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Now in paperback, after five hardcover printings, Tommy James’s wild and entertaining true story of his career—part rock & roll fairytale, part valentine to a bygone era, and part mob epic—that “reads like a music-industry version of Goodfellas” (The Denver Post). Everyone knows the hits: “Hanky Panky,” “Mony Mony,” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Crimson and Clover,” “Crystal Blue Persuasion.” All of these songs, which epitomize great pop music of the late 1960s, are now widely used in television and film and have been covered by a diverse group of artists from Billy Idol to Tiffany to R.E.M. Just as compelling as the music itself is the life Tommy James lived while making it. James tells the incredible story, revealing his complex and sometimes terrifying relationship with Roulette Records and Morris Levy, the legendary Godfather of the music business. Me, the Mob, and the Music is a fascinating portrait of this swaggering, wildly creative era of rock ’n’ roll, when the hits kept coming and payola and the strong-arm tactics of the Mob were the norm, and what it was like, for better or worse, to be in the middle of it.
Beginning with the emergence of commercial American music in the nineteenth century, Volume 1 includes essays on the major performers, composers, media, and movements that shaped our musical culture before rock and roll. Articles explore the theoretical dimensions of popular music studies; the music of the nineteenth century; and the role of black Americans in the evolution of popular music. Also included--the music of Tin Pan Alley, ragtime, swing, the blues, the influences of W. S. Gilbert and Rodgers and Hammerstein, and changes in lyric writing styles from the nineteenth century to the rock era.
Provides lists of hit songs by date with information on the artist, songwriter, producer, label, and offering interviews with popular artists.
The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.
The Crystal Pumpkin is an upbeat, uplifting, compelling story which takes the reader on an emotional, historical journey through eighteen years in the life of the author. The book captures the essence of the culture, experiences, struggles, music, entertainment, art, poetry, religion, charm, and nuances of Black life, Black love, and Black survival. Importantly, the author provides a riveting portrayal of events in local and national history as seen through the lens of a young Black girl who grows into adulthood in Chicago. The characters are real, and their lives, like their stories, are unforgettable. The lessons provided are universal, and the messages are moving and memorable. This delightful semi-autobiography has adventure, mystery, intrigue, shock, comedy, crime, drama, tragedy, and a scintillating love story. It provides a factual account of an era that featured struggles for individual and collective identity, purpose, and social justice during an earlier and simpler time. The stories unfold as the book, divided into three parts, explodes with historical developments and personal triumphs born of tragedies. The author explores the dawning of her identity amid self-doubt, family secrets, childhood fantasies, the specter of racism, and her educational and professional challenges as a public-school teacher and university faculty. Her pursuit of education and her explorations of social justice, civil rights, and antiwar endeavors are chronicled in her experiences of a "new day" when she comes of age during a tumultuous time. Her activism, high school and college experiences, and travels to the Bahamas and Western Europe mold her dedication before shocking and tragic developments alter the trajectory of her life. The reader will experience the educational, social, and personal challenges, struggles, setbacks, and victories of main characters during an unforgettable era. The treasured stories and sentiments shared are unique and timeless.
From John Philip Sousa to Green Day, from Scott Joplin to Kanye West, from Stephen Foster to Coldplay, The Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volumes 1 and 2 covers the vast scope of its subject with virtually unprecedented breadth and depth. Approximately 1,000 key song recordings from 1889 to the present are explored in full, unveiling the stories behind the songs, the recordings, the performers, and the songwriters. Beginning the journey in the era of Victorian parlor balladry, brass bands, and ragtime with the advent of the record industry, readers witness the birth of the blues and the dawn of jazz in the 1910s and the emergence of country music on record and the shift from acoustic to electrical recording in the 1920s. The odyssey continues through the Swing Era of the 1930s; rhythm & blues, bluegrass, and bebop in the 1940s; the rock & roll revolution of the 1950s; modern soul, the British invasion, and the folk-rock movement of the 1960s; and finally into the modern era through the musical streams of disco, punk, grunge, hip-hop, and contemporary dance-pop. Sullivan, however, also takes critical detours by extending the coverage to genres neglected in pop music histories, from ethnic and world music, the gospel recording of both black and white artists, and lesser-known traditional folk tunes that reach back hundreds of years. This book is ideal for anyone who truly loves popular music in all of its glorious variety, and anyone wishing to learn more about the roots of virtually all the music we hear today. Popular music fans, as well as scholars of recording history and technology and students of the intersections between music and cultural history will all find this book to be informative and interesting.
A grand epic saga by Robert McKenzie, The Chairspans centuries, touching the lives of 22 related mothers and daughters, their stories witnessed by a simple pine chair. Resolute, strong, loving, and fiercely protective, these women must strive to pass their values to new generations in a world of racism and sexism, politics, scandal, fashion—even the rise and dominance of baseball. They live in privilege and poverty, with faith and despair, relishing every moment of love even as they suffer abiding grief. Volume I: Lightning, Thunder, & Glory spans the 1600s through WWI, while Volume II: Faith, Hope, & Lovefollows these women’s descendants into modern times and beyond. An authentic and uniquely American novel, The Chairconjures the very hallmarks of history, yet navigates the simple intimacy of everyday lives to reveal who and why we are. Everybody sits, so find your own seat and discover The Chair.
Confessions of a Serial Songwriter is an amusing and poignant memoir about songwriter Shelly Peiken's journey from young girl falling under the spell of magical songs to working professional songwriter writing hits of her own. It's about growing up, the creative process – the highs and the lows, the conflicts that arise between motherhood and career success, the divas and schemers, but also the talented and remarkable people she's found along the way. It's filled with stories and step-by-step advice about the songwriting process, especially collaboration. And it's about the challenge of staying relevant in a rapidly changing and youth-driven world. As Shelly so eloquently states in Confessions of a Serial Songwriter: “If I had to come up with one X factor that I could cite as a characteristic most hit songs have in common (and this excludes hit songs that are put forth by an already well-oiled machine...that is, a recording artist who has so much notoriety and momentum that just about anything he or she releases, as long as it's 'pretty good ' will have a decent shot at succeeding), I would say it would be: A universal sentiment in a unique frame.” Peiken has tapped the universal sentiment again and again; her songs have been recorded by such artists as Christina Aguilera, Natalie Cole, Selena Gomez, Celine Dion, the Pretenders, and others. In Confessions of a Serial Songwriter, she pulls the curtain back on the music business from the perspective of a behind-the-scenes hit creator and shares invaluable insight into the craft of songwriting.
A romantic science fiction adventure…with mutant kangaroos. Once Upon a Galaxy… Zana Starchild is on a mission to restore her tribe’s livestock and save herself from one more meal of kelp. Sure, it’s technically illegal to visit Old Earth, but to a rim rat like Zana, galactic laws are really just guidelines. Her wrecked starship just means she’ll need to use her backup plan to get off the abandoned world, an old Earth legend her uncle passed down to her. Pulled across the galaxy from his relaxing shower to Old Earth via an ancient teleporter, Galactic Marshall Kyle Kepler finds himself naked and marooned with a quirky rim rat. Zana’s broken more laws than Kyle can count, and he plans to arrest her, just as soon as he can find transport off the planet and a pair of pants. A junk heap of a starship, an awkward meeting, and a roving gang of mutant kangaroos are just the beginning of a rollicking intergalactic journey filled with laughs, love, and adventure.