DescriptionJanis Joplin (1943-1970) was one of the most electrifying performers in the history of pop music. She lived her life with the same fierce intensity which she brought to her art. This intimate biography by her sister Laura offers insightful descriptions of the forces and events in Janis's early life which influenced the development of her music and her character. It includes an astonishing series of never-before-published letters from Janis to her family.
DescriptionThis is no stuffy music appreciation lesson. Author Kathleen Krull makes these great artists come alive. From Bach to Mozart, George Gershwin to Woody Guthrie, Beethoven to Gilbert and Sullivan, you'll learn all about their lives and music, what they were really like and what inspired these geniuses of musical expression. Filled with interesting trivia and gossip, Lives of the Musicians is the ultimate guide to the great composers.
DescriptionPoetic License: In Poem and Song features notable celebrities honoring Curtis Mayfield, one of the most influential figures in contemporary music. The man who wrote his first hit at the age of 13 and started his own publishing and recording company at the age of 19 brought major influences to gospel, funk, soul, and rhythm and blues. Even today, his style impacts rock, hip hop, and rap artists. In 1992, Mayfield was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1995. His lyrics, including "Gypsy Woman" and "People Get Ready, " are read by Jerry Butler, Roy Innis, Melissa Manchester, Freda Payne, Burt Reynolds, Sharon Stone, and Blair Underwood.
DescriptionIn the world of opera today, there is no one more famous or better loved than Luciano Pavarotti. His recent and triumphant collaborations with Placido Domingo and José Carreras have captured the imagination of an audience whose breadth and depth is remarkable even in the grand context of classical opera. Pavarotti: My World updates his acclaimed autobiography Pavarotti: My Life, sharing such milestones as his performances in China and forays into popular music, as well as the regrettable boos he endured at La Scala. Pavarotti recounts the excitement of his unsurpassed career, while passing along the wisdom he's acquired along the way, in his emotional and resonant autobiography.
