book with enough debauchery and trashed hotel rooms and bad decision-making that even a casual Led Zeppelin listener won't be able to look away. Spitz, it turns out, knows a thing or two about the music business: Before turning to book writing, he managed Bruce Springsteen and Elton John. (Nov. 9)

Eruption: Conversations With Eddie Van Halen by Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill

Guitar god Eddie Van Halen died of cancer last October, but he left behind more than 50 hours of unreleased interviews with rock journalists Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill. Need proof that you’re in good hands? Tolinski and Gill are the former editors of Guitar World and Guitar Aficionado , respectively. While the book of course covers Van Halen’s rise to fame and his nearly unparalleled skill as a technical musician, the authors also dive deep into his complicated backstory. The musician has shared, for instance, that his childhood as a Dutch immigrant who couldn’t speak English led to decades of social anxiety and substance abuse. As you might expect from these writers, the book is also filled with obsessive details about Eddie’s guitars, his custom modifications, and the unusual and rare instruments he played throughout his career.

Unrequited Infatuations: A Memoir by Stevie Van Zandt

You probably know the bandana-wearing Little Steven , 70, from his decades as a charismatic member of the E Street Band or his role as Silvio Dante in The Sopranos . But his new memoir illustrates just how seminal he’s been in the past five decades of American popular music. An anti-apartheid activist who wrote the protest song “Sun City,” he’s spent years celebrating and advocating for rock ’n’ roll as an art form: He hosts a weekly syndicated radio show focused on garage rock, created two music channels on SiriusXM, founded an indie record label, and even helped develop an arts education initiative that incorporates music history — from classical to reggae — into K-12 curricula. While some rock stars hide behind a veil of detached coolness, Van Zandt is a man marked by genuine enthusiasm, and his memoir reads like a love letter to the people and places and music that made him, with a healthy dose of nostalgia and good-natured humor.

Mellencamp by Paul Rees

Veteran journalist Paul Rees covers all the greatest hits of the Indiana rocker’s life, including his youth in the heartland with a father who was “a tyrant,” in Mellencamp’s words; his rise to fame in the 1980s; his cofounding of Farm Aid; and his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But what really makes this biography sing is how far it takes us inside John Mellencamp (he dropped the Cougar long ago), 69: his inspirations, motivations, struggles, obsessions and fears. He comes across as a complicated artist, who says in the book — which was written with the musician’s cooperation — “I like being the underdog. I’m like Sisyphus. I like rolling the rock up the hill.”  

Also of Note

Set the Night on Fire: Living, Dying, and Playing Guitar With the Doors  by Robby Krieger.  The Doors guitarist describes the band’s wild existence with Jim Morrison at the helm. (Oct. 12) 

My Life in Dire Straits: The Inside Story of One of the Biggest Bands in Rock History  by John Illsley.  The bassist and founding member of Dire Straits tells all about the the band behind “Sultans of Swing.” (Nov. 9)

Rock Concert: An Oral History as Told by the Artists, Backstage Insiders, and Fans Who Were There  by Marc Myers.  Myers takes readers back to the heyday of live rock with stories from Alice Cooper, Joan Baez and many more. (Nov. 9)​

Nicholas DeRenzo is a contributing writer who covers entertainment and travel. Previously he was executive editor of United Airlines Hemispheres magazine , and his work has appeared in The New York Times , Condé Nast Traveler , Travel & Leisure , Sunset and New York magazin e .

MORE FROM AARP

8 Fall Albums and Tours to Get Excited About

New AARP Report Shows Power of Music on the Brain

Sing, dance, move to the beat: It's all good for mood, memory and more

Unlock Access to AARP Members Edition

Already a Member? Login

AARP VALUE &

MEMBER BENEFITS

Denny's

15% off dine-in and pickup orders

AARP Travel Center Powered by Expedia: Vacation Packages

$50 gift card of your choice when booking any flight package

$20 off a Walmart+ annual membership

AARP® Staying Sharp®

Activities, recipes, challenges and more with full access to AARP Staying Sharp®

SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS

• 2023 Wrapped
• About Spotify
• Press Center

Life at Spotify

• Safety at Spotify
• Diversity & Inclusion

Stream On 2023

During Stream On, we’ll share new developments to help creators continue to chart pathways to success and build a truly global audience.

Time to Play Fair

When competition is fair, both consumers and companies win. Learn about our efforts to even the playing field for all developers.

Spotify Loud & Clear

Artists deserve clarity about the economics of music streaming. This site sheds light on the global streaming economy and royalty system.

Spotify x FC Barcelona

Music and football come together in a way that’s entirely new in our partnership with FC Barcelona.

For Artists

For podcasters, for advertisers, for developers, for investors, for engineering, for vendors, for songwriters, for help, chat & ideas.

• Search for:
• Get Spotify
• Company Info
• Communities

Spotify Communities

10 Great Musical Biographies That Tell the Stories Behind Your Favorite Artists

September 29, 2023

You might know all the songs and albums of your favorite musicians, but do you know the experiences and inspirations behind their work? Luckily, you can find out by listening to some great musical biographies on Spotify. 

With picks that include memoirs from legendary stars including Dave Grohl , Billie Eilish , Gucci Mane , and Dolly Parton , you can discover all the wisdom these greats have to share. 

The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music

Written and narrated by dave grohl.

Dave Grohl’s autobiography, The Storyteller , sheds light on what it’s like to be a kid from Springfield, Virginia, who goes on to live out his craziest dreams as a musician. The rock icon reflects on everything from hitting the road with Scream at 18, to his time in Nirvana and the Foo Fighters . He remembers jamming with Iggy Pop and dancing with AC/DC and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band . He tells stories about drumming for Tom Petty and meeting Paul McCartney at Royal Albert Hall. Grohl even recounts unexpected moments like bedtime stories with Joan Jett to a chance meeting with Little Richard . 

The Sporty One: My Life as a Spice Girl

Written and narrated by melanie chisholm.

After five women answered a newspaper ad, the Spice Girls were born. They recorded their first single, “ Wannabe ,” and nearly overnight, Melanie “Melanie C” Chisholm went from small-town girl to Sporty Spice.

The Sporty One follows the meteoric rise of Melanie C and The Spice Girls, from the incredible highs of playing at Wembley, conquering the BRITs, and closing the 2012 Olympics, to the difficult lows. For the first time ever, Melanie C talks about the pressures of fame, the shaming and bullying she experienced, the struggles she has had with her body image and mental health, and the difficulty of finding herself when the whole world knew her name.

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics

Written by dolly parton, robert k. oermann.

Narrated by Dolly Parton 

Dolly Parton, Songteller goes beyond the glitz, glamor, and rhinestones to the warmth, heart, and soul of a treasured pop culture icon. In this autobiography, 10-time Grammy Award–winning artist Dolly Parton weaves her words with music and memories to give listeners the stories behind her most cherished songs.

How close did Parton come to singing “ I Will Always Love You ” as a duet with Elvis Presley ? How did she become an actress? And exactly who was “ Jolene ”? This one-of-a-kind audio experience answers the most burning questions that Parton’s fans have.

The Autobiography of Gucci Mane

Written by gucci mane and neil martinez-belkin.

Narrated by Guy Lockard

For the first time, hip-hop legend Gucci Mane tells the story of his rise, fall, and redemption in The Autobiography of Gucci Mane . With a string of influential mixtapes and street anthems that pioneered the sound of trap music in the 2000s, the rap icon inspired and mentored a new generation of artists and producers including Migos , Young Thug , Nicki Minaj , Zaytoven , Mike WiLL Made-It , and Metro Boomin .

Taking listeners back to his roots in Alabama, the streets of East Atlanta, and the studio where he found his voice, Gucci Mane reflects on his successes while also confronting his dark past, which included drug addiction, murder charges, and a prison sentence. 

But Gucci Mane has changed, and in this music bio, he provides an intimate glimpse into his radical transformation following his 2016 prison release—one that saw the rapper emerge sober, smiling, focused, and positive. This is one of music’s great comeback stories.

Born to Run

Written and narrated by bruce springsteen.

In 2009, Bruce Springsteen performed at the Super Bowl halftime show. The experience was so exhilarating that he decided to write about it, which then inspired him to tell the story of his entire life.

Vividly recounting his relentless drive to become a musician, his early days as a bar band king in New Jersey, and the rise of The E Street Band , Springsteen fills the pages of Born to Run with humor, originality, and disarming candor. For the first time, the superstar rocker shares the personal struggles that inspired his best work, and shows us why the song “ Born to Run ” reveals more than we previously realized. This isn’t just a legendary rock star’s memoir. This is a book for anyone who has ever wanted to be baptized in the holy river of rock and roll. 

Billie Eilish: In Her Own Words

Written by billie eilish.

Narrated By Billie Eilish, Maggie Baird, Patrick O’Connell

In this special audiobook companion piece, global pop phenomenon Billie Eilish walks fans through the personal highlights and special moments of her life and career, both on and off the stage. 

Billie Eilish: In Her Own Words is full of exclusive and unique content, including memories shared by her parents. Capturing the essence of Billie inside and out, listeners get personal glimpses into her childhood, her life on tour, and more, making this audio edition essential for any fan.

It’s a Long Story: My Life

Written by willie nelson and david ritz.

Narrated by Christopher Ryan Grant

It’s a Long Story is the complete, unvarnished story of Willie Nelson ‘s life. Told in his distinct voice and leaving no moment or experience unturned, the country legend takes listeners on a ride from Texas and Nashville to Hawaii and his legendary tour bus.

Nelson shines a light on all aspects of his life, including his drive to write music, the women in his life, his biggest collaborations, his lowest lows, and his highest highs—from his bankruptcy to the founding of Farm Aid.

Talking to My Angels

Written and narrated by melissa etheridge.

Following the success of her first memoir, award-winning rocker and trailblazing LGBTQIA+ icon Melissa Etheridge returns to take stock of her life in the years that have followed. 

Talking to My Angels is a profoundly honest look into Etheridge’s inner life as a woman, an artist, a mother, and a survivor. With characteristic wit and courage, Melissa delves into how numerous tragedies served as a catalyst for growth, and what the past two decades have taught her about the value of music, love, family, and life in the face of death. This audiobook also features live, stripped-down performances of many of Melissa’s songs, including “ Talking to My Angel ” and “ Here Comes the Pain .”

Chronicles of the Juice Man: A Memoir

Written by juicy j and soren baker.

Narrated by Adam Lazarre-White

The hustle still continues for hip-hop OG Juicy J in Chronicles of the Juice Man , where he shares his invaluable story as an unwavering force in the music industry. Jordan Houston’s rise to stardom was never easy. Beginning with his journey on the streets of Memphis in the ’80s, Juicy J was always inspired by music and had big dreams of becoming a superstar rapper. The Three 6 Mafia member stuck to his plan with determination, rising from a young, poor, ambitious kid to an Academy Award–winning and Grammy-nominated recording artist and entrepreneur. A never-before-seen look into one of the most influential tastemakers in the game, Chronicles of the Juice Man offers Juicy J’s wisdom as a respected industry veteran.

Tell It Like It Is: My Story

Written and narrated by aaron neville.

Tell It Like It Is shares the trials and tribulations of legendary singer and songwriter Aaron Neville through the lens of his faith, family, and music.

Scoring his first number-one hit in 1966 with “ Tell It Like It Is ,” the artist went on to form the Neville Brothers with his siblings Art , Charles , and Cyril . Aaron was the breakout star, and over the next six decades, he’s enjoyed four platinum albums, three number-one songs, and entry into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

But few people know the challenging and circuitous road Aaron took to fame. Born in a housing project in New Orleans, he struggled as a teenage father working to raise a family while building his career as a musician, surviving a stint in jail for car theft and battling heroin addiction for many years. Now for the first time, fans can discover the inside story. 

Eligible Spotify Premium users in the U.K. and Australia can now look forward to 15 hours of audiobook listening per month on any audiobook marked “Included in Premium.”  Learn all about it.  

7 Compelling Book-To-Screen Adaptations That Are Now Available as Audiobooks

Discover more.

Level Up With These 12 Motivational Audiobooks for a Productive Workday

Turn Up the Volume on LGBTQIA+ Authors This Summer

Listen to U2 Frontman Bono Reflect On His Life as an Artist and Activist in His New Memoir ‘Surrender’

From Madonna to Barbra Streisand, it was the year music took over books

• Copy Link URL Copied!

If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org , whose fees support independent bookstores.

Maybe it was the continued rude health of indie bookstores in 2023, or perhaps a millennial fascination with the pop antiquities of the pre-smartphone era. Or maybe it’s just Mom and Dad Rockers desperate to reel in the years with the gods of their youth . For whatever reason, this year has turned out to be a banner publishing moment for musical giants who until now have not been graced with the full-dress books they deserve — some rigorously researched deep dives, other chatty memoirs or anthologies, many of them illuminations of life and art in urban milieus with all their messy interactions.

Our critics and reporters select their favorite TV shows, movies, albums, songs, books, theater, art shows and video games of the year.

Among the ill-served icons getting their propers in print this year is Lou Reed : New York’s leather prince, the street poet who launched at least three musical genres with his band the Velvet Underground , a lodestar for gender fluidity long before anyone else bothered to write songs about LBGTQ+ and the subculture that nurtured it. Before Will Hermes’ riveting biography “ Lou Reed: The King of New York ,” the artist’s biographers have tended to be either mean-spirited or bone-dry, glossing over the rough magic of Reed’s inner life.

The 13 best novels (and 2 best short story collections) of 2023

Three contributing critics pick their best fiction of the year, including work by Victor LaValle, Ed Park, Lauren Groff, Yiyun Li and Tania James.

Dec. 5, 2023

Hermes, a veteran music critic, has written what will surely be the definitive Reed biography for years to come, a complete portrait of this inconstant, erratic genius, the most eloquent voice of the marginalized during the Nixon era. An elegant prose stylist with a sharp critical eye, Hermes appears to have scared up everyone alive whose life intersected with his subject. And he embraces the contradictions of a musical empath who could be heartless and malicious, tender and vulnerable to friends and lovers — a great bully poet much like Reed’s literary hero and mentor, Delmore Schwartz .

Hermes skillfully twines together the many strands of Reed’s singular life — a benumbing suburban childhood, electroshock therapy, heroin addiction and artistic flowering at the feet of Schwartz and the Beats. Providing fresh stories at every turn, he is particularly adept at conjuring the meth-enabled swirl of Andy Warhol’s Factory universe and Reed’s attachment to the Pop artist, his beloved mentor and bête noir. This is the best biography of a composer since Alex Ross’ 2020 book “ Wagnerism .”

One of Reed’s most talented acolytes graced us with a memoir this year. Thurston Moore hit New York as a 14-year-old Reed fanatic in the late ‘70s, right before his idol’s old, weird downtown was forever lost and Wall Street money moved in. Into this liminal space emerged the squalling, post-punk deconstructions of the No Wave movement : saxophonist James Chance and his Contortions, singer-poet Lydia Lunch and, most crucially for Moore, composer Glenn Branca , whose ear-bleed guitar symphonies alerted the Connecticut native to the beauty of Loud. He would harness that volume with his avant-rock band Sonic Youth for 30 years. Moore has a lot of great stories to tell, and he does so engagingly in “ Sonic Life ,” the tale of a record collector geek made good, a seeker after new sounds who in turn became a key architect of experimental rock in the two decades that followed.

In “Sonic Life” Moore, a suburban outcast like Reed, becomes a pilgrim in search of transcendence through noise and muscles his way into an East Village tempest of brash risk-taking. He meets future bandmates Kim Gordon and Lee Ranaldo . Sonic Youth pulls the throttle all the way out: Moore threads drumsticks into his guitar strings, Ranaldo utilizes an electric drill onstage, Gordon barks out her bold feminist anthems on the seductions of consumer-driven desire. Moore has set it all down, and his book is an engaging memory piece through a golden era of busted toilets and secondhand smoke that now seems as distant as Montparnasse in the 1920s. If you’re looking for juicy bits about Moore and his ex-wife Gordon , you mercifully won’t find it here. He keeps that part of his private life to himself.

Entertainment & Arts

The year women saved Hollywood

Winning the box office, playing record-setting concert tours, rallying striking unions, shaking up TV: Women ruled pop culture in 2023.

Dec. 4, 2023

While Sonic Youth was cultivating a following on the margins, another downtown scenester was hitting dance clubs like Paradise Garage and Danceteria with designs on something bigger. As a young Michigan exile, Madonna Ciccone found her people in these spaces, and when she insisted DJs spin her record “Everybody,” the fuse was lit. Mary Gabriel’s comprehensive biography “ Madonna: A Rebel Life ” can be read as the uptown analogue to “Sonic Life,” as this force of nature quickly outgrows New York clubland and in a few short years enters the pop icon pantheon.

Gabriel has done her homework, giving equal weight to Madonna’s private and public selves in a sprawling survey that offers a strong argument for Madonna as a sound-and-vision innovator every bit as crucial as David Bowie . But you have to really care about her relationships with Sean Penn and Warren Beatty to get there.

Decades before Madonna lit up the New York night, Ella Fitzgerald had audiences standing on their seats at the Savoy Ballroom as the singer for Chick Webb’s swing band, a powerhouse vocalist who had to overcome her “pretty plain looks” before she became the 20th century’s tower of song. In her excellent biography “ Becoming Ella Fitzgerald ,” Judith Tick makes a compelling case for Fitzgerald as a modernist innovator. Promoters and managers told her to stick to one marketable sound, but that wasn’t an option, as Fitzgerald contained multitudes: novelty songs (her self-penned 1938 hit “A Tisket-a-tasket” put her on the map); classic recordings of the Great American Songbook; and the expertly knotty ululations of her scat singing in the bebop era — a genre in which Fitzgerald became the acknowledged master.

Twenty-eight years after Fitzgerald recorded her 1945 hit “ Flying Home ,” a record that placed scat singing front and center in popular music, Sly Stone was recording his own half-whispered version of scat live in a Sausalito studio. It would become the vamp-out to 1973’s “If You Want Me to Stay,” the last big hit for Sly and his band, the Family Stone.

The year in theater: A time of struggle but with enough brilliance to sustain us

Alex Edelman’s ‘Just for Us,’ the genius of Stephen Sondheim and a Tony Award for the Pasadena Playhouse were among the highlights of Los Angeles theater in 2023.

Stone fans have been waiting a long time for the reclusive singer to finally break his silence about his life and career. While his memoir “ Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) ” offers up its share of gonzo tales involving drugs, guns and pet baboons, the erstwhile superstar, 80, provides only tantalizing crumbs of real insight into his messy life. Still, there are some ripping anecdotes (baboons!), and origin stories behind “Stand!,” “Everyday People” and Stone’s other funky one-world anthems.

Perhaps Stone surmised that it’s best to keep his mystique alive, as opposed to expounding on his life at great length in the fashion of Barbra Streisand ’s “ My Name is Barbra .” Alas, no one has ever told this to the countless fanboys (yes, they are almost always boys) and academics who continue to write books about Bob Dylan , coming at the Nobel laureate from every conceivable angle. And yet, somehow, this year has brought something entirely new: A lavish, glossy scrapbook with material provided by Dylan himself.

“ Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine ” is a stunning visual trip through the artist’s life and art as revealed via Dylan’s own ephemera and Zimmerman-adjacent mementos from friends and musicians. Published in conjunction with the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Okla., this immaculately designed coffee-table confection also features a collection of informative essays from Lucy Sante , Greil Marcus , Ed Ruscha and others. They provide context for what we’re seeing, which is quite a bit — grade school class photos, Dylan’s notebooks, manuscripts and legal pads and, yes, even photos that this Dylan freak has never seen before.

18 best nonfiction books for fans of Madonna, memoirs or cultural histories

2023 is the year of the star-studded gift book, with memoirs and biographies covering rockers, auteurs, poets, controversial executives and, yes, Julia Fox.

Nov. 1, 2023

Which reinforces a couple of valuable lessons from this year’s joyful glut of music tell-alls. First: While they’re no substitute for the brilliantly written, category-killing, milieu-rich biography, no format is inherently better or worse at delivering the goods. And second: There’s always something new under the sun.

Weingarten is the author of “Thirsty: William Mulholland, California Water, and The Real Chinatown.”

Sign up for our Book Club newsletter

Get the latest news, events and more from the Los Angeles Times Book Club, and help us get L.A. reading and talking.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

More From the Los Angeles Times

California auto insurance rates are skyrocketing: Here’s why and how to save

Aug. 17, 2024

This must be West Adams

Aug. 16, 2024

Housing & Homelessness

This Orange County city has the hottest housing market in the country

Los Angeles’ building earthquake retrofit data have been outdated for years, Times investigation uncovers

5 Must-Read Music Memoirs and Biographies Arriving In November 2023

Lorie Liebig

Updated: 

The year is quickly coming to a close, but bookworms have plenty of new releases to enjoy before 2024 arrives. We’ve curated a list of highly anticipated music memoirs and biographies that will hit bookshelves and digital stores this November.

1. My Name Is Barbra

Multi-talented artist and performer Barbra Streisand delivers her first memoir this month. Set for release on November 7, My Name Is Barbra transports readers through the decades. Fans will get firsthand accounts of Streisand’s experiences as she proved her talents in film, theater, and music.

Videos by American Songwriter

2. the upcycled self: the story of tariq trotter, who would become black thought, co-founder of the roots  .

Tariq Trotter, co-founding member of The Roots and celebrated creative, takes a deep dive into what shapes us in his upcoming book. Arriving on November 14, The Upcycled Self finds the award-winning rapper examining the people and experiences who led him to take his own path to success.

3. My Effin’ Life  

Rush bassist Geddy Lee looks back on his evolution from a music-loving teen to a rock and roll star in his revealing memoir, due out on November 14. My Effin’ Life is a must-read for any longtime fan of the famed prog-rock group, offering a personal and powerful retrospective on their decades-long career.

4. World Within a Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music

Wilco ‘s Jeff Tweedy returns to the role of author for a third time with his latest work, set for release on November 7. World Within a Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music finds the acclaimed singer/songwriter examining the tracks that left a lasting impact on his life.

5. Living   the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans

On November 14, author Kenneth Womack delivers an in-depth look at the man who helped steer The Beatles to superstardom. Living   the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans lifts the veil on the often overlooked figure who saw the band’s potential from the very beginning.

Photo by Gerardo Mora/WireImage

Leave a Reply

Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.

More From: The List

3 Eternal Yacht Rock Songs that Continue to Rock the Boat

Paul McCartney’s “Daft” Answer for the Best Beatles Song of All Time

3 Classic Rock Songs That Predict the End of the World

“They’re Not Owning Up”: Paul McCartney’s Playful Gripe Over Frank Sinatra, Elvis, and Marvin Gaye Covering the Beatles

3 of “The Big Five” Talent Agencies in Nashville

3 Classic Rock Choruses from the 1960s You Can’t Help But Sing Along to

You may also like.

3 Star Musicians Whose Movies Are as Good as Their Music

5 Summery Wilco Songs to Celebrate Their New EP

The Meaning Behind “Woman in Love” by Barbra Streisand and Why It’s the Best Ballad Written by the Bee Gees

How Wilco’s ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’ Avoided an Accidental Connection With Tragedy

5 Laura Nyro Songs That Were Hits for The 5th Dimension, Barbra Streisand, and Other Stars

5 Songs You Didn’t Know Barbra Streisand Wrote

100 Must-Read Musician Memoirs and Biographies

Ashley Holstrom

Ashley Holstrom helps make books at Sourcebooks. She lives near Chicago with her cat named after Hemingway and her bookshelves organized by color. Newsletter: Crooked Reads . Twitter: @alholstrom .

View All posts by Ashley Holstrom

At least, that’s how I ended up obsessed with Guns N’ Roses. And The Doors. And Motley Crue. And Aerosmith. And, in the future, many more that I’m holding on to for just the right moment.

Here are 100 musician memoirs and biographies, sorted by the music’s genre (loosely defined), to get you rockin’ and rollin’ and movin’ and groovin’.

Country/Folk

My Cross to Bear by Gregg Allman

Bound for Glory by Woody Guthrie

Rat Girl by Kristin Hersh

Love, Janis by Laura Joplin

Coal Miner’s Daughter by Loretta Lynn, George Vecsey

Shakey: Neil Young’s Biography by Jimmy McDonough

Reba: My Story by Reba McEntire, Tom Carter

It’s a Long Story: My Life by Willie Nelson

Lynyrd Skynyrd: Remembering the Free Birds of Southern Rock by Gene Odom, Frank Dorman

Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir by Linda Ronstadt

The 50th Law by 50 Cent, Robert Greene

Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm by Percy Carey, Ronald Wimberly

Fight the Power: Rap, Race, and Reality by Chuck D, Yusuf Jah

The Way I Am by Eminem

Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption-from South Central to Hollywood by Ice-T, Douglas Century

Unashamed by Lecrae Moore

The Tao of Wu by The RZA

The Rose That Grew From Concrete by Tupac Shakur

How to Ruin Everything: Essays by George Watsky

Gone ‘Til November by Lil Wayne

The Good Life by Tony Bennett

The Godfather of Soul: An Autobiography by James Brown

Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker by Stanley Crouch

Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis

Can’t Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters by Robert Gordon

Blues All Around Me: The Autobiography of B.B. King by B.B. King, David Ritz

John Coltrane: His Life and Music by Lewis Porter

Jazz Cleopatra: Josephine Baker in Her Time by Phyllis Rose

Now and Then… by Gil Scott-Heron

Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong by Terry Teachout

Pop/Punk/Reggae/Ska

Catch a Fire: The Autobiography by Melanie B.

Black By Design: A 2-Tone Memoir by Pauline Black

Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash by Pat Gilbert

Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock’s Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout by Laura Jane Grace

If Only by Geri Halliwell

Herbie Hancock: Possibilities by Herbie Hancock, Lisa Dickey

Reckless: My Life as a Pretender by Chrissie Hynde

Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs by John Lydon

I’ll Never Write My Memoirs by Grace Jones, Paul Morley

A Natural Woman: A Memoir by Carole King

Army of She: Icelandic, Iconoclastic, Irrepressible Björk by Evelyn McDonnell

Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones by Dee Dee Ramone

Get in the Van: On the Road With Black Flag by Henry Rollins

Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, or My Life As a Fabulous Ronette by Ronnie Spector, Vince Waldron

Rod: The Autobiography by Rod Stewart

Diana Ross: A Biography by J. Randy Taraborrelli

In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death, and Duran Duran by Nigel John Taylor

I, Tina by Tina Turner, Kurt Loder

Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley by Timothy White

Pharrell: Places and Spaces I’ve Been by Pharrell Williams

Rock ‘n’ Roll

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys by Viv Albertine

Between a Heart and a Rock Place: A Memoir by Pat Benatar

Chuck Berry: The Autobiography by Chuck Berry

Moonage Daydream: The Life & Times of Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie

Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein

Lips Unsealed: A Memoir by Belinda Carlisle

Cash by Johnny Cash

Clapton: The Autobiography by Eric Clapton

Journals by Kurt Cobain

Not Dead Yet by Phil Collins

Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello

  Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Cross

Neon Angel by Cherie Currie

Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division by Deborah Curtis

Hammer of the Gods by Stephen Davis

Things The Grandchildren Should Know by Mark Oliver Everett

Fleetwood: My Life and Adventures in Fleetwood Mac by Mick Fleetwood, Stephen Davis

Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon

Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick

Diary of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star by Ian Hunter

Dancing with Myself by Billy Idol

Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury by Lesley-Ann Jones

Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis

White Line Fever by Lemmy Kilmister

The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee

Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead by Phil Lesh

Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love by Courtney Love

The Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Marilyn Manson

Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd by Nick Mason, Philip Dodd

It’s So Easy: And Other Lies by Duff McKagan

Autobiography by Morrissey

Joan Jett by Todd Oldham, Joan Jett

I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne

Rocks: My Life in and out of Aerosmith by Joe Perry

Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley

Life by Keith Richards

Crazy from the Heat by David Lee Roth

Bird Lives!: The High Life & Hard Times of Charlie (Yardbird) Parker by Ross Russell

Slash by Slash, Anthony Bozza

Somebody to Love?: A Rock-and-Roll Memoir by Grace Slick, Andrea Cagan

Just Kids by Patti Smith

Face the Music: A Life Exposed by Paul Stanley

Seven Deadly Sins: Settling the Argument Between Born Bad and Damaged Good by Corey Taylor

Who I Am by Pete Townshend

The Real Frank Zappa Book by Frank Zappa, Peter Occhiogrosso

Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke by Peter Guralnick

Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday, William Dufty

Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye by David Ritz

Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues by Elijah Wald

Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Sideman by Fred Wesley

You Might Also Like

• Manage Account

Read Ahead: A Release Calendar of Music Books & Biographies Being Published in 2023

Highly anticipated books by Britney Spears, Barbra Streisand and more are hitting shelves this year.

By Hannah Dailey

Hannah Dailey

• Share on Facebook
• Share to Flipboard
• Share on Pinterest
• + additional share options added
• Share on Tumblr
• Share on Reddit
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Whats App
• Send an Email
• Print this article
• Post a Comment

In the upcoming chapters of 2023, quite a few promising page-turners are expected to hit the “Music” shelf in a bookstore near you.

Spanning all genres and time periods, the second half of this year holds dozens of commentaries, historical deep dives, juicy biographies and more music-related volumes in store. So whether you’re in need of a rainy day read, beach suntanning entertainment or a before-bed future bestseller, Billboard has rounded up a list of upcoming books fit for even the most casual of music fans to pour over in the coming months – and it’s bound to have something you’ll love.

Take Britney Spears ‘ memoir The Woman In Me , for example. One of the most anticipated memoirs of all time (with a price tag of $15 million ), Spears announced that the autobiographical project would finally arrive in October just three months ahead of time. And speaking of highly anticipated memoirs, Barbra Streisand ‘s My Name Is Barbra finally has a November release date, after years of delay. The book, which will detail the Broadway icon’s astronomical career, has been in the making since 2015.

Plus, look out for books by or featuring words from such other legends as Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Jeff Tweedy on the list below. Make sure to bookmark this page so you can keep checking back for updates as more titles are announced in the future.

See Billboard ‘s list of music books to watch out for this year, including release dates, below:

• Alan Paul, Brothers and Sisters: The Allman Brothers Band and the Inside Story of the Album That Defined the ’70s
• Kiana Fitzgerald, Ode to Hip-Hop: 50 Albums That Define 50 Years of Trailblazing Music
• Amy Winehouse, Amy Winehouse: In Her Words
• Jeremy Eichler, Time’s Echo: The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance
• Melissa Etheridge, Talking to My Angels
• Juicy J & Soren Baker, Chronicles of the Juice Man: A Memoir
• Laura Flam, Emily Sieu Liebowitz, But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the ’60s Girl Groups
• Holly Gleason, Prine on Prine: Interviews and Encounters with John Prine
• Paula Blackman, Night Train to Nashville: The Greatest Untold Story of Music City
• Stephen M. Silverman, Sondheim: His Life, His Shows, His Legacy
• Jann S. Wenner, The Masters: Conversations with Dylan, Lennon, Jagger, Townshend, Garcia, Bono, and Springsteen
• Jeff Apter, Keith Urban
• Reba McEntire, Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots
• Sowmya Krishnamurthy, Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion
• Joe Coscarelli,  Rap Capital: An Atlanta Story
• Dolly Parton, Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones
• Brian Southall, Bee Gees – The Illustrated Story
• Britney Spears, The Woman in Me
• Thurston Moore, Sonic Life: A Memoir
• Philip Norman, George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle
• Mary Gabriel, Madonna: A Rebel Life
• Michael Azerrad, The Amplified Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana
• Willie Nelson, Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs
• Barbra Streisand, My Name Is Barbra
• Jeff Tweedy, World Within a Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music
• Ralph H. Craig III, Dancing in My Dreams: A Spiritual Biography of Tina Turner
• Benoit Clerc, Metallica All the Songs: The story behind every track
• Kenneth Womack, Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans
• Johnny Cash & John Carter Cash with Mark Stielper, Johnny Cash: The Life in Lyrics
• Snoop Dogg & E-40: Goon With the Spoon
• Greg McDonald & Marshall Terrill, Elvis and the Colonel: An Insider’s Look at the Most Legendary Partnership in Show Business

(Releases TBD)

Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox

Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about?

Get in the know on.

Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

optional screen reader

Charts expand charts menu.

• Billboard Hot 100™
• Billboard 200™
• Hits Of The World™
• TikTok Billboard Top 50
• Songs Of The Summer
• Song Breaker
• Year-End Charts
• Decade-End Charts

Music Expand music menu

• R&B/Hip-Hop

Videos Expand videos menu

Culture expand culture menu, media expand media menu, business expand business menu.

• Business News
• Record Labels
• View All Pro

Pro Tools Expand pro-tools menu

• Songwriters & Producers
• Artist Index
• Royalty Calculator
• Market Watch
• Industry Events Calendar

Billboard Español Expand billboard-espanol menu

• Cultura y Entretenimiento

Get Up Anthems by Tres Expand get-up-anthems-by-tres menu

Honda music expand honda-music menu.

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

Get in tune with these 14 upcoming music biopics

Sydney Bucksbaum is a writer at Entertainment Weekly covering all things pop culture – but TV is her one true love. She currently lives in Los Angeles but grew up in Chicago so please don't make fun of her accent when it slips out.

Melody masters reimagined on the big screen

Will these music biopics hit the right note or turn out tone-deaf? See our list of 14 upcoming movies that chronicle the iconic lives of famous musicians, and who's set to star in them.

Leonard Bernstein

From A Star Is Born to Leonard Bernstein, Bradley Cooper is staying in the music genre for his next big directorial effort. The multi-hyphenate will direct and star in a Leonard Bernstein biopic , Maestro, about the conductor and composer behind West Side Story , Peter Pan , and more. Cooper co-writes the Netflix film with Josh Singer ( Spotlight ), while producing with, among others, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. Carey Mulligan is set to co-star as Felicia Montealegre, wife of the iconic composer.

Timothée Chalamet is expected to play Bob Dylan in an as-yet-untitled film from Searchlight Pictures . Directed by James Mangold , the film takes place in 1965, when the folk legend made a controversial shift to rock & roll and the electric guitar. However, in an interview with Collider , cinematographer Phedon Papamichael revealed production is on hold due to COVID-19.

Boy George is yet another musical icon to get the Hollywood treatment, with MGM producing the biopic and Sacha Gervasi ( Anvil: The Story of Anvil ) writing and directing. The as-yet-untitled project will follow the singer (born George Alan O'Dowd) from his early years in England growing up in a working-class Irish family through his rise up the pop charts as part of the group Culture Club in the 1980s. Sophie Turner has said she'd like the part , with Boy George admitting, "When I was 17, I would have loved to have been her."

Marianne Faithfull

Lucy Boynton is trading one music biopic for another. After appearing in Bohemian Rhapsody , the British actor is set to executive produce and star as singer Marianne Faithfull in Faithfull , directed by Ian Bonhôte. Set in mid-1960s London, the movie will chronicle the highs and lows of Faithfull's career after being discovered as a convent schoolgirl at 17, becoming a pop idol, her tumultuous romance with Mick Jagger that inspired some of the Rolling Stones' greatest songs, and being a homeless drug addict in Soho. "I am delighted that my story is finally being made with my dream team of Lucy, [producer] Julia [Taylor-Stanley] and Ian," Faithfull said.

Michael Jackson

It should come as no surprise that Michael Jackson is finally getting the biopic treatment . Graham King, who produced the Oscar-winning Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody , has acquired the rights to Jackson's music and is set to make a film based on the pop legend's life. Collaborating with King is screenwriter John Logan; the two previously worked together on Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic, The Aviator.

Graham King is a busy man—he's also developing a biopic about the Bee Gees along with Steven Spielberg . Once director John Carney will helm the currently untitled film, with a script by John Logan. The movie will likely follow the trio of brothers— Barry , Robin, and Maurice Gibb—and their journey from humble beginnings in 1958 to reaching global fame after working on the soundtrack for the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever , penning iconic tunes like "Stayin' Alive" and "More Than a Woman." Paramount and King purchased the life rights to the Gibb family estate, and thus will be able to use the group's biggest hits in the movie. Barry is the sole surviving member of the group, as Maurice and Robin died in 2003 and 2012.

Teddy Pendergrass

Six-time Grammy nominee Tyrese Gibson is taking on the life of R&B icon Teddy Pendergrass in a biopic written by Little Marvin, with Donald De Line ( Ready Player One ), Lee Daniels ( Precious ), and Gibson producing. Pendergrass' widow, Joan Pendergrass, is also on board as an executive producer. "This is the role that I feel I was born to play," Gibson said. "Teddy Pendergrass embraced me and, before he passed, put the responsibility on my shoulders to tell his story."

John Lennon and Yoko Ono

An adaptation of John Lennon and Yoko Ono 's epic love story has been in the works for years. The script was written by Bohemian Rhapsody scribe Anthony McCarten, while Ono herself was attached to produce. Jean-Marc Vallée ( Dallas Buyers Club ) had been expected to direct and edit before his death in 2021. There has been no other news about the project, but we still hope it will come together some day.

Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse 's family announced back in 2018 that the iconic singer was getting a big-screen biopic, with proceeds from the film reportedly benefiting the Amy Winehouse Foundation. The Winehouse family will serve as executive producers on the film, Back to Black , which has been written by Matt Greenhalgh and will be directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson . "We now feel able to celebrate Amy's extraordinary life and talent," the singer's father, Mitch Winehouse, said. "We know through the Amy Winehouse Foundation that the true story of her illness can help so many others who might be experiencing similar issues."

Rapper Gucci Mane (real name: Radric Delantic Davis) is getting a biopic from Paramount Players and Imagine Entertainment, based on his memoir, The Autobiography of Gucci Mane . Imagine's Brian Grazer and Erica Huggins will join Mane and Todd Moskowitz in producing the film about the trap house artist who started his career by releasing mixtapes while in prison.

Bob Marley is expected to be played by Kingsley Ben-Adir ( One Night in Miami ) in a new biopic about the reggae music trailblazer. The Jamaican singer-songwriter died of cancer in 1981, but in his short life he changed the legacy of reggae forever. Reinaldo Marcus Green ( King Richard ) will direct the biopic with input from the musician's son, Ziggy Marley.

Who better to make a movie about Madonna 's life than Madonna herself? The iconic singer is set to direct a biopic about her life, having co-written the script with a collaboration from Oscar-winning Juno scribe Diablo Cody . The still-untitled Universal film is rumored to star Julia Garner in the lead role and will also be produced by Madonna and two-time Academy Award nominee Amy Pascal ( Little Women ). The film is expected to follow the entertainer's rise to prominence as the culture-shaping musician, actress, director, author, and entrepreneur she is today. Sara Zambreno and Madonna's longtime manager, Guy Oseary, are on board as executive producers as well.

Lemmy, a.k.a. Ian Fraser Kilmister, the lead singer of Motörhead who passed away in 2015 , is getting a biopic from someone who knew him well—Greg Olliver. The filmmaker spent several years with the band for their 2010 documentary, also titled Lemmy . The movie will follow Kilmister's early life in England, his time as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix, and the five years he spent with rock band Hawkwind before he went on to create Motörhead, forever changing the future of rock music. Motörhead's manager Todd Singerman and Steffan Chirazi will serve as executive producers for a screenplay written by Medeni Griffiths along with Olliver.

What's better than a biopic about an iconic female-led rock band? A biopic about an iconic female-led rock band written and directed by another iconic female rock star. Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein is set to write and direct a biopic on the rock band Heart for Amazon Studios. It was Heart guitarist Ann Wilson herself who revealed on SiriusXM's Volume West that "there's [a film] in the works" about her band, best known for late '70s and early '80s hits like "Crazy on You" and "Barracuda." Wilson added that she "saw the first draft of the script, it's really cool… The script started in childhood and ended up in the '90s." Casting is currently underway for the roles of Wilson and her sister, Nancy Wilson.

Related Articles

• AV Undercover

The 15 most essential music bios (and autobiographies) so far this century

From sleater-kinney to springsteen, these are the tomes most deserving of joining the pantheon of essential musical memoirs.

Back in 2012, The A.V. Club asked if there was life left in the world of music memoirs . On one hand, it was obviously a rhetorical question—is anyone really going to say, “No, no more autobiographies from musicians, please”?—but the larger point was salient. Namely, that this young century had seen a glut of shoddily written and poorly edited books by famous artists (whether ghostwritten or not), that did the genre no favors. (Paging Neil Young’s Waging Heavy Peace .)

Lucky, then, to have so many counterexamples. The past 22 years have seen the release of not only tremendous memoirs and musical biographies, but among them some that belong in the highest echelons of the field—books that should be essential reading even for those who aren’t fans of the artist. The following are the ones that rose to the top when The A.V. Club looked back upon which music bios and memoirs were the most impactful, the most artful, and resonated far beyond the page. There are plenty of great books about the music industry not on this list (or about multiple artists, like Alex Ross’ must-read book on 20th century classical music, The Rest Is Noise ) that just didn’t fit the biography/autobiography designation. But when it comes to the singular stories of notable musicians and their lives, careers, and music, these are the ones we’ll recommend in perpetuity.

Note to desktop users: If you’d like to read this in a scrolling format (and why wouldn’t you?), simply narrow your browser window.

Back in 2012, The A.V. Club asked if there was . On one hand, it was obviously a rhetorical question—is anyone really going to say, “No, no more autobiographies from musicians, please”?—but the larger point was salient. Namely, that this young century had seen a glut of shoddily written and poorly edited books by famous artists (whether ghostwritten or not), that did the genre no favors. (Paging Neil Young’s Waging Heavy Peace .) Lucky, then, to have so many counterexamples. The past 22 years have seen the release of not only tremendous memoirs and musical biographies, but among them some that belong in the highest echelons of the field—books that should be essential reading even for those who aren’t fans of the artist. The following are the ones that rose to the top when The A.V. Club looked back upon which music bios and memoirs were the most impactful, the most artful, and resonated far beyond the page. There are plenty of great books about the music industry not on this list (or about multiple artists, like Alex Ross’ must-read book on 20th century classical music, The Rest Is Noise ) that just didn’t fit the biography/autobiography designation. But when it comes to the singular stories of notable musicians and their lives, careers, and music, these are the ones we’ll recommend in perpetuity. Note to desktop users: If you’d like to read this in a scrolling format (and why wouldn’t you?), simply narrow your browser window.

GET A.V.CLUB RIGHT IN YOUR INBOX

Pop culture obsessives writing for the pop culture obsessed.

Enter your email below to be the first to hear about new releases, upcoming events, and more from Dig!

Yes, I want to receive marketing messages with the latest news, events and releases from Dig!. I understand that these emails are based on my information, interests, website activities and device data that is handled in accordance with the Privacy Policy . I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing [email protected] .

By submitting my information, I agree to receive personalized updates and marketing messages about WMX based on my information, interests, activities, website visits and device data and in accordance with the Privacy Policy . I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing [email protected] .

Best Music Autobiographies: 20 Memoirs From Legendary Rockers

Exploring the life and times of rock’n’roll’s most iconic stars, the best music autobiographies give us an insider’s look at stardom.

Providing a unique opportunity to glimpse into the minds of rock’n’roll’s most legendary figures, the best music autobiographies serve as a reminder of just how much these icons have shaped popular culture. From blues-rock journeyman Eric Clapton to genre-shaping visionary David Bowie , these memoirs delve deep into their authors’ psyches, going beyond their stage-based antics to explore their upbringing and give us a behind-the-scenes insight into their experiences of fame and stardom. Here, then, are the best music autobiographies – books that provide an intimate look at the lives and careers of some of the industry’s most legendary figures.

Listen to our Rock Classics playlist here , and check out the best music autobiographies, below.

20: chrissie hynde: ‘reckless: my life as a pretender’ (2015).

Reckless: My Life As A Pretender , by Chrissie Hynde, is a humorous and frank account of the new wave era songwriter’s life story. Known for her incomparable voice, style and attitude, Hynde weaves a witty and colourful narrative that follows her career journey from Akron, Ohio, to London in the 70s, where she formed Pretenders . Hynde candidly describes her harrowing experiences with grief following the deaths of bandmates James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon, and reveals intimate details about her exploration of music, love and identity. Full of vivid storytelling, Reckless is a sharp-witted and eye-opening read among the best music autobiographies.

19: John Densmore: ‘Riders On The Storm: My Life With Jim Morrison And The Doors’ (1990)

Taking readers on a journey through his experiences as a founding member of The Doors , drummer John Densmore’s memoir, Riders On The Storm: My Life With Jim Morrison And The Doors , preceded the release of Oliver Stone’s 1991 Doors biopic, starring Val Kilmer. Given that Densmore acted as a consultant for that film, it’s hardly a surprise to discover that his memoir is just as compelling, recalling the time he spent making music with one of the best rock frontmen of all time , Jim Morrison , along with bandmates Ray Manzarek (keyboards) and Robby Krieger (guitar). The drummer guides readers through the wild ride of The Doors’ Los Angeles origins and on to their ascent as classic rock’s warrior kings. Readers will be fascinated by Densmore’s candid revelations about living in the eye of the storm that was the 60s counterculture, replete with details about all aspects of his life during that era, as well as reflecting upon how it shaped who he is today.

18: Debbie Harry: ‘Face It: A Memoir’ (2019)

Covering everything from her CBGB-era punk beginnings in the 70s, as the frontwoman for Blondie, to her various side projects as an actress and solo artist, Debbie Harry’s memoir, Face It , is a typically provocative account of her rise to frame. Unafraid to share secrets and embarrassing moments from her life – from details about her wild romantic relationships to discussing her struggles with heroin addiction, Harry’s frankness makes Face It a truly eye-opening read. Offering a window into her deep insights into how she fought bouts of depression, the book is a truly self-reflective primer on how to maintain a sense of confidence while navigating the darker aspects of fame.

17: Neil Young: ‘Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream’ (2012)

A gold rush of memories, Neil Young ’s memoir Waging Heavy Peace is an idiosyncratic and non-linear retelling of the singer-songwriter’s life. One of the best music autobiographies of recent years, it details the ups and downs of Young’s career, from his days as a folk-rock pioneer to becoming one of the best songwriters of all time . Through this book, readers get to see how the Canadian rocker has infused his music with personal stories and emotions that transcend generations. Speaking candidly about his passion for recording music and writing songs that have become evergreen classics, Young reflects on both his successes and failures, offering valuable lessons on how to be creative without compromising your values or goals. His words will inspire any budding creative.

16: Rod Stewart: ‘Rod: The Autobiography’ (2012)

Rod Stewart’s memoir, Rod: The Autobiography , is an entertaining and amusing story that goes beyond handbags and gladrags to follow Stewart’s career path from London mod to world-renowned rock star. The former Faces frontman and Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? hitmaker recounts his rollicking journey with impish humour, his natural charisma shining through every page as he reflects on the struggles and successes he has experienced during his long career. Throughout it all, while recounting stories about early influences such as Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry, Stewart remains self-deprecating and witty while never forgetting to mention those who have helped him along the way.

15: Eric Clapton: ‘Clapton: The Autobiography’ (2007)

The music industry is filled with legends, but few have had as big an impact as Eric Clapton. With a career spanning almost six decades, Clapton’s influence on popular music has been profound and enduring, so it’s hardly a surprise that his autobiography is also remarkable. Already known for his virtuoso guitar talents, Clapton’s writing style is accessible and heart-rending, containing stories such as the tragic death of his four-year-old son and his personal triumph of overcoming alcoholism. By candidly detailing his difficult upbringing, his childhood struggles with abandonment and identity, and the romantic relationships that defined different stages of his life, this is a must-read among the best music autobiographies.

14: Bob Dylan: ‘Chronicles: Volume One’ (2004)

Bob Dylan, the era-defining songwriter, caused a cultural earthquake when he released Chronicles: Volume One . Often cryptic and mysterious in his lyrics, nobody expected Dylan to reflect upon his life and career as eruditely as he does here, running as he does through a series of honest and introspective stories and recollections. From his early days as an up-and-coming folk musician in New York City’s Greenwich Village to his rise to global stardom and the subsequent demands of living with the baggage of the “voice of his generation” tag, Dylan offers an intimate look at how his journey has shaped him both as an artist and a human being. An enlightening entry among the best music autobiographies, Chronicles: Volume One has a raw honesty that captures the essence of Dylan’s unique voice, providing readers with an insight into the mind of one of a truly world-changing artist.

13: Keith Richards: ‘Life’ (2010)

It goes without saying that Keith Richards is the ultimate rock’n’roll survivor. Giving us a first-hand look at the wild world of The Rolling Stones, the legendary guitarist’s biography, Life , chronicles his life from childhood to adulthood and everything in between, including his humble beginnings growing up in Dartford, England, and international fame as the spiritual figurehead of one of the British Invasion’s most notorious rock bands. An intimate portrait of Richards’ personal journey through celebrity, Life features stories about Richards’ escapades with Mick Jagger, as well as his headline-grabbing experiences with drugs. In addition to humorous anecdotes about life on the road, the guitarist talks candidly about how he was able to emerge from addiction intact and how music has been a source of solace throughout his life.

12: Phil Collins: ‘Not Dead Yet: The Autobiography’ (2016)

Phil Collins ’ autobiography, Not Dead Yet , is an honest recount of his life and career. From the start, Collins speaks openly about his upbringing – he was drawn to music from an early age, taking up the drums at five years old and eventually becoming the drummer for prog-rock band Genesis. Written with great humility, the book moves between periods in Collins’ life, discussing his experiences with divorce as well as his professional successes, such as recording with Genesis and launching a successful solo career. Whether speaking about recording sessions or touring experiences, it becomes clear that Collins has lived an extraordinary life full of unique moments that have helped shape him into the star we know today.

11: Peter Hook: ‘Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division’ (2012)

As the bassist for Joy Division – one of the most influential post-punk bands of the late 70s – Peter Hook provides an intimate look at the band’s rise to prominence in Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division . Through a series of personal reflections, he takes readers behind the scenes to explore how Joy Division created its foreboding sound. Revealing unknown details about life on tour and what it was like working alongside frontman Ian Curtis , who committed suicide at age 23, the book offers captivating accounts of the band’s turbulent history. Through Hook’s words, we come to understand why Joy Division was so special – they were able to take dark themes such as death and despair and turn them into something beautiful through their music. Having penned one of the best music biographies of all time, Hook then went and did it all over again with a follow-up. Substance: Inside New Order , which continues the story of his game-changing career.

10: David Bowie with Mick Rock: ‘Moonage Daydream: The Life And Times Of Ziggy Stardust’ (2002)

Moonage Daydream: The Life And Times Of Ziggy Stardust is a captivating visual biography documenting the incredible rise to fame of one of music’s most influential figures. Alongside extraordinary photographs by Mick Rock, the ever mysterious David Bowie himself recounts his creative journey from glam-rock provocateur to art-rock Renaissance man, providing an insightful look into his genius and offering a rare glimpse into the work he created in the 70s. Capturing the energy and spirit of Ziggy Stardust’s artistic inception, Moonage Daydream truly highlights how Bowie’s contributions to popular culture profoundly affected music for generations to come.

9: Johnny Marr: ‘Set The Boy Free: The Autobiography’ (2016)

Set The Boy Free , the autobiography of The Smiths ’ guitarist Johnny Marr , serves as an incredible and honest look at the indie sensation’s life. Following Marr from his childhood in Manchester, England, to becoming one of the best guitarists of all time , the book vividly recounts his experience teaming up with Morrissey to form The Smiths, and how the pair revolutionised the 80s indie-rock scene. Weaving together tales from throughout his life – growing up as a working-class kid on a council estate; falling in love with the guitar – Marr’s autobiography offers a definitive take on how he did the unthinkable and made guitar music cool again.

8: Nile Rodgers: ‘Le Freak: An Upside Down Story Of Family, Disco And Destiny’ (2011)

Le Freak: An Upside Down Story Of Family, Disco And Destiny invites readers to learn more about the life of one of the world’s most influential musicians – the guitarist and producer Nile Rodgers . From his early days as a session musician to becoming a gatekeeper of funk and disco as the guitarist for Chic , Rodgers tells a rich and captivating story, drawing from his unconventional upbringing as well as his personal accounts of mental-health issues, and substance abuse. An intimate look at how the genre-defying artist found success despite life’s many roadblocks (he would go on to produce records for David Bowie, Duran Duran and Madonna , and collaborate with Daft Punk on the globe-straddling hit Get Lucky), Rodgers strings together anecdotes that are both funny and heartbreaking, and his free-spirited energy sees him faithfully recapture moments of joy and sorrow through vivid accounts of his career highs and lows.

7: Stephen Morris: ‘Record Play Pause: Confessions Of A Post-Punk Percussionist’ (2019)

Much like his bandmate Peter Hook, drummer Stephen Morris’ memoir Record Play Pause is an account of Joy Division’s early punk and post-punk days in 70s Britain. Through his personal recollections, readers gain an inside view into what it was like for Morris to be part of the musical revolution Joy Division engendered, as the drummer offers a glimpse into his childhood in Macclesfield, as well as his teenage years spent largely discovering music and exploring the sounds that would define him for years to come. From getting his first drum set at 14, through to recording with Joy Division, this memoir provides a candid look at how post-punk began. Record Play Pause also has a sequel, Fast Forward , which takes the story into the New Order era and also deserves a mention among the best music autobiographies.

6: Rob Halford: ‘Confess: The Autobiography’ (2020)

Rob Halford, the lead singer of the heavy metal band Judas Priest, gave fans a raw and honest look at his life in his autobiography, Confess . As he reflects on his career, personal struggles and relationships, it’s easy to see why Halford has become an icon for heavy metal music over the years, so diehard fans of Judas Priest will definitely want to pick up this book and read more about the man behind some of their favourite songs. Confess offers an in-depth look into Halford’s surprisingly multi-faceted life, with plenty of stories about his time in Judas Priest, touring the world, coming out as a pioneering LGBTQ+ icon and dealing with addiction issues. Halford also talks candidly about how it felt to be a rock star in a genre that wasn’t always accepted by mainstream society. Even if you’re not the biggest fan of heavy metal, this book is an insightful entry among the best music biographies.

5: Ozzy Osbourne: ‘I Am Ozzy’ (2009)

As the “Godfather Of Heavy Metal”, Ozzy Osbourne uses I Am Ozzy as a chance to run through his thrilling and tumultuous career, allowing fans to get a deeper look at his life as he recounts all his ups and downs in an honest and often humorous way. Written in a conversational style that feels as though you’re sitting with a long-lost friend, I Am Ozzy gives readers insight into what it was like growing up in post-war England, becoming the frontman for hard-rock giants Black Sabbath, dealing with drug addiction and depression, and finding success again with solo hits such as Crazy Train. Osbourne also dives into his latter years, discussing his family and how his wife, Sharon, is responsible for putting him on the path to sobriety.

4: Nick Mason: ‘Inside Out: A Personal History Of Pink Floyd’ (2004)

Inside Out: A Personal History Of Pink Floyd , by drummer Nick Mason, is a must-read for any fan of the iconic band. In this first-hand account of the group’s history, Mason recounts Pink Floyd’s incredible journey, from their early psychedelic-rock days to their massive prog-rock successes in the 70s and 80s. With vivid detail, Mason takes readers through every major moment in the group’s history, including the stories behind their first hit single, Arnold Layne, and their ambitious concept album The Wall. Throughout, Mason paints an evocative picture of life inside one of Britain’s most renowned bands, not only addressing the creative process but also shedding light on moments of joy and camaraderie, when his bandmates supported each other during some of the toughest times. It’s an engaging and fascinating read.

3: Bruce Springsteen: ‘Born To Run’ (2016)

Born To Run is a testament to Bruce Springsteen’s personal resilience and his unwavering commitment to the spirit of rock’n’roll. Chronicling The Boss’ early days growing up in New Jersey, as well as his rise to fame as the lead songwriter in The E Street Band, it’s an emotional journey from the man’s own viewpoint, filled with both joy and sorrow. As well as Springsteen’s recollections of life on tour, we also get honest accounts of his long-standing relationships with family members. From tales of personal struggles and career triumphs to reflections on the power of music in our lives, Born To Run is one of the best music autobiographies out there, regardless of whether you’re a Springsteen fan or not.

2: Elton John: ‘Me’ (2019)

Elton John’s Me is a witty and self-effacing autobiography that traces the life of one of Britain’s greatest songwriters. Covering decades of John’s emotional ups and downs, the book offers revealing accounts of his drug addiction, his troubled love life and his struggle to come to terms with his sexuality, as well as his career as a celebrated singer-songwriter. With behind-the-scenes stories about how some of his best-loved songs were written, John speaks most profoundly about the impact fame has had on him, and Me explores themes such as loneliness and depression to great effect. A companion piece to the 2019 biopic Rocketman , starring Taron Egerton, Me does wonders in capturing the essence of Elton John.

1: Anthony Kiedis: ‘Scar Tissue’ (2004)

Anthony Kiedis’ memoir, Scar Tissue , is a revealing and no-holds-barred account of the Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman’s life. Following Kiedis through both tremendous career success and deep personal pain, readers will discover the highs and lows of a life lived on the edge – expect rampant substance abuse, wild sexual escapades, broken relationships and many other extreme experiences. Kiedis writes candidly about his struggles with addiction as well as his spiritual journey to sobriety while balancing his personal life with the demands of being in one of the best 90s bands . Kiedis also shares stories from his unconventional childhood growing up in Los Angeles, where fame was always nearby – he even recounts once being babysat by Sonny And Cher. In the end, Scar Tissue is a heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting read, as Kiedis eventually finds peace through self-acceptance and redemption. And that’s why it tops our list of the best rock autobiographies.

Now check out the best music biographies .

• Culture/Events
• Punk/Post-Punk

More Like This

Best Lindsey Buckingham Solo Songs: 20 Non-Fleetwood Mac Essentials

Described as ‘indie films’ against Fleetwood Mac’s blockbuster projects, the best Lindsey Buckingham solo songs reveal a true artist at work.

Best 90s Songs: 30 Era-Defining Tracks From An Undefinable Decade

From bold Britpop anthems to incendiary blasts of gangsta rap, the best 90 songs shine with old-school swagger and head-spinning diversity.

Be the first to know

Stay up-to-date with the latest music news, new releases, special offers and other discounts!

Yes, I want to receive marketing messages with the latest news, events and releases from Dig!. I understand that these messages are based on my information, interests, website activities and device data that is handled in accordance with the Privacy Policy . I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing [email protected] .

Sign up to our newsletter

Be the first to hear about new releases, upcoming events, and more from Dig!

15 Upcoming Music Biopics We Can't Wait to Watch (2022)

The business of biopics is booming. It seems like every day, there's more news of a beloved entertainer, respected historical figure, or long-forgotten criminal that's getting a movie made about their life story. As soon as a film based on a person's life is announced, we eagerly await more news of which famous actor will play them.

After the success of films like Bohemian Rhapsody , Rocketman , Respect , and Judy , music biopics in particular have been all the rage. Not only are they able to tell compelling stories, but audiences are entertained thanks to the musician's catalogue of songs on full display. And if you're an artist who's still living, having a biopic made about your early career is a pretty great marketing tool!

Live365 is committed to delivering you the hottest music news around. As such, we've been keeping our eyes on the development of several music biopics slated for release sometime in the next few years. Today, we'd like to share with you some of the biopics that intrigue us the most, and make us very excited to watch an artist's life story in movie theaters. Without further ado, here are 15 upcoming music biopics you need to know about!

1. Bob Marley

In very recent news, it was announced that Kingsley Ben-Adir ( Peaky Blinders, The OA, One Night in Miami ) would take on the role of Bob Marley in a Paramount Pictures biopic about the reggae legend's life. King Richard's Reinaldo Marcus Green is set to direct, Zach Baylin is assisting with the script, and members of the Marley family are producing the project.

It's about time a film about Bob Marley's life was made! The story will be covering an intense period in the Rastafarian man's life: his later years making Exodus in London just after a failed assassination attempt in Jamaica. We're hoping to sing along to songs like "Buffalo Soldier," "Could You Be Loved," and "Jammin'." We already know every little thing is gonna be alright with this biopic!

Back in May 2021, Cher revealed on Twitter a biopic about her life was in the works. Eric Roth, whose screenplays include Forrest Gump and A Star Is Born , will write the script while Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman, whose credits include both Mamma Mia! films, will produce.

“Gary and I are thrilled to be working with Cher again and this time bringing her empowering and true-life odyssey to the big screen,” Craymer said in a press release. “One cannot help but be drawn to and inspired by Cher’s larger than life talent, fortitude, unique wit, warmth and vision. Her unparalleled success in music, film and TV has inspired generations. We could not be happier to tell her story to cinema audiences.”

Not much is known about the picture, save for the fact Universal Pictures will distribute the film and Deadline noted it “will not be a break-into-song musical like Mamma Mia! and probably more likely a closer cousin to a biopic like Bohemian Rhapsody .” Not only are we excited to listen to Cher music in a movie theater, we also can't wait to see the lead actress in Cher's iconic costumes!

3. "Weird Al" Yankovic

Just like the artist himself, the "Weird Al" Yankovic biopic is expected to be kooky, unconventional, and absolutely hilarious. Yankovic is writing and producing Weird: The "Weird Al" Yankovic Story while Eric Appel will direct with Daniel Radcliffe playing Yankovic. It's all being made as an original movie for the up-and-coming Roku Channel.

Due to the creators' wacky press statements and Appel's previous Yankovic biopic parody for Funny or Die, we theorize this historical film is one that won't take itself too seriously. In the spirit of "Weird Al," we're hoping this movie parodies the tropes present within current biopics and tackles the oversaturated genre in a funny new way.

4. The Bee Gees

Following the success of the HBO documentary The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart , a full-fledged biopic on the Bee Gees has begun. The film will tell the story of brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb and their ascent to becoming one of the most recognizable acts of the 1970s.

So far, Kenneth Branagh is tied to the director's chair and Bradley Cooper will play Barry Gibb. After seeing Cooper in Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza , we know he'll fit right in with a 70s aesthetic! In fact, some news outlets claimed he looked like the spitting image of Gibb while playing hairdresser Jon Peters in the Oscar-nominated feature.

5. Leonard Bernstein

Playing Barry Gibb isn't the only biopic role Cooper has in store. He'll also be playing American composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein in an upcoming Netflix film titled Maestro .

The feature is set to start shooting this May, with Carey Mulligan acting as Bernstein's wife, Felicia Montealegre. Cooper wrote the script with Josh Singer, who shared the Best Original Screenplay Oscar with Tom McCarthy for Spotlight . Cooper is producing alongside Fred Berner, Amy Durning, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese.

Cooper will even sit in the director's chair, too: Spielberg was originally set to direct the movie, but Cooper convinced him to let go of the role. In an Actors on Actors interview, he revealed he asked Spielberg, "I always felt like I could play a conductor, but may I research the material and see if I can write it and direct it? Would you let me do that?" After watching Cooper's fantastic directorial debut A Star Is Born , we're sure Spielberg was eager to let him have the responsibility.

6. Elvis Presley

The King of Rock 'n' Roll will soon be the King of the Box Office. Famed director Baz Luhrmann ( Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet, The Great Gatsby ) is helming a biopic on Elvis Presley , with young star Austin Butler in the lead role. Tom Hanks will play Elvis’ longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

Elvis will chronicle Presley's rise from humble beginnings to one of the biggest stars in music history. The movie is due for release on June 24, 2022 via Warner Bros. Pictures.

7. Michael Jackson

Not only is the King of Rock 'n' Roll getting the biopic treatment, so is the King of Pop.

Lionsgate will distribute a new Michael Jackson biopic produced by Bohemian Rhapsody’s Graham King. The film is also being made with the cooperation of the Michael Jackson Estate - which may impact how it deals with the multiple allegations of child sexual abuse that were brought against Jackson during the course of his career and after his 2009 death. Will it shy away from the controversy, or be unafraid to dive deeper into it?

Titled Michael , a screenplay is being written by three-time Oscar nominee John Logan. King and Logan previously collaborated on Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator .

8. Boy George

Back in April 2021, Boy George announced his biopic Karma Chameleon was set to start shooting across London and Bulgaria in the summertime. Additionally, a casting call went underway to look for the actor who would play George.

While we're not sure of the film's current status, we do know several details about the biopic. It will chronicle George's Culture Club success in the 80s while unflinchingly showing his struggles with substance abuse. Additionally, Danny Mays ( 1917 , Line of Duty ) will play George's father, and Sacha Gervasi is set to direct. There are even rumors of Keanu Reeves popping up! (Although, we think that might just be a joke perpetuated by George.)

9. Louis Armstrong

Director Sacha Jenkins will tell Louis Armstrong's story with the upcoming biopic Black & Blues: The Colorful Ballad of Louis Armstrong . The film will be released via Apple TV+ and comedian Tracy Morgan will play the famous trumpeter.

The biopic is actually self-financed by Morgan and has been a passion project of his for awhile. We're sure he'll nail it!

10. Whitney Houston

Being one of the best-selling artists of all time, it's inevitable a Whitney Houston biopic is getting made. Titled I Wanna Dance with Somebody after her famous 1987 hit, the movie is set for a Christmas 2022 release.

Sony is distributing the film while British actress Naomie Ackie ( Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, The End of the F---ing World ) will play the iconic singer. "We spent the better part of the last year in an exhaustive search for an actress who could embody Whitney Houston," director Stella Meghie said, per The Hollywood Reporter . "Naomi Ackie impressed us at every stage of the process. I was moved by her ability to capture the stage presence of a global icon while bringing humanity to her interior life."

Actor Ashton Sanders will play Bobby Brown, while Nafessa Williams, Clarke Peters, and Tamara Tunie will also play roles in the flick.

11. Bob Dylan

If you're part of the Timothée Chalamet fan club, you've definitely heard about the Bob Dylan biopic he's spent months preparing for. Going Electric will star Chalamet as the iconic 60s artist with direction by James Mangold.

As NME reported back in October, the film was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic and struggles with finding period-specific costumes and locations. However, cinematographer Phedon Papamichael has said the film is "not dead yet." We're hoping it will get made soon, since Chalamet has put a lot of hard work into getting ready for the character. Not only has he been learning guitar, but the actor rented out an Airbnb in Woodstock, NY and had a meeting with Joel Coen (director of Inside Llewyn Davis ) just to get into the mindset of Dylan.

Will Chalamet's performance rival that of Cate Blanchett's in I'm Not There ? That's what we're eager to see.

12. Amy Winehouse

The public will never stop loving Amy Winehouse. The British singer-songwriter perished way too soon, and it's fair to say we miss her expressive vocals and lovable sense of humor. That's why we're so happy to see a biopic being made about her short-yet-spectacular career.

The biopic was announced back in September 2021. According to The Hollywood Reporter , Halcyon Studios will produce the biopic after it optioned Daphne Barak’s 2010 book, Saving Amy . While no casting news has been announced yet (and mixed messaging has been reported about Mitch Winehouse's approval of the movie), we do know the film will take place during the final years of Winehouse's life.

13. Ronnie Spector

Many have learned about Ronnie Spector's life due to The Ronettes singer's recent death . As soon as she passed away, plans for a Ronnie Spector biopic were made more public. Production company A24 ( Moonlight, Lady Bird, Hereditary ) has secured Spector's life rights for the film, as well as the rights to the musician's autobiography, Be My Baby . Pulitzer-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury is in consideration to write the script.

And who will be playing Spector? None other than Emmy Award-winning actress Zendaya! Spector personally selected the Euphoria actress for the role before her death. We think it's a perfect casting. Zendaya's got the singing/dancing skills and fashionista status that playing Spector would require!

During an appearance on SiriusXM in November 2020, Ann Wilson revealed a biopic about Heart was in the works.

"I saw the first draft of the script," the singer admitted. "It's really cool." Carrie Brownstein from Sleater-Kinney, who also co-created and starred in IFC's Portlandia , will write and direct the film. Additionally, Lynda Obst of Sleepless in Seattle and How to Lose a Guy In 10 Days is producing. The movie is expected to focus on Ann and her sister Nancy, their childhood, early years as aspiring musicians, and eventual success with their chart-topping rock band.

While casting hasn't been announced yet and apparently COVID-19 has delayed the production, we do know the film will draw heavily from Kicking and Dreaming : the book Ann and Nancy wrote together chronicling their rise to fame and ensuing success.

15. John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Last on our list, we're mentioning the project we've all been waiting for: a biopic chronicling John Lennon and Yoko Ono's famous love story.

All we know so far is that acclaimed director Jean-Marc Vallée is attached. We have so many questions. Who will play John and Yoko? Will the other members of the Beatles be cast? Will the film cover John's assassination by The Dakota? Will we get to hear an actress do Ono's iconic caterwauling? Until the movie gets made, we guess we'll bide our time by watching Lennon and Ono together in Peter Jackson's Get Back .

Discover thousands of free stations from every genre of music and talk at Live365.com .

Ready to start your own station? Contact one of our Product Consultants or visit our website today. Keep up with the latest news by following us on Facebook ( Live365 (Official) and Live365 Broadcasting ) and Twitter ( @Live365 and @Broadcast365 )!

Article Image: Bob Dylan singing and playing guitar in 1978, Whitney Houston singing in 1991, Elvis Presley promoting the film "Jailhouse Rock" in 1957. ( Chris Hakkens , PH2 Mark Kettenhofen and The Library of Congress [ CC BY-SA 2.0 and Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons.)

About Kathryn Milewski

Beck and lizzo announced as sxsw 2022 keynote speakers.

Train Announce New Album 'AM Gold' & Summer Tour

Create your own radio station, the live365 newsletter.

About Live365

Upcoming Music Biopics Coming Out In 2024 And Beyond

Music hits the big screen...

Over the years, great music biopics have given us some of the most enchanting and unforgettable movie moments, which is why it should be no surprise that several Best Picture winners have been from the genre. Movies like Walk the Line , What’s Love Got to Do with It , and most recently, Bob Marley: One Love , have not only shed light on the careers, lives, and legacies of their subjects, they also introduced new audiences to several of history’s best musicians.

In the coming months and years, audiences will get to take a deep dive into the lives of even more celebrated musicians in the crop of upcoming music biopics. Here are some of the music-centric biographical dramas coming out in 2024 and beyond…

Back To Black - May 17, 2024

On May 17 , Marisa Abela will play one of the most successful and tragic singers of the early 21st century when she takes on the role of Amy Winehouse in Back to Black . Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, who previously helmed the John Lennon biopic titled Nowhere Boy , the movie will dive into the late singer’s life and the start of her career that saw her go from being a London jazz singer to one of the biggest music sensations in British music history. 

The first Back to Black trailer , which shows Abela doing an incredible job of pulling off Winehouse’s signature vocal stylings and look, has us excited to finally get to see the movie that has been in the works since shortly after the singer’s shocking 2011 death. 

Michael - April 18, 2025

Though the 1992 ABC miniseries, The Jacksons: An American Dream , took a deep dive into the life and career of Michael Jackson and his brothers, the King of Pop has never received a proper music biopic. Well, that will change in 2025 with the release of Michael . Directed by Antoine Fuqua, this highly anticipated biographical drama will turn its focus on the pop culture icon, who will be played by his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, though it’s not yet known what all that will entail.

There are some things we know about Michael at this point, including its April 18, 2025 release date, and the fact that Colman Domingo and Nia Long will be playing his parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson. Miles Teller is also set to appear in the movie as John Branca, Jackson’s longtime manager and the co-executor of his estate. A first-look image shared by sites like Deadline in February 2024 showed that not only were cameras rolling, but Jaafar Jackson also looked remarkably similar to his late uncle.

Deliver Me From Nowhere - TBD

Bruce Springsteen is one of the most iconic American rockers, and his 1982 stripped-down LP titled Nebraska is one of the best records of not only his career but in rock music history. At some point in the near future, Scott Cooper’s Deliver Me From Nowhere will explore how “The Boss” crafted his masterpiece and everything that led to it.

CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER

Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News

Not a whole lot is known about the movie at this point, but The Bear ’s Jeremy Allen White is in talks to play the New Jersey rock ‘n roll icon while Succession star Jeremy Strong might be joining the biopic as Springsteen’s longtime manager, Jon Landau . Both Springsteen and Landau are serving as producers on the film, so don’t get too worried about its authenticity.

Sam Mendes’ Beatles Movies - TBD

Sam Mendes , a director who doesn’t get talked about enough , is preparing to take on what could possibly be his most ambitious project yet, four movies about the Beatles . If all things go according to plan, the 1917 filmmaker will release a series of biopics, with each film centering on a specific member of the iconic rock outfit.

Details are slim to none at this early stage in the films’ development, but there are plenty of key events that would make for great scenes in whatever this ends up being. Mendes, who has made movies like American Beauty and Skyfall throughout his career, will be more than up to the task, and hopefully, that’s the case for whoever signs on to play John, Paul, George, and Ringo. 

Linda Ronstadt Biopic - TBD

Linda Ronstadt, the 11-time Grammy winner behind iconic tracks like “You’re No Good,” “Somewhere Out There,” and “Blue Bayou” will be getting the biopic treatment at some point in the future, and the actress tied to portraying her has us very excited. In January 2024, Rolling Stone confirmed that Only Murders in the Building star Selena Gomez was attached to star in the untitled movie after she shared an image of Ronstadt’s Simple Dreams memoir on her Instagram page.

Not a lot is known about the movie at this time, including its cast, director, and official title. With Gomez being one of the biggest names in pop culture right now, it probably won’t be long before we hear more about this exciting music biopic.

Fred Astaire Biopic - TBD

Hollywood has seen few stars who have shined as bright as Fred Astaire, the legendary entertainer who could seemingly do it all, and better than anyone else. Well, at some point in the future, Tom Holland will play the legendary actor/singer/dancer/musician/choreographer in a biopic that has been long in the works. According to The Hollywood Reporter , the movie, which is being directed by Paddington and Wonka ’s Paul King, will center on the relationship shared by Astaire and his sister, Adele. 

There hasn’t been any word on who will be playing Adele Astaire, but considering her talent was only eclipsed by that of her brother, the ideal candidate will need to be able to sing and dance alongside the Spider-Man star.

Maria - TBD

Pablo Larraín, the Academy Award-winning Chilean filmmaker behind biopics like Neruda , Jackie , and Spencer , will return to the genre once again with his upcoming project, Maria . The movie, which doesn’t have a release date at this time, will see Angelina Jolie take on the role of iconic opera singer, Maria Callas.

According to The Hollywood Reporter , which shared first-look images from the upcoming movie in October 2023, Maria will tell the story of Callas’ final days in 1970s Paris, though not a lot of other details have been released concerning the plot. Production was slated to kick off around that time. 

A Complete Unknown - TBD

At some point in the future, Timothée Chalamet will portray one of the most influential musicians in American history: Bob Dylan. James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown will follow the trailblazing musician around the time he expanded his repertoire and shocked his fans by going electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, according to Deadline . Chalamet, who’s perfect for the role , will be joined by Elle Fanning and Edward Norton, who is set to portray folk legend Pete Seeger.

Production on the film kicked off in March 2024 in New York, though we don’t yet know when this will be hitting theaters.

Beautiful - TBD

We’ve seen several long-running Broadway musicals get turned into big-screen adaptations in recent years with the likes of The Color Purple and Mean Girls . At some point soon, we’ll have another addition to that list with Beautiful , a movie based on the Tony Award-winning Beautiful: The Carole King Musical . 

In December 2022, Variety revealed a ton of information about the project, including that Where the Crawdads Sing star Daisy Edgar-Jones would be playing the beloved musician in the biopic helmed by The Kids Are All Right director Lisa Cholodenko. There aren’t a lot of details about the movie at this time, but Sony Pictures did secure the rights to King’s catalog of hits, meaning we’ll be hearing some legendary tracks in the musical biopic.

Grateful Dead Biopic - TBD

Grateful Dead, one of the pioneers of the jam band movement in the 20th century, will be getting the biographical drama treatment at some point in the future. What makes this so exciting is the fact that Martin Scorsese is attached to direct, Variety reported in November 2021. This won’t be the filmmaker’s first time working on a project about the Dead, as he previously helmed the 2017 documentary, Long Strange Trip .

Deadline also reported that Jonah Hill, who worked with Scorsese in The Wolf of Wall Street , had been tapped to play Garcia in the biopic. There hasn’t been any word on when the project will enter production or who will join Hill in the cast.

Sublime Biopic - TBD

Sublime, the iconic ‘90s band that became a massive hit thanks to its blend of punk, reggae, rock, and late singer Bradley Nowell’s signature voice, will be getting the biopic treatment if everything goes to plan. In September 2022, Variety reported that Francis Lawrence, the director behind I Am Legend and the Hunger Games movies , was spearheading the untitled project for Sony’s 3000 Pictures.

There hasn’t been much in terms of details about the biopic centered around the Long Beach alternative rock band, but it would be interesting to see how the movie handles the band’s rapid rise to fame and Nowell’s tragic death just before the release of their self-titled album.

Bee Gees Biopic - TBD

There has been talk of a movie about the Bee Gees for years, but it looks like it may really be happening this time. In December 2022, Deadline reported that Hustlers director Lorene Scafaria would be helming the Paramount Pictures biographical drama after original helmer, John Carney, backed out.

Not much is known at this time, and we don’t yet know who will be playing the chart-topping disco group best known for coming up with beloved tracks like “Stayin’ Alive” and “How Deep Is Your Love?” on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.

We will make sure to keep everyone updated on the status of each of these projects (and any new biographical dramas) as more information becomes available. But, in the meantime, take a look at our rundown of 10 biopics about black musicians everyone should watch.

Philip grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans) before moving to St. Louis after graduating from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. When he's not writing about movies or television, Philip can be found being chased by his three kids, telling his dogs to stop barking at the mailman, or chatting about professional wrestling to his wife. Writing gigs with school newspapers, multiple daily newspapers, and other varied job experiences led him to this point where he actually gets to write about movies, shows, wrestling, and documentaries (which is a huge win in his eyes). If the stars properly align, he will talk about For Love Of The Game being the best baseball movie of all time.

‘My Heart And Soul Is In There’: John Cena Reacts To Coyote Vs. Acme Being Scrapped

Despicable Me 4 Director Shares Blunt Answer On If The Minions Will Ever Be Adapted For Live Action, And I’m In Complete Agreement

‘It Was Really, Truly Magical’: Cote De Pablo And Sean Murray Explain Why NCIS Season 3 Means So Much To Them

Most Popular

• 2 Teri Hatcher Recalls The Infamous And 'Evocative' Photo Of Lois Lane In Just A Cape That Went Totally Viral: 'I Broke The Internet’
• 3 ‘I Didn’t Know They Were Gonna Go That Far’: Logan Writer Reacts To Hilarious Way Deadpool And Wolverine Poked Fun At The Hugh Jackman Movie’s Ending
• 4 Following Brouhaha Over Splash Mountain And Jungle Cruise, Another Disney World Ride Is Making A Similar Change
• 5 Following Prime Video's My Lady Jane Cancellation, Here's What The Executive Producers Told Us About Their 'Hopes And Dreams' For Season 2

• Entertainment
• Awards Shows
• Climate Change
• Nightlife & Dining
• Gift Guides
• Business of Art
• About Observer
• Advertise With Us

The Best New Biographies and Memoirs to Read in 2024

This year sees some riveting and remarkable lives—from artist ai weiwei to singer-songwriter joni mitchell—captured on the page..

A life story can be read for escapist pleasure. But at other times, reading a memoir or biography can be an expansive exercise, opening us up to broader truths about our world. Often, it’s an edifying experience that reminds us of our universal human vulnerability and the common quest for purpose in life.

Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter

Thank you for signing up!

By clicking submit, you agree to our <a href="http://observermedia.com/terms">terms of service</a> and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime.

Biographies and memoirs charting remarkable lives—whether because of fame, fortune or simply fascination—have the power to inspire us for their depth, curiosity or challenges. This year sees a bumper calendar of personal histories enter bookshops, grappling with enigmatic public figures like singer Joni Mitchell and writer Ian Fleming , to nuanced analysis of how motherhood or sociopathy shape our lives—for better and for worse.

SEE ALSO: The Best Addiction Memoirs for the Sober Curious

Here we compile some of the most rewarding biographies and memoirs out in 2024. There are stories of trauma and recovery, art as politics and politics as art, and sentences as single life lessons spread across books that will make you rethink much about personal life stories. After all, understanding the triumphs and trials of others can help us see how we can change our own lives to create something different or even better.

Zodiac: A Graphic Memoir by Ai Weiwei and illustrated by Gianluca Costantini

Ai Weiwei , the iconoclastic artist and fierce critic of his homeland China, mixes fairy tales with moral lessons to evocatively retrace the story of his life in graphic form. Illustrations are by Italian artist Gianluca Costantini . “Any artist who isn’t an activist is a dead artist,” Weiwei writes in Zodiac , as he embraces everything from animals found in the Chinese zodiac to mystical folklore tales with anamorphic animals to argue the necessity of art as politics incarnate. The meditative exercise uses pithy anecdotes alongside striking visuals to sketch out a remarkable life story marked by struggle. It’s one weaving political manifesto, philosophy and personal memoir to engage readers on the necessity of art and agitation against authority in a world where we sometimes must resist and fight back.

Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti

Already well-known for her experimental writings, Sheila Heti takes a decade of diary entries and maps sentences against the alphabet, from A to Z. The project is a subversive rethink of our relationship to introspection—which often asks for order and clarity, like in diary writing—that maps new patterns and themes in its disjointed form. Heti plays with both her confessionals and her sometimes formulaic writing style (like knowingly using “Of course” in entries) to retrace the changes made (and unmade) across ten years of her life. Alphabetical Diaries is a sometimes demanding book given the incoherence of its entries, but remains an illuminating project in thinking about efforts at self-documentation.

Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story by Leslie Jamison

Unlike her previous work The Empathy Exams , which examined how we relate to one another and on human suffering, writer Leslie Jamison wrestles today with her own failed marriage and the grief of surviving single parenting. After the birth of her daughter, Jamison divorces her partner “C,” traverses the trials and tribulations of rebound relationships (including with “an ex-philosopher”) and confronts unresolved emotional pains born of her own life living under the divorce of her parents. In her intimate retelling—paired with her superb prose—Jamison charts a personal history that acknowledges the unending divide mothers (and others) face dividing themselves between partners, children and their own lives.

Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring by Brad Gooch

Whether dancing figures or a “radiant baby,” the recognizable cartoonish symbols in Keith Haring ’s art endure today as shorthand signs representing both his playfulness and politicking. Haring (1958-1990) is the subject of writer Brad Gooch ’s deft biography, Radiant , a book that mines new material from the archive along with interviews with contemporaries to reappraise the influential quasi-celebrity artist. From rough beginnings tagging graffiti on New York City walls to cavorting with Andy Warhol and Madonna on art pieces, Haring battled everything from claims of selling out to over-simplicity. But he persisted with work that leveraged catchy quotes and colorful imagery to advance unsavory political messages—from AIDS to crack cocaine. A life tragically cut short at 31 is one powerfully celebrated in this new noble portrait.

The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul Charles

In The House of Hidden Meaning , celebrated drag queen, RuPaul , reckons with a murky inner world that has shaped—and hindered—a lifetime of gender-bending theatricality. The figurative house at the center of the story is his “ego,” a plaguing barrier that apparently long inhibited the performer from realizing dreams of greatness. Now as the world’s most recognizable drag queen—having popularized the art form for mainstream audiences with the TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race —RuPaul reflects on the power that drag and self-love have long offered across his difficult, and sometimes tortured, life. Readers expecting dishy stories may be disappointed, but the psychological self-assessment in the pages of this memoir is far more edifying than Hollywood gossip could ever be.

Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne

Patric Gagne is an unlikely subject for a memoir on sociopaths. Especially since she is a former therapist with a doctorate in clinical psychology. Still, Gagne makes the case that after a troubled childhood of antisocial behavior (like stealing trinkets and cursing teachers) and a difficult adulthood (now stealing credit cards and fighting authority figures), she receives a diagnosis of sociopathy. Her memoir recounts many episodes of bad behavior—deeds often marked by a lack of empathy, guilt or even common decency—where her great antipathy mars any ability for her to connect with others. Sociopath is a rewarding personal exposé that demystifies one vilified psychological condition so often seen as entirely untreatable or irreparable. Only now there’s a familiar face and a real story linked to the prognosis.

Ian Fleming: The Complete Man by Nicholas Shakespeare

Nicholas Shakespeare is an acclaimed novelist and an astute biographer, delivering tales that wield a discerning eye to subjects and embrace a robust attention to detail. Ian Fleming (1908-1964), the legendary creator of James Bond, is the latest to receive Shakespeare’s treatment. With access to new family materials from the Fleming estate, the seemingly contradictory Fleming is seen anew as a totally “different person” from his popular image. Taking cues from Fleming’s life story—from a refined upbringing spent in expensive private schools to working for Reuters as a journalist in the Soviet Union—Shakespeare reveals how these experiences shaped the elusive world of espionage and intrigue created in Fleming’s novels. Other insights include how Bond was likely informed by Fleming’s cavalier father, a major who fought in WWI. A martini (shaken, not stirred) is best enjoyed with this bio.

Knife: Meditations after an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie , while giving a rare public lecture in New York in August 2022, was violently stabbed by an assailant brandishing a knife . The attack saw Rushdie lose his left hand and his sight in one eye. Speaking to The New Yorker a year later , he confirmed a memoir was in the works that would confront this harrowing existential experience: “When somebody sticks a knife into you, that’s a first-person story. That’s an ‘I’ story.” Knife: Meditations after an Attempted Murder is promised to be his raw, revelatory and deeply psychological confrontation with the violent incident. Like the sword of Damocles, brutality has long stalked Rushdie ever since the 1989 fatwa issued against the author, following the publication of his controversial novel, The Satanic Verses . The answer to such barbarity, Rushdie is poised to argue, is by finding the strength to stand up again.

The Art of Dying: Writings, 2019–2022 by Peter Schjeldahl (Release: May 14)

Peter Schjeldahl (1942-2022), longstanding art critic of The New Yorker , confronted his mortality when he was diagnosed with incurable lung cancer in 2019. The resulting essay collection he then penned, The Art of Dying , is a masterful meditation on one life preoccupied entirely with aesthetics and criticism. It’s a discursive tactic for a memoir that avoids discussing Schjeldahl’s coming demise while equally confirming its impending visit by avoiding it. Acknowledging that he finds himself “thinking about death less than I used to,” Schjeldahl spends most of the pages revisiting familiar art subjects—from Edward Hopper ’s output to Peter Saul ’s Pop Art—as vehicles to re-examine his own remarkable life. With a life that began in the humble Midwest, Schjeldahl says his birthplace was one that ultimately availed him to write so plainly and cogently on art throughout his career. Such posthumous musings prove illuminating lessons on the potency of American art, with whispered asides on the tragedy of death that will come for all of us.

Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell by Ann Powers (Release: June 11)

Joni Mitchell has enjoyed a remarkable revival recently, even already being one of the most acclaimed and enduring singer/songwriters. After retiring from public appearances for health reasons in the 2010s, Mitchell, 80, has returned to the spotlight with a 2021 Kennedy Centers honor , an appearance accepting the 2023 Gershwin Prize and even a live performance at this year’s Grammy Awards . It’s against this backdrop of public celebration of Mitchell that NPR music critic Ann Powers retraces the life story and musical (re)evolution of the singer, from folk to jazz genres and rock to soul music, across five decades for the American songbook. “What you are about to read is not a standard account of the life and work of Joni Mitchell,” she writes in the introduction. Instead, Powers’ project is one showing how Mitchell’s many journeys—from literal road trips inspiring tracks like “All I Want” to inner probings of Mitchell’s psyche, such as the song “Both Sides Now”—have always inspired Mitchell’s enduring, emotive and palpable output. These travels hold the key, Powers says, to understanding an enigmatic artist.

• SEE ALSO : Will Keen On Playing Vladimir Putin On Broadway in ‘Patriots’

We noticed you're using an ad blocker.

We get it: you like to have control of your own internet experience. But advertising revenue helps support our journalism. To read our full stories, please turn off your ad blocker. We'd really appreciate it.

How Do I Whitelist Observer?

Below are steps you can take in order to whitelist Observer.com on your browser:

For Adblock:

Click the AdBlock button on your browser and select Don't run on pages on this domain .

For Adblock Plus on Google Chrome:

Click the AdBlock Plus button on your browser and select Enabled on this site.

For Adblock Plus on Firefox:

Click the AdBlock Plus button on your browser and select Disable on Observer.com.

• Cast & crew

A Complete Unknown

At the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, a young Bob Dylan shakes up his act on the folk music scene by going electric and siring rock as the voice of a generation - defining one of the most tr... Read all At the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, a young Bob Dylan shakes up his act on the folk music scene by going electric and siring rock as the voice of a generation - defining one of the most transformative moments in 20th century music. At the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, a young Bob Dylan shakes up his act on the folk music scene by going electric and siring rock as the voice of a generation - defining one of the most transformative moments in 20th century music.

• James Mangold
• Timothée Chalamet
• Boyd Holbrook
• Elle Fanning

Top cast 53

• Johnny Cash

• Sylvie Russo

• Pete Seeger

• Woody Guthrie

• Albert Grossman

• Dave Van Ronk

• Harold Leventhal

• Maria Muldaur

• Bob Neuwirth

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Timothée Chalamet reportedly will do his own singing.
• When will A Complete Unknown be released? Powered by Alexa
• December 25, 2024 (United States)
• United States
• Going Electric
• Cape May, New Jersey, USA
• Veritas Entertainment Group
• The Picture Company
• Searchlight Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Atmos

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

All Songs Considered

• LISTEN & FOLLOW
• Apple Podcasts
• Amazon Music

Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed.

New Music Friday: The best albums out Aug. 16

Daoud Tyler-Ameen

Hazel Cills

Tinashe's new album, Quantum Baby , is out Friday, Aug. 16. Nice Life Recording Company hide caption

Tinashe's new album, Quantum Baby , is out Friday, Aug. 16.

NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Hazel Cills give you a quick rundown of the most notable albums out Friday, Aug. 16, including Post Malone's country project, F-1 Trillion , Tinashe's seventh LP Quantum Baby , and Charly Bliss's first new record in five years.

Featured Albums:

• Tinashe, Quantum Baby
• Post Malone, F-1 Trillion
• Charly Bliss, Forever
• Morgan Wade, Obsessed
• Starflyer 59, Lust For Gold
• Palehound, Live at First Congregational Church

Other albums out Aug. 16:

• Hamish Hawk, A Firmer Hand
• Velocity Girl, UltraCopacetic (Copacetic Remixed and Expanded)
• John Zorn, Lamentations
• John Zorn, Barbara Hannigan Sings Zorn
• Horse Jumper of Love, Disaster Trick
• Koreless, Deceltica EP
• Laura Cannell, The Rituals of Hildegard Reimagined
• Muscadine Bloodline, The Coastal Plain
• Blind Pilot, In the Shadow of the Holy Mountain
• Nikka Costa, Dirty Disco
• Foster The People, Paradise State of Mind
• Ray LaMontagne, Long Way Home
• Pom Poko, Champion
• Can, Live in Keele 1977
• Gucci Mane, Greatest Of All Trappers
• Hozier, Unaired EP
• YG, Just Re'd Up 3
• Rich The Kids, Rich Forever 5

Stream The Playlist

• Starflyer 59
• Charly Bliss
• Post Malone

Acclaimed author of Kurt Cobain, Hendrix biographies dies at age 67

• Published: Aug. 14, 2024, 2:15 p.m.

Charles R. Cross holds his book, "Room Full of Mirrors," a biography of Jimi Hendrix, at his home in Shoreline, Wash., Thursday, July 28, 2005. Cross died on Aug. 9 at the age of 67. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) ASSOCIATED PRESS

• Chris Mautner | [email protected]

Charles R. Cross, a music journalist best known for his biographies of such rock stars as Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix, has died. He was 67.

“We are sorry to share that Charles Cross has passed. He died peacefully of natural causes in his sleep on August 9th, 2024,” a statement from Cross’ family said, per Variety . We are all grief-stricken and trying to get through this difficult process of dealing with the next steps.”

Cross began his career as an editor for The Rocket , a free, biweekly music magazine based in Seattle. He worked there from 1986 to 2000, and witnessed the rise of grunge through Seattle-based bands like Nirvana, Mudhoney and Soundgarden.

His 2001 biography “Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain” was a New York Times bestseller and won the 2002 ASCAP Award for Outstanding Biography. He followed that up with “Cobain Unseen” in 2008, which featured never-seen artifacts, journal entries, and pictures from the Nirvana frontman’s archives.

“He was just such an intrepid researcher and would find those corners of his subject’s lives that changed your view of an artist with such great empathy and understanding,” author Ann Powers said to the Stranger.

He also created the Bruce Springsteen fanzine Backstreets in 1980 and wrote “Backstreets: Springsteen, the Man and His Music” in 1989.

He also wrote the bestselling “Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix” in 2005 and “Kicking & Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock & Roll” with Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson in 2012.

In addition to his books, his work also appeared in the Seattle Times, Rolling Stone, Spin, Esquire, Playboy, the Los Angeles Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

“Charley was the coolest rock litterati bookworm to ever be lucky enough to know,” Nancy Wilson said on Instagram. “And all us cool rock people got to feel even cooler to know him and call him a friend.”

Stories by Chris Mautner

• Rapper aims at member of hip-hop group in diss track after tour cancelation
• Rescue crews searching for driver of car that went into Pa. river
• Chart-topping rocker, DJ, author dies at age 72
• Iconic heavy metal guitarist shares heartbreaking news

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

• Music Production
• How To Write a Music Artist Bio: How To Write a Music Biography

A well-crafted music artist bio is an essential tool for any musician looking to establish their brand, connect with fans, and capture the attention of industry professionals. Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned artist, your bio is often the first point of contact between you and your audience. It serves as a snapshot of who you are, what you’ve achieved, and what makes your music unique. This guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to writing an engaging and effective music artist bio that tells your story and highlights your career.

Why Is a Music Artist Bio Important?

Your music artist bio is more than just a list of facts; it’s a narrative that showcases your personality, your journey, and your artistic vision. A strong bio can:

• Attract Fans : By telling your story in a relatable and engaging way, you can draw in listeners who connect with your music on a deeper level;
• Impress Industry Professionals : A well-written bio can capture the attention of labels, promoters , and journalists , leading to new opportunities;
• Boost Your Online Presence : Your bio is often the first thing people see on your website, social media profiles, or streaming platforms , making it a key component of your online brand.

Recommendations on How to Write a Good Bio for a Musician

Writing a music artist bio can be challenging, especially if you’re not used to talking about yourself in a professional context. Here are some recommendations to help you craft a bio that stands out:

• Keep It Concise : Your bio should be informative but not overwhelming. Aim for around 200-300 words for a short bio, and up to 600 words for a more detailed version;
• Be Authentic : Your bio should reflect your true self. Authenticity resonates with readers and helps build a genuine connection with your audience;
• Highlight Achievements : While it’s important to tell your story, don’t forget to include your achievements, such as awards, notable performances, collaborations, and releases;
• Use a Conversational Tone : Write in a way that feels natural and engaging. Avoid overly formal language, as it can come across as distant or impersonal;
• Tailor It to Your Audience : Consider who will be reading your bio. If it’s for a press kit, focus on your professional achievements. If it’s for your website, you can include more personal details.

A Description of the Main Steps

To help you write a compelling music artist bio, here’s a breakdown of the main steps involved:

1. Start with an Interesting Introduction

Your introduction is the first thing readers will see, so it’s important to grab their attention right away. Consider starting with a memorable quote, an interesting fact about your background, or a brief overview of your musical style.

Example: “With a voice that resonates like a warm breeze through the pines, John Doe brings a fresh perspective to the indie folk scene. Hailing from the rugged mountains of Colorado, his music captures the spirit of the wilderness and the raw emotions of life’s journey.”

2. Provide a Brief Description of Your Background

Next, give readers a sense of where you come from and how you got started in music . This section should be brief but informative, providing context for your musical journey.

Example: “John Doe discovered his passion for music at a young age, strumming his first guitar at the age of 10. Inspired by the likes of Bob Dylan and Neil Young, he began writing his own songs, blending poetic lyrics with intricate melodies. After years of performing at local venues, John’s talent was recognized by a prominent producer, leading to the release of his debut EP in 2018.”

3. Describe Your Music and Influences

This is where you can dive into what makes your music unique. Describe your sound, your influences, and what listeners can expect from your music . Be specific and avoid clichés.

Example: “John’s music is a fusion of indie folk and Americana, with a touch of blues that adds depth to his sound. His songwriting is influenced by the storytelling traditions of Folk legends, while his guitar work is reminiscent of the intricate fingerpicking styles of the blues greats. Each song is a journey, inviting listeners to explore themes of love, loss, and the search for meaning.”

4. Highlight Your Career and Achievements

Now it’s time to showcase your accomplishments. Include details about your discography, notable performances, collaborations, awards, and any other highlights of your career. If you’re a newer artist, focus on the milestones you’ve reached so far.

Example: “Since his debut, John has released two full-length albums, both of which received critical acclaim. His sophomore album, ‘Whispers of the Pines,’ was named one of the top indie folk albums of 2020 by Folk Monthly. He has performed at major festivals, including the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival and the Americana Music Festival, and has shared the stage with artists such as Brandi Carlile and The Avett Brothers.”

5. Conclude with a Call to Action

End your bio with a brief statement that encourages readers to explore your music further. This could be an invitation to listen to your latest album, follow you on social media, or attend an upcoming show.

Example: “John Doe’s music is a journey through the heart and soul of America. Discover his latest album, ‘Whispers of the Pines,’ available now on all major s treaming platforms . Follow John on social media to stay updated on his upcoming tour dates and new releases.”

Additional Tips and Advice on How to Write a Bio

• Update Regularly : Your bio should evolve as your career progresses. Make it a habit to update your bio whenever you release new music , win an award, or achieve a significant milestone;
• Get Feedback : Before finalizing your bio, ask for feedback from trusted friends, fellow musicians, or industry professionals. They can offer valuable insights and help you refine your narrative;
• Use Visuals : If possible, pair your bio with high-quality photos or videos that complement your story. Visuals can make your bio more engaging and help readers connect with your music on a deeper level;
• Avoid Overly Technical Language : While it’s important to describe your music , avoid using too much technical jargon. Your bio should be accessible to all readers, not just musicians;
• Be Consistent : Ensure that your bio is consistent across all platforms, including your website, social media, and streaming profiles. This helps maintain a cohesive brand image.

Writing a compelling music artist bio is a critical part of building your brand and connecting with your audience. By following these steps and incorporating the tips provided, you can craft a bio that not only highlights your achievements but also tells the story of who you are as an artist. Remember, your bio is an ever-evolving narrative that should grow with you as your career progresses. Keep it updated, authentic, and reflective of your unique journey in the music industry.

Whether you’re a budding artist just starting out or an established musician looking to refine your bio, this guide provides the tools you need to create a powerful and engaging biography that resonates with fans and industry professionals alike.

Recent Posts

• “Sugar Honey Iced Tea”: New Album by Latto
• “Better Me Than You”: New Album By Big Sean
• ilykimchi collection vol. 1 / Splice x TRAKTRAIN
• Best Studio Monitors 2024: Best Studio Speakers

Charles R. Cross, Author of Acclaimed Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix Biographies, Dead at 67

Charles R. Cross , the New York Times bestselling author who wrote Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain and Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix , died on Friday of natural causes, his family confirmed. He was 67.

“We are sorry to share that Charles Cross has passed. He died peacefully of natural causes in his sleep on August 9th, 2024,” the statement from his family reads. “We are all grief-stricken and trying to get through this difficult process of dealing with the next steps.”

Cross’ agent, Sarah Lazin told Variety that she had spoken to him the day before his death and “he seemed happy, vibrant, and excited about all that was happening. A brilliant and passionate author and loving dad. My heart goes out to his son Ashland and to us all. What a loss.”

One of the most respected music journalists and authors, Cross started his career at Seattle’s revered music magazine The Rocket in 1982 and served as editor from 1986 through 2000, witnessing firsthand the rise of grunge in the Pacific Northwest. He also founded Backstreets Magazine, a quarterly Bruce Springsteen fanzine that covered Springsteen and the E Street Band alongside other Jersey Shore musicians.

Editor’s picks

Every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term, the 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history.

On Aug. 16, Springsteen himself honored Cross. “Here on E Street, we’re saddened over the passing of Charles Cross,” said Springsteen in a social media post . “As the founder of Backstreets, Charles created a wonderful magazine and positive community that gave our fans the chance to connect through their stories, ideas and shared experiences. We’re grateful to him for bringing conversations and insights around our music to so many.”

Cross’ first book sprung from the zine, which he first passed out for free at a Springsteen concert in Seattle in 1980. Backstreets: Springsteen, the Man and His Music arrived in 1989. He followed it up with 1991’s Led Zeppelin: Heaven and Hell , an illustrated history he co-authored with Erik Flannigan and featuring photographs by Neal Preston. Co-authored with Jim Berkenstadt, 1998’s Nirvana: Nevermind (Classic Rock Albums) offered a behind-the-scenes story on the making of the album.

David Handelman, Writer and Former Rolling Stone Contributor, Dead at 63

Jack russell, former great white singer, dead at 63, greg kihn, who scored hits with 'jeopardy' and 'the breakup song,' dead at 75.

She added: “Always the cutest bespeckled nerd at the dance, we would talk for hours and hours about Heart for the book, but we couldn’t stop talking about the impact of the eruptive explosion of rock that wrastled its way out into the culture — like a prize fighter with guitars blazing and the searing war cries of singers like Kurt Eddie Chris and Ann …I truly loved Charley Cross. One of a kind class act. Rest in wit and wisdom, dear fine feathered friend.”

Cross contributed to a vast array of outlets, including Rolling Stone , Spin , Entertainment Weekly , Los Angeles Times , Creem , and numerous Seattle newspapers and magazines.

“He was as warm and gracious as he was a passionate and compelling writer,” music journalist Robert Hilburn said , adding that Heavier Than Heaven was “high on my short-list of best music biographies ever.”

Cross’ definitive biography of Kurt Cobain, 2001’s Heavier Than Heaven , la nded on the New York Times bestseller list and won the 2002 ASCAP Award for Outstanding Biography. Cross worked on the book for four years and culled from more than 400 interviews, gaining access to Cobain’s private journals, lyrics, and photos with widow Courtney Love’s blessing, though Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl and Cobain’s mother Wendy did not participate.

Trump Spends Rally Whining About Biden’s Exit, Harris’ Magazine Cover

Vfw condemns donald trump's 'asinine' comments about medal of honor, mark robinson, who often calls abortion murder: ‘we had an abortion’, taylor swift performs ‘i did something bad’ for first time during eras tour.

In 2019, Cross released an updated and expanded version of Heavier Than Heaven , released on the 25th anniversary of Cobain’s death. “The idea of an ‘anniversary’ edition of any biography tied to the death date of a historical figure admittedly focuses on their loss rather than their birth (Kurt’s birthday, February 20, is at least not far from his death date),” Cross wrote in the preface. “And yet there is something about the moment we lose a person, whether they were famous or not, that stays with us in a way no other date does.”

• 'Light Me Up'
• By Althea Legaspi

Bob Dylan to Cover 'Don't Fence Me In' for Ronald Reagan Biopic

• great american songbook
• By Daniel Kreps

Meet the Zoomer Jokester Behind These Skibidi Toilet Classic Rock Covers

• Brainrot Bops
• By Morgan Enos

Muscadine Bloodline Dodged a Mainstream Country Career. That's a Good Thing

• By Josh Crutchmer

See Taylor Swift Debut ‘London Boy’ During Eras Tour Show at Wembley

• By Ethan Millman

Most Popular

Halle berry says blake lively asked if she'd reprise storm in 'deadpool & wolverine.' she answered 'yes' as long as ryan reynolds called: 'but he never asked me', joaquin phoenix’s last-minute exit sparks “huge amount of outrage” among hollywood producers, kate middleton & prince william’s surprise appearance shows william’s drastic hair transformation, ‘caitlin clark effect’ hits bottom line in indiana fever finance report, you might also like, alain delon, french star of ‘le samourai,’ dies at 88, gut health goes viral with colostrum, digestive enzymes and fiber on the rise, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, alain delon, french film icon and ‘le samouraï’ star, dies at 88, nfl to meet again on private equity on august 27th in minneapolis.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

New Releases in Biographies

• ← Previous page
• Next page →

• About Amazon
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell products on Amazon
• Sell on Amazon Business
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Become an Affiliate
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Host an Amazon Hub
• › See More Make Money with Us
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Amazon and COVID-19
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices

• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices