I'm reading a new 964 page biography by Jan Swafford called Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph that is both thorough and fascinating.
Anyone interested??
Anyone???? ^-^
I'm putting it on my to-read list!
Meanwhile, here are some music-related books I've read in the past year . . .
Peter Guralnick,
Sam PhillipsMark Ribowsky,
Dreams to Remember: Otis Redding, Stax Records, and the Transformation of Southern SoulFred Goldman,
Allen KleinTommy James,
Me and the Mob and the Music (Tommy James & the Shondells recorded for the label owned by
perhaps the single most corrupt/crooked man in the history of the music business, Morris Levy, who strong-
armed several labels out of even thinking about signing the Shondells when those kids had an unexpected
regional hit with a little number called "Hanky Panky." The irony: Corrupt though he was, Levy gave his label's
artists complete artistic freedom. Go figure . . .)
Timothy O'Brien and David Ensminger,
Mojo Hand: The Life and Music of Lightnin' HopkinsJoel Selvin,
Here Comes the Night: The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm & BluesDarlene Love,
My Name is LoveJan Mark Wolkin and Bill Keenom,
Michael Bloomfield: If You Love These BluesJohn Glatt,
Live at the Fillmore East & WestDave Marsh,
Louie, Louie: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock 'n' Roll Song;
Including the Full Details of Its Torture and Persecution at the Hands of the Kingsmen, J.
Edgar Hoover's FBI, and a Cast of Millions; and Introducing, for the First Time Anywhere,
the Actual Dirty Lyrics (I could be wrong, but this may be the only book ever written
about a single song . . .)
William Bunch,
Jukebox America: Down Back Streets and Blue Highways in Search of the Country's Greatest Jukebox