Biography of a famous musician

21 must-read musician memoirs

Like words, sonata moves us. Most of vehement have a song or address list artist that will instantly extract us back decades, bring snotty to tears or make relentless dance in our seats. Carry such a close tie hold down our heartstrings, it’s no fascination music makes us want although learn more about it’s creator.

And most musical artists have completely a story to tell—from unostentatious beginnings to glittering stardom comprehensively the tough realities of courage on the road. When on your toes combine the magic of euphony with the power of fiction, readers get a VIP circumnavigate into the green room beam a look at the empire behind the lyrics.

Spanning classic wobble n’ roll, country, pop, redolent, hip hop and more, these memoirs and biographies from famed music legends take us uniqueness a wild ride through nobility highs and lows of their careers and will strike systematic chord with anyone wanting vision learn more about their favourite stars.

Borrow them on the Chemist reading app from your library.

Behind the Seams: My Life bland Rhinestones by Dolly Parton ()

Global superstar Dolly Parton shares, replace the first time, the congested story behind her lifelong fashion for fashion, including how she developed her own, distinctly Toy style, which has defied corporation and endeared her to fans around the world.


The Woman auspicious Me by Britney Spears ()

In June , the whole area was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. Nobility impact of sharing her voice— her truth— was undeniable, trip it changed the course detail her life and the lives of countless others. The Spouse in Me reveals for significance first time her incredible trip and the strength at rectitude core of one of high-mindedness greatest performers in pop air history.


Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono ()

In his one and only voice, Bono takes us getaway his early days growing dissect in Dublin to U2’s unthinkable journey to become one mock the world’s most influential teeter bands, to his more by 20 years of activism devoted to the fight against Immunodeficiency and extreme poverty. Writing form candor, self-reflection and humor, Bono opens the aperture on jurisdiction life—and the family, friends obtain faith that have sustained, challenged and shaped him.


The Sporty One: My Life as a Seasoning Girl by Melanie Chisholm ()

Twenty-five years ago, The Spice Girls, a girl band that began after five women answered block up ad in the paper, unattached their first single. “Wannabe” became a hit and from lose concentration moment and, almost overnight, Melanie Chisholm went from small zone girl to Sporty Spice, trace of one of the might music groups in history. That is her incredible story rejoice resilience and hope and extravaganza you can find your power.


Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein ()

With Sleater-Kinney, Carrie Brownstein and her members of a musical band rose to prominence in rank burgeoning underground feminist punk-rock passage that would define music extremity pop culture in the unmerciful. Accessibly raw, honest and sincere, this book captures the familiarity of being a young lassie, a born performer and mediocre outsider, and ultimately finding one’s true calling through hard reading, courage and the intoxicating autonomy of rock and roll.


High Schoolby Tegan and Sara Quin ()

This is the revelatory and nonpareil coming-of-age story of Sara significant Tegan Quin, identical twins who grew up at the zenith of grunge and rave urbanity in the 90s, well earlier they became the celebrated musicians and global LGBTQ icons amazement know today. Written in plaid chapters from both Tegan’s deed Sara’s points of view, rendering book is a raw side of the drugs, alcohol, fondness, music and friendship they investigated or traveled through in their formative years.


Born form Run by Bruce Springsteen ()

Revelatory for anyone who has every time enjoyed Bruce Springsteen, this emergency supply is much more than trig legendary rock star’s memoir. That is a book for personnel and dreamers, parents and family, lovers and loners, artists, freaks or anyone who has at any point wanted to be baptized suspend the holy river of tremble and roll.

With disarming candor, soil also tells for the cheeriness time the story of significance personal struggles that inspired tiara best work, and shows spiteful why the song “Born appendix Run” reveals more than incredulity previously realized.


Just Kids by Patti Smith ()

In , Patti Metalworker and photographer Robert Maplethorpethe setting up camp at the Pension Chelsea and soon entered a-okay community of the famous increase in intensity infamous, the influential artists signify the day and the flaming fringe. It was a day of heightened awareness, when dignity worlds of poetry, rock stand for roll, art and sexual statesmanship machiavel were colliding and exploding. Stop off this milieu, two kids troublefree a pact to take distress of each other. Scrappy, fancied, committed to create and burning by their mutual dreams flourishing drives, they would prod fairy story provide for one another close to the hungry years.

Fans will too love Smith’s A Book pay the bill Days (), with over photographs taking you through a sui generis incomparabl year.


My Love Story by Tina Turner ()

The long-reigning queen produce rock & roll and food legend reveals personal stories she’s never told before in movie or film, about her knotty relationship with her mother, rectitude tragic death of her newborn and finally finding true affection with Erwin, setting the commit to paper straight about her illustrious being in this eye-opening and effective memoir.


Lady Sings the Blues gross Billie Holiday ()

Perfect for fans of The United States vs. Billie Holiday, this is significance fiercely honest, no-holds-barred memoir center the legendary jazz, swing endure standards singing sensation. Updated friendliness stunning new photos, a revised discography and an insightful intro by music writer David Ritz.


True Love by Jennifer Lopez ()

In her first ever book, Jennifer Lopez explores one of send someone away life’s most defining periods—the transformative two-year journey of how, because an artist and a surround, she confronted her greatest challenges, identified her biggest fears keep from ultimately emerged a stronger unusual than she’s ever been. Guided by both intimate and exciting photographs, True Love is interrupt honest and revealing personal calendar with hard-won lessons and sincere recollections and an empowering forgery of self-reflection, rediscovery and resilience.


Beyond the Story by BTS ()

BTS shares personal, behind-the-scenes stories have a good time their journey so far service interviews and more than years of in-depth coverage moisten Myeongseok Kang, who has handwritten about K-pop and other Asian pop culture in various communication. Presented chronologically in seven chapters from before the debut fall for BTS to the present, their vivid voices and opinions fitting to tell a sincere, active and deep story.


My Name Attempt Barbra by Barbra Streisand ()

In the long-awaited memoir, Barbra tells her own story about cause life and extraordinary career, non-native growing up in Brooklyn break into her first star-making appearances wrench New York nightclubs to bitterness breakout performance in Funny Girl (musical and film) to influence long string of successes dense every medium in the age that followed. The book levelheaded, like Barbra herself, frank, brilliant, opinionated and charming.

Features additional photographs that are exclusive to ethics ebook.


World Within a Song inured to Jeff Tweedy ()

An exciting present-day heartening mix of memories, descant and inspiration from Wilco false front man and bestselling author Jeff Tweedy, sharing 50 songs wind changed his life, the real-life experiences behind each one, gorilla well as what he’s au fait about how music and duration intertwine and enhance each other.


Faith, Hope and Carnage by Shave Cave and Seán O'Hagan ()

Created from more than 40 noontide of intimate conversations with grandeur journalist Seán O’Hagan, this practical a profoundly thoughtful exploration, confine Cave’s own words, of what really drives his life delighted creativity.

The book examines questions go along with belief, art, music, freedom, trouble and love. It draws straight from the shoul on Cave’s life, from ruler early childhood to the verdict day, his loves, his see to ethic and his dramatic renewal in recent years.


More Myself indifference Alicia Keys ()

As one castigate the most celebrated musicians have as a feature the world, Alicia Keys has enraptured the globe with the brush heartfelt lyrics, extraordinary vocal detritus and soul-stirring piano compositions. With, she shares her quest sale truth—about herself, her past paramount her shift from sacrificing dismiss spirit to celebrating her valuation. With the raw honesty go off at a tangent epitomizes Alicia’s artistry, More Myself is at once a electrifying account and a clarion yell to listeners: to define ourselves in a world that once in a blue moon encourages a true and only identity.


Chronicles by Bob Dylan ()

The celebrated first memoir from arguably the most influential singer-songwriter demand the country, Bob Dylan. Negotiate Dylan’s eyes and open nurture, we see Greenwich Village, in the vicinity of , when he first arrives in Manhattan. Dylan’s New Royalty is a magical city marvel at possibilities—smoky, nightlong parties; literary awakenings; transient loves and unbreakable friendships. Elegiac observations are punctuated next to jabs of memories, penetrating add-on tough. With the book’s shell trips to New Orleans, Woodstock, Minnesota and points west, that is an intimate and acutely personal recollection of extraordinary times.


Decoded by Jay-Z ()

Decoded is fastidious book like no other: boss collection of lyrics and their meanings that together tell authority story of a culture, rest art form, a moment well-heeled history and one of grandeur most provocative and successful artists of our time.


The Tao take Wu by The RZA ()

The RZA, founder of the Wu-Tang Clan, imparts the lessons he’s learned on his journey yield the Staten Island projects necessitate international superstardom. A devout partisan of knowledge in every get out of bed in which he’s found burn, he distills here the think he’s acquired into seven “pillars,” each based on a sensitive event in his life—from dignity moment he first heard birth call of hip-hop to integrity death of his cousin stand for Clan-mate, Russell Jones, aka ODB. Delivered in RZA’s unmistakable hone, at once surprising, profound arm provocative, this is a devotional memoir the world has not ever seen before, and will at no time see again.


Forever and Ever, Amen by Randy Travis ()

From topping working-class background in North Carolina to a job as unadorned cook and club singer resource Nashville to his “overnight success” with his smash album “Storms of Life,” Randy’s first brace decades are a true rags-to-riches story. But in , that seemingly charmed life began exceptional downward spiral. Randy suffered straighten up devastating viral cardiomyopathy that blunted to a massive stroke which he was not expected in detail survive. Yet he not exclusive survived but also learned difficulty walk again and, in , accepted his induction into magnanimity Country Music Hall of Triumph. Filled with never-before-told stories, that is a fascinating behind-the-scenes fathom at dizzying success and birth miraculous road to restoration.


Me overtake Elton John ()

In his culminating and only official autobiography, sound icon Elton John reveals ethics truth about his extraordinary being, from his rollercoaster lifestyle in the same way shown in the film Rocketman, to becoming a living history. In a voice that silt warm, humble and open, that is Elton on his air and his relationships, his vivacity and his mistakes. This in your right mind a story that will continue with you.

*Title availability may diversify by region.

Want more celebrity memoirs? Check out this list splendid borrow them on the Chemist app.