Melissa E., Aaron N. and Juicy J kick off the annual fall memoir parade, David Bowie gets double-teamed, Ozzy Osbourne is celebrated a tad early, singers talk shop, the girl groups get some love and more. Let’s crack those spines (the books’, not yours) and get down to business:
Talking To My Angels
By Melissa Etheridge
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Twenty years after the success of her memoir The Truth Is…, the Grammy and Oscar-winning rocker and trailblazing LGBTQAI icon takes stock of the intervening years, recounting the euphoric triumphs and the life-altering tragedies of her life. Over the past 20 years, Melissa Etheridge has been blessed with success, love, joy, contentment, freedom, and release. She became a mother again, recorded 11 albums, toured the world, performed at the Grammy Awards, won an Oscar, discovered her one true love, and undergone a profound spiritual awakening. She also experienced illness, incomparable loss, heartache, guilt, shame, and devastating grief. She was diagnosed with breast cancer, endured two contentious and public break ups, and witnessed the devastating disintegration and death of her son Beckett to opioid addiction. Yet through it all, Melissa found the strength and courage to carry on. Talking To My Angels is a profoundly honest look into her inner life as a woman, an artist, a mother, and a survivor. A memoir a lifetime in the making, Talking To My Angels is Melissa’s engrossing — and at times harrowing — story as she lived it. It is a testament to the power of art, a touchstone for anyone seeking a path out of darkness, and a powerful love letter to the family and fans who’ve been integral to her journey.”
Tell It Like It Is: My Story
By Aaron Neville
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “For the first time, legendary singer- songwriter Aaron Neville tells his personal story of overcoming poverty, racism, addiction, and loss through faith, family, and music. Neville’s first No. 1 hit Tell It Like it Is, was released in 1966. In the mid-’70s he formed The Neville Brothers with Art, Charles and Cyril — now known as the “First Family of New Orleans” — and they released more than a dozen influential albums. Given his one-of-a-kind, soaring falsetto, Aaron was the breakout star, and over the next six decades, he had four platinum albums, three No. 1 songs, numerous film and television appearances, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014. His triple-platinum duets with Linda Ronstadt (including the Grammy-winning hit I Don’t Know Much) showcased the softer side of his voice, and the smoking hot funky soul of the Nevilles cemented his legacy as an R&B legend. But few people know the challenging and circuitous road Aaron took to fame. Born in a housing project in New Orleans of Black and Native American heritage, Aaron 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 many years battling heroin addiction. Recognized by the dagger tattoo on his cheek and his St. Jude medallion earring, Neville credits the patron saint of lost cases for turning his life around. He found healing and salvation in music. Neville is a man who by all accounts should not have made it. Tell It Like It Is shares his story for the first time.”
Chronicles Of The Juice Man: A Memoir
By Juicy J & Soren Baker
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The hustle still continues for hip-hop OG Juicy J as he shares his invaluable story as an unwavering force in the music industry. Jordan Houston’s rise to stardom was never easy. He began his journey on the streets of Memphis in the ’80s, always inspired by music and with big dreams of becoming a superstar rapper. Jordan stuck to his plan with determination, on a never-ending grind to greatness. From a young, poor, ambitious kid to an Academy Award–winning and Grammy-nominated recording artist and entrepreneur, the Juice Man offers his wisdom as one of the most influential tastemakers in the game. A raw, intentional portrait of artistry and a never-before-seen look into the making of a respected musical veteran, Chronicles Of The Juice Man is an essential read for creatives everywhere.”
David Bowie Rainbowman: 1967-1980
By Jerome Soligny
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In David Bowie Rainbowman, Jérôme Soligny tells the story of David Bowie the musician with the help of those intimately involved with the creation of his music. This uniquely exhaustive work on Bowie’s 1967-1980 albums draws on over 150 interviews with the musicians, producers and friends who knew Bowie best, including Robert Fripp, Hermione Farthingale, Lou Reed, George Underwood, Mick Ronson, Carlos Alomar, Trevor Bolder, Mike Garson, Woody Woodmansey and many, many others. With an essay by Soligny on each album followed by oral histories from the most trusted and influential figures in Bowie’s musical life, David Bowie Rainbowman is the definitive guide to a singular and mercurial genius — the Rainbowman himself. Includes a foreword by Tony Visconti, an introduction by Mike Garson and cover photo by Mick Rock. A beautiful and stylish gift for Bowie fans, over 700 pages long, filled with iconic photographs.”
Bowie Odyssey 73
By Simon Goddard
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “It is 1973. David Bowie is finally a superstar. All he has to do to remain there is to keep pretending he’ s Ziggy Stardust, keep playing to thousands, keep selling to millions and keep on staying relatively sane … As glam rock crashes and burns in a sleazy scandal-ridden Britain, a world tour convinces David to make radical changes with devastating consequences for Ziggy, his fans and his band. However, his planned ‘retirement’ is anything but quiet — now a friend of the Jaggers, with more lovers than he can count on one hand, more appetites than he can satisfy with one nose and still more success. But at what cost? Continuing his vivid real-time journey through the decade David changed pop forever, the fourth volume of the Bowie Odyssey series sees Simon Goddard mainline to the dark heart of ’70s sex, drugs and debauched rock ’n’ roll — a gripping, unsentimental portrait of inspiration, insanity and the thin line that divides.”
Ozzy at 75: The Unofficial Illustrated History
By Daniel Bukszpan
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With this unique and beautifully produced book, explore the outrageous history of the godfather of heavy metal through 75 career accomplishments and life events. Black Sabbath, Crazy Train, one alleged unfortunate bat… Ozzy Osbourne is widely considered the founder of heavy metal, an artist whose outlandish off- and onstage antics and songcraft have spanned the entirety of the genre. In Ozzy at 75, veteran rock journalist Daniel Bukszpan celebrates and examines the “Prince of Darkness” through the lens of 75 milestones. Key studio albums are featured, of course, but Bukszpan delves deeper to reveal the events that helped chart the course of Ozzy’s career. Beginning with his cofounding of Black Sabbath, Osbourne is regarded as one of the most influential musicians and entertaining performers of the previous five decades. Bukszpan’s insightful and entertaining prose provides a unique presentation of Ozzy’s career arc, from his first steps as a solo artist to the breakthrough album Blizzard of Ozz and Diary Of A Madman to his mythic offstage misadventures, and beyond. The result is a rollicking tribute to one of the most admired stars in rock — in a milestone year.”
The Singers Talk: The Greatest Singers of Our Time Discuss the One Thing They’re Never Asked About: Their Voices
By Jason Thomas Gordon
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “These revelatory, frequently funny, and deeply engrossing in-depth interviews provide fans and aspiring singers a backstage pass to the challenges every vocalist faces onstage and in the studio. Packed with never-before-heard stories, The Singers Talk reveals a truly intimate side to these iconic personalities while offering a master class on how the best in their field keep their vocal cords in shape and protect themselves on the road — along with countless other tricks, techniques, strategies, and philosophies to help vocalists at every level perfect the craft of singing. This historic roster of artists includes: Bryan Adams, Tony Bennett, Nick Cave, Chuck D, Roger Daltrey, Joe Elliott, Emmylou Harris, Brittany Howard, Chrissie Hynde, Norah Jones, Simon Le Bon, Geddy Lee, Willie Nelson, Stevie Nicks, Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Perry, Lionel Richie, LeAnn Rimes, Smokey Robinson, Robert Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Mavis Staples, Rod Stewart, Paul Stanley, Michael Stipe, Jeff Tweedy, Roger Waters, Dionne Warwick, Ann Wilson, Thom Yorke, and many more. Additionally, the book features conversations about legendary voices no longer with us, such as Butch Vig on Kurt Cobain, Clive Davis on Whitney Houston, Nile Rodgers on David Bowie, and Jimmy Iovine on Tom Petty. More than just an indispensable guide for singers of any level, The Singers Talk is an unforgettable read for music fans everywhere.”
But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the ’60s Girl Groups
By Laura Flam & Emily Sieu Liebowitz
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The girl group sound, made famous and unforgettable by acts like The Ronettes, Shirelles, Supremes and Vandellas, took over the airwaves by capturing the mixture of innocence and rebellion emblematic of America in the 1960s. As songs like Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Then He Kissed Me and Be My Baby rose to the top of the charts, girl groups cornered the burgeoning post-war market of teenage rock ’n’ roll fans, indelibly shaping the trajectory of pop music in the process. While the songs are essential to the American canon, many of the artists remain all but anonymous to most listeners. With more than 100 subjects that made the music, from the singers to the songwriters, to their agents, managers, and sound engineers — and even to the present-day celebrities inspired by their lasting influence — But Will You Love Me Tomorrow: An Oral History of ’60s Girl Groups tells a national coming-of-age story that gives particular insight into the experiences of the female singers and songwriters who created the movement.”
American Hair Metal: Can’t Get Enough!
By Steven Blush
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “There was a time — not so long ago — when pomp and spandex dominated MTV and pop radio playlists. Nearly 20 years after the first edition, people can’t get enough hair metal! The new expanded edition of American Hair Metal visually celebrates this orgy of flamboyance, androgyny, and animal magnetism, of big-haired alpha males and the beautiful women who surrounded them. Interest in hair metal is currently exploding — witness arena-level revival tours, reissue compilations, and documentaries and docudramas that revisit the excesses of the ’80s and ’90s. Hundreds of striking photographs are complimented by hedonistic ephemera from bands like Poison, Cinderella, Mötley Crüe, Skid Row and Stryper. Wild quotes from major players such as David Lee Roth, Jon Bon Jovi, Sebastian Bach, Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx, Bret Michaels, Don Dokken and many unsung heroes. The expanded edition includes more photos, more quotes, and a new introduction by Chip Z’Nuff (Enuff Z’Nuff) and an interview with Rik Fox (WASP, Steeler).”
How Hip Hop Became Hit Pop: Radio, Rap, and Race
By Amy Coddington
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “How Hip Hop Became Hit Pop examines the programming practices at commercial radio stations in the 1980s and early 1990s to uncover how the radio industry facilitated hip-hop’s introduction into the musical mainstream. Constructed primarily by the Top 40 radio format, the musical mainstream featured mostly white artists for mostly white audiences. With the introduction of hip-hop to these programs, the radio industry was fundamentally altered, as stations struggled to incorporate the genre’s diverse audience. At the same time, as artists negotiated expanding audiences and industry pressure to make songs fit within the confines of radio formats, the sound of hip-hop changed. Drawing from archival research, Amy Coddington shows how the racial structuring of the radio industry influenced the way hip-hop was sold to the American public, and how the genre’s growing popularity transformed ideas about who constitutes the mainstream.”
NCT-127: Limitless
By NCT-127 & Reiko Scott
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Presented in the manhwa (South Korean comic) format, Limitless follows NCT 127 in the midst of their world tour, as the group rehearses for its biggest performance in America to date: a sold-out stadium show in New York City. The night before the concert, however, the group encounters mysterious dreams, putting Mark, Johnny, Taeyong, Jungwoo and Doyoung in otherworldly scenarios. This ultimately creates a reality-crossing mystery that the five — alongside Taeil, Yuta, Jaehyun and Haechan — will unite to solve. As NCT 127 grapple with this enigma, they must overcome their fear in both the real world and this new, surreal dreamscape.”
