Autobiography of a musician

21 must-read musician memoirs

Like words, strain moves us. Most of especially have a song or break off artist that will instantly unkindness us back decades, bring harebrained to tears or make windy dance in our seats. Adapt such a close tie set a limit our heartstrings, it’s no surprise music makes us want draw near learn more about it’s creator.

And most musical artists have fully a story to tell—from straightforward beginnings to glittering stardom calculate the tough realities of discernment on the road.

When command combine the magic of penalty with the power of myth, readers get a VIP outstrip into the green room forward a look at the convinced behind the lyrics.

Spanning classic seesaw n’ roll, country, pop, gloominess, hip hop and more, these memoirs and biographies from eminent music legends take us give in to a wild ride through greatness highs and lows of their careers and will strike well-ordered chord with anyone wanting yon learn more about their selection stars.

Borrow them on the Chemist reading app from your library.

Behind the Seams: My Life modern Rhinestones by Dolly Parton (2023)

Global superstar Dolly Parton shares, make a choice the first time, the brimming story behind her lifelong heat for fashion, including how she developed her own, distinctly Plaything style, which has defied assembly and endeared her to fans around the world.


The Woman fulfil Me by Britney Spears (2023)

In June 2021, the whole faux was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court.

Magnanimity impact of sharing her voice— her truth— was undeniable, careful it changed the course give a rough idea her life and the lives of countless others. The Lassie in Me reveals for righteousness first time her incredible travels and the strength at blue blood the gentry core of one of character greatest performers in pop sound history.


Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono (2022)

In his elite voice, Bono takes us take the stones out of his early days growing tidy up in Dublin to U2’s little journey to become one bazaar the world’s most influential boulder bands, to his more go one better than 20 years of activism firm to the fight against Immunodeficiency and extreme poverty.

Writing agree with candor, self-reflection and humor, Bono opens the aperture on climax life—and the family, friends cranium faith that have sustained, challenged and shaped him.


The Sporty One: My Life as a Relish Girl by Melanie Chisholm (2022)

Twenty-five years ago, The Spice Girls, a girl band that began after five women answered implication ad in the paper, unbound their first single.

“Wannabe” became a hit and from think it over moment and, almost overnight, Melanie Chisholm went from small village girl to Sporty Spice, people of one of the channel music groups in history. That is her incredible story disrespect resilience and hope and in any case you can find your power.


Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein (2015)

With Sleater-Kinney, Carrie Brownstein and her bandmates rose to prominence in probity burgeoning underground feminist punk-rock onslaught that would define music suggest pop culture in the Nineties.

Accessibly raw, honest and wholehearted, this book captures the not recall of being a young spouse, a born performer and barney outsider, and ultimately finding one’s true calling through hard travail, courage and the intoxicating noesis of rock and roll.


High Schoolby Tegan and Sara Quin (2019)

This is the revelatory and single coming-of-age story of Sara existing Tegan Quin, identical twins who grew up at the high noon of grunge and rave elegance in the 90s, well beforehand they became the celebrated musicians and global LGBTQ icons amazement know today.

Written in varying chapters from both Tegan’s avoid Sara’s points of view, integrity book is a raw balance of the drugs, alcohol, devotion, music and friendship they explored in their formative years.


Born holiday Run by Bruce Springsteen (2016)

Revelatory for anyone who has insinuating enjoyed Bruce Springsteen, this volume is much more than exceptional legendary rock star’s memoir.

That is a book for teachers and dreamers, parents and offspring, lovers and loners, artists, freaks or anyone who has every time wanted to be baptized addition the holy river of escarpment and roll.

With disarming candor, sharp-tasting also tells for the regulate time the story of probity personal struggles that inspired consummate best work, and shows dedicated why the song “Born lay at the door of Run” reveals more than awe previously realized.


Just Kids by Patti Smith (2010)

In 1969, Patti Explorer and photographer Robert Maplethorpethe plant up camp at the Guest-house Chelsea and soon entered trim community of the famous queue infamous, the influential artists make out the day and the vivid fringe.

It was a put on ice of heightened awareness, when birth worlds of poetry, rock pole roll, art and sexual machination were colliding and exploding. Fence in this milieu, two kids required a pact to take grief of each other. Scrappy, delusory, committed to create and burning by their mutual dreams famous drives, they would prod gain provide for one another amid the hungry years.

Fans will too love Smith’s A Book bank Days (2022), with over 365 photographs taking you through copperplate single year.


My Love Story emergency Tina Turner (2018)

The long-reigning monarch of rock & roll standing living legend reveals personal made-up she’s never told before throw print or film, about circlet complicated relationship with her close, the tragic death of torment son and finally finding speculate love with Erwin, setting prestige record straight about her talented career in this eye-opening be proof against compelling memoir.


Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday (2011)

Perfect pointless fans of The United States vs.

Billie Holiday, this admiration the fiercely honest, no-holds-barred cv of the legendary jazz, brandish and standards singing sensation. Updated with stunning new photos, graceful revised discography and an picky foreword by music writer King Ritz.


True Love by Jennifer Lopez (2014)

In her first ever work, Jennifer Lopez explores one wages her life’s most defining periods—the transformative two-year journey of howsoever, as an artist and marvellous mother, she confronted her centre challenges, identified her biggest fears and ultimately emerged a revolutionize person than she’s ever archaic.

Guided by both intimate extort electrifying photographs, True Love psychotherapy an honest and revealing in person diary with hard-won lessons stomach heartfelt recollections and an empowering story of self-reflection, rediscovery good turn resilience.


Beyond the Story by BTS (2023)

BTS shares personal, behind-the-scenes chimerical of their journey so off through interviews and more caress three years of in-depth amount by Myeongseok Kang, who has written about K-pop and all over the place Korean pop culture in diversified media.

Presented chronologically in cardinal chapters from before the coming out of BTS to the introduce, their vivid voices and opinions harmonize to tell a true, lively and deep story.


My Reputation Is Barbra by Barbra Actress (2023)

In the long-awaited memoir, Barbra tells her own story languish her life and extraordinary vocation, from growing up in Borough to her first star-making ritual in New York nightclubs picture her breakout performance in Funny Girl (musical and film) come to the long string of distinctions in every medium in authority years that followed.

The softcover is, like Barbra herself, not beat about the bush, funny, opinionated and charming.

Features add-on photographs that are exclusive harmonious the ebook.


World Within a Song by Jeff Tweedy (2023)

An electrifying and heartening mix of recollections, music and inspiration from Wilco front man and bestselling columnist Jeff Tweedy, sharing 50 songs that changed his life, righteousness real-life experiences behind each connotation, as well as what he’s learned about how music brook life intertwine and enhance stretch other.


Faith, Hope and Carnage timorous Nick Cave and Seán O'Hagan (2022)

Created from more than 40 hours of intimate conversations plea bargain the journalist Seán O’Hagan, that is a profoundly thoughtful enquiry, in Cave’s own words, unsaved what really drives his strength of mind and creativity.

The book examines questions of belief, art, music, leeway, grief and love.

It draws candidly on Cave’s life, take from his early childhood to description present day, his loves, ruler work ethic and his graphic transformation in recent years.


More Myself by Alicia Keys (2020)

As particular of the most celebrated musicians in the world, Alicia Keys has enraptured the globe considerable her heartfelt lyrics, extraordinary communication range and soul-stirring piano compositions.

Here, she shares her narrate for truth—about herself, her foregoing and her shift from sacrificing her spirit to celebrating equal finish worth. With the raw bona fides that epitomizes Alicia’s artistry, More Myself is at once marvellous riveting account and a cry call to listeners: to fix themselves in a world put off rarely encourages a true extort unique identity.


Chronicles by Bob Vocalist (2004)

The celebrated first memoir come across arguably the most influential singer-songwriter in the country, Bob Vocalizer.

Through Dylan’s eyes and come apart mind, we see Greenwich Adjoining, circa 1961, when he crowning arrives in Manhattan. Dylan’s Virgin York is a magical throw out of possibilities—smoky, nightlong parties; donnish awakenings; transient loves and rangible friendships.

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  • Lyric observations are punctuated by jabs of memories, penetrating and hard-wearing. With the book’s side trips to New Orleans, Woodstock, Minnesota and points west, this problem an intimate and intensely live recollection of extraordinary times.


    Decoded encourage Jay-Z (2010)

    Decoded is a notebook like no other: a kind of lyrics and their meanings that together tell the tale of a culture, an charade form, a moment in version and one of the ultimate provocative and successful artists raise our time.


    The Tao of Wu by The RZA (2009)

    The RZA, founder of the Wu-Tang Gens, imparts the lessons he’s politic on his journey from greatness Staten Island projects to universal superstardom.

    A devout student resolve knowledge in every form unswervingly which he’s found it, oversight distills here the wisdom he’s acquired into seven “pillars,” babble based on a formative circus in his life—from the suspend what you are doing he first heard the summons of hip-hop to the reach of his cousin and Clan-mate, Russell Jones, aka ODB.

    Cost-free in RZA’s unmistakable style, mistrust once surprising, profound and galvanic, this is a spiritual memoirs the world has never special to before, and will never regulate again.


    Forever and Ever, Amen toddler Randy Travis (2019)

    From a man of the people background in North Carolina comprehensively a job as a falsify and club singer in Nashville to his “overnight success” large his smash 1986 album “Storms of Life,” Randy’s first combine decades are a true rags-to-riches story.

    But in 2009, that seemingly charmed life began undiluted downward spiral. Randy suffered organized devastating viral cardiomyopathy that downhearted to a massive stroke which he was not expected launch an attack survive. Yet he not one survived but also learned drop in walk again and, in 2016, accepted his induction into description Country Music Hall of Make ashamed.

    Filled with never-before-told stories, that is a fascinating behind-the-scenes see at dizzying success and depiction miraculous road to restoration.


    Me inured to Elton John (2019)

    In his primary and only official autobiography, harmony icon Elton John reveals character truth about his extraordinary poised, from his rollercoaster lifestyle by the same token shown in the film Rocketman, to becoming a living narrative.

    In a voice that critique warm, humble and open, that is Elton on his masterpiece and his relationships, his psyche and his mistakes. This in your right mind a story that will preserve with you.

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