Elderly Instruments Latest - Books - Biography http://elderly.com/list/newitems?catlist=910 en-us copyright 2013 Elderly Instruments Wed, 22 May 2013 02:53:41 -0400 Wed, 22 May 2013 02:53:41 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 720 webmaster@elderly.com A lengthy, cutting and entertaining collection of "vignettes" from this Michigan-born rock guitarist and songwriter, noted for his work with the Frost, Aerosmith, Peter Gabriel and especially with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper. "Supported by an edgy and ironic wit, Wagner delivers tales of reckless behavior and intimate debauchery with an emotional reverberation that resonates with a wide audience." Foreword by Alice Cooper! Hardcover with two music CDs; 277 pp. ($29.95) ]]> Sat, 11 May 2013 20:00:00 -0400 http://elderly.com/books/items/158-88.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/158-88.htm Earthy, sexy, and vivacious, the life of beloved country singer, Patsy Cline, who soared from obscurity to international fame to tragic death in just 30 short years, is explored in colorful and poignant detail. An innovative hell-raiser, Patsy broke the boys' club barriers in the 1950s. Nassour interviewed her mother, husbands, and many friends and colleagues: Jimmy Dean, Jan Howard, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, others. This updated edition features a complete discography, new photos, and details controversial claims about her birth, more. 306 pp. ($17.95) ]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 20:00:00 -0400 http://elderly.com/books/items/75-68.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/75-68.htm The first biography of two integral bluegrass innovators and touchstones of old-time country music authenticity. Uses a multitude of interviews with family & friends; musicians George Shuffler, Wade Mainer, Larry Sparks, more. The late Mike Seeger gave permission to use his 1966 interviews. While the brothers' stories begin and end in the mountains of southwestern Virginia, the intervening years included thousands of performances and hundreds of recordings. Hardcover, 299 pp. ($50.00) ]]> Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:00:00 -0400 http://elderly.com/books/items/701-11.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/701-11.htm Draws on 130 vivid oral histories and other sources to provide the fullest account available of the development of Hopkins' music: his idiosyncratic business practices, such as shunning professional bookers, managers and publicists: and his influence on music. Hardcover. ($29.95) ]]> Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:00:00 -0400 http://elderly.com/books/items/542-395.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/542-395.htm A great blues guitarist chronicles his eventful life, from his sharecropper upbringing in rural Louisiana to his rise to prominence in the Chicago blues scene to his becoming a lasting influence on Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn and many others. Told in firstperson, homespun, no-holds-barred language - Guy tells a lot of life truths, in a thoughtful recounting of a life of hard work, luck, and humble talent, peopled with the names of the legends of blues history. Recommended. 280 pp. ($15.99) ]]> Sat, 06 Apr 2013 19:00:00 -0500 http://elderly.com/books/items/542-371.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/542-371.htm The author realizes his dream of a nationwide tour, setting off on a 42 night road trip, playing open mic sessions from Brighton to Cape Wrath. Probably the first rock and roll tour ever undertaken on public transport, he works his way through the British summer, taking his music to the Great British people, and testing to the limit the theory that you can't hear a ukulele without smiling. 288 pp. ($16.95) ]]> Sat, 06 Apr 2013 19:00:00 -0500 http://elderly.com/books/items/542-381.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/542-381.htm Greenberg's remarkable, highly acclaimed, and genre-defying screenplay is widely considered to be one of the foremost books on Robert Johnson's life and legacy and an extraordinary exercise in American mythmaking. Newly revised and complete with extensive historical notes on Johnson's life and the culture of the Mississippi Delta and blues music during the 1930s, "Love in Vain" is at once a classic of music writing and a screenplay whose reputation lies firmly in the realm of great American literature. Lauded by Peter Guralnick, David Lynch, Bob Dylan, Werner Herzog, Greil Marcus, more. Second edition. 214 pp. ($17.95) ]]> Wed, 13 Mar 2013 19:00:00 -0500 http://elderly.com/books/items/542-390.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/542-390.htm Woody's sister has opened up her collection of letters, drawings, photos, and other personal items for this biography of Guthrie. These shed light on his early life, and the formation of his personality as he aged. The considerable influence of his father can now be traced in private letters as he moves from his Texas homeland, to military service, to New York, etc. Mary Jo writes of her older brother as only family can. She is joined by Guthrie authority Guy Logsdon. A unique take on the life of Guthrie. Hardcover, 168 pp.. ($39.95) ]]> Wed, 13 Mar 2013 19:00:00 -0500 http://elderly.com/books/items/542-392.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/542-392.htm A 1940s-era musician who became a music executive chronicles the rise of country music from his perspective, in a fascinating true account that features Johnny Cash, the Carter family, Waylon Jennings, Minnie Pearl and many more, as well as 100 period photos. This masterful storyteller recalls colorful songwriters, record personalities, and fans with real incidents over his sixty-year career, that will move readers from laughter to tears. 145 pp. ($19.99) ]]> Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:00:00 -0500 http://elderly.com/books/items/542-382.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/542-382.htm A pivotal member of the hugely successful bluegrass band Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, Dobro pioneer Josh Graves was a living link between bluegrass music and the blues, maintaining ties with black artists and comporting himself as a classic bluesman with a gold tooth and snappy headgear. In lively anecdotes, Graves describes his upbringing in Tennessee and the climate in which bluegrass music emerged in the 1940s. Deeply influenced by the blues, he adapted Scrugg's revolutionary banjo style to the Dobro. His accounts of life on the road in the 1950s and 1960s resonate with the band's dedication to musical excellence. Includes tributes from 20+ contemporaries and disciples, and material on his instruments and repertoire. 133 pp. ($21.95) ]]> Wed, 30 Jan 2013 19:00:00 -0500 http://elderly.com/books/items/75-59.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/75-59.htm Reclaims the politically radical profile of America's greatest balladeer. Kaufman traces Guthrie's political awakening and activism throughout the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, the Civil Rights struggle, and the poison of McCarthyism. He examines Guthrie's role in the development of a workers' culture in the context of radical activism spearheaded by the Communist Party of the USA, the Popular Front, and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. He also establishes Guthrie's significance in the perpetuation of cultural front objectives into the era of the "New Left" and beyond, particularly through his influence on the American and international protest song movement. Kaufman utilizes a wealth of new archival materials. Hardcover, 270 pp. ($29.95) ]]> Wed, 30 Jan 2013 19:00:00 -0500 http://elderly.com/books/items/75-61.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/75-61.htm The beautiful and tragic saga of the Louvin Brothers, one of the most legendary country duos of all time is one of America's great untold stories. Charlie Louvin was a good, god-fearing, churchgoing singer, but his brother Ira had the devil in him, and was known for smashing his mandolin to splinters onstage, cussing out Elvis Presley, and trying to strangle his third wife with a telephone cord. The incredible tale of Charlie Louvin's sixty-five-year career, the timeless murder ballads of the Louvin Brothers, and an epic tale of two brothers bound together by love, hate, alcohol, blood, and music. 297 pp. ($14.99) ]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 19:00:00 -0500 http://elderly.com/books/items/542-372.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/542-372.htm How big was The Kingston Trio? Their first 19 albums reached Billboard's Top 100, fourteen entered the top 10, and five made it to number one. This in-depth biography of America's first recording super-group traces the band members personal and professional lives, from their rapid rise to stardom to early retirement in 1967. Through interviews with Trio members, their families, and associates, the author paints a detailed portrait of the Trio's formative early years and sudden popular success, their innovations in recording technology, pioneering of the college concert and intensive tour schedule, their impact on and response to the '60s protest movement, the first break-up with Dave Guard's departure, and its re-formation with John Stewart. 281 pp. ($45.00) ]]> Tue, 18 Dec 2012 19:00:00 -0500 http://elderly.com/books/items/302-2.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/302-2.htm Many books about Hendrix concentrate on showmanship and rock-and-roll excess, but this bio brings to life Hendrix's musical legacy as a guitarist, singer, and composer. Keith Shadwick brings a depth of analysis missing from other accounts, placing Hendrix's work in the broadest possible musical context, encompassing rock, pop, soul, funk, jazz, blues, fusion, and a range of classical disciplines. First published in 2003; sadly, Shadwick died from cancer in 2008 at the age of 57. This new edition in a compact format is published as a tribute to Shadwick, who was described in his obituary in the UK newspaper The Independent as "an authority on classical music who also wrote in-depth biographies of Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. He was a jazzer who rocked and championed Gorecki." 6" X 8.5" 352 pp. ($19.99) ]]> Sat, 01 Dec 2012 19:00:00 -0500 http://elderly.com/books/items/49-332984.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/49-332984.htm This boxed set combines both volumes of Stevie Ray Vaughan: Day by Day, Night After Night, one of the most lavishly illustrated and detailed musician biographies ever written. In a day-by-day format, Craig Hopkins presents an unprecedented celebration of Vaughan's life and music. His Early Years, 1954-1982, the first volume, covers the complete history of the guitar legend's roots, from his childhood to the eve of his first major record release. The second volume, His Final Years, 1983-1990, covers Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's recording career, from their debut release and their performance at Carnegie Hall through their rise to international stardom. Also features a special section on Vaughan's guitars and equipment. Hardcover. 624 pp. ($75.00) ]]> Sat, 01 Dec 2012 19:00:00 -0500 http://elderly.com/books/items/49-333277.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/49-333277.htm LaVette's parents ran an illegal liquor business out of their living room in Detroit, which was frequented by some of the top acts of the 40s and 50s. A hit record in her teens seemed to be the start of stardom, a hope that was dashed time and time again. Battling back from poverty and despair, she has finally achieved what her devoted fans long expected. An inspiring, no-holds-barred, audacious memoir by one of R&B's greatest legends - guaranteed to make news and break hearts, too. Hardcover, 262 pp. ($26.95) ]]> Wed, 28 Nov 2012 19:00:00 -0500 http://elderly.com/books/items/542-364.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/542-364.htm A narrative portrait of the intensely private guitarist behind enduring rock band Led Zeppelin draws on 20 years of personal interviews to cover Page's early work with such artists as Tom Jones and Eric Clapton, the creative years of Led Zeppelin and his post-Zeppelin relationships with such figures as Robert Plant and John Paul Jones. Interviews, insights, and historical anecdotes. Hardcover. 298 pp. ($26.00) ]]> Wed, 28 Nov 2012 19:00:00 -0500 http://elderly.com/books/items/542-365.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/542-365.htm The guitar, particularly in its electric form, is the most influential instrument of the past 60 years. This book spotlights the players who made it that way: the visionary talents and living legends who developed the sound and style of the electric guitar as we know and love it. Veteran music journalist Alan di Perna talks one-on-one with nine legends - Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, Steve Cropper, Dick Dale, Pete Townshend, Billy Gibbons, James Burton, David Gilmour and Keith Richards - revealing the creative processes, the psychology, the spirituality, and the qualities that have fueled these player's crafts. Provides rich, unprecedented discussions and new insights into the lives and music of these extraordinary players. 278 pp. ($29.99) ]]> Fri, 09 Nov 2012 19:00:00 -0500 http://elderly.com/books/items/49-332949.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/49-332949.htm Since his first recordings with Buffalo Springfield in 1967, Neil Young has been described as brilliant, cantankerous, confounding, ruthless, mercurial, and vexing. Now the first illustrated biography to span Young's 40-plus years as a recording and touring musician is updated through 2012. From his earliest days in the Canadian folk and rock scenes through his tenures with Buffalo Springfield and CSN&Y and on to his solo career backed by bands including the Stray Gators, the Ducks, the Bluenotes, Booker T. & the MGs, Pearl Jam, and, of course, Crazy Horse, every aspect of Young's long and varied career is covered. Features the work of rock photographers from the 1960s to the present, as well as concert posters and ephemera including picture sleeves, LPs, ticket stubs, pins, T-shirts, backstage passes, and more, over 400 photos and illustrations. Notable musicians chip in with commentary, plus a discography and sidebars examining topics like Young's involvement with Lionel toy trains (of which he is a part owner), Farm Aid, and San Francisco's Bridge School. Hardcover. 240 pp. ($30.00) ]]> Fri, 26 Oct 2012 20:00:00 -0400 http://elderly.com/books/items/49-113430.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/49-113430.htm Hear directly from Seeger through an array of sources: letters, notes to himself, published articles, rough drafts, stories, poetry, more. The most intimate picture yet of Seeger as a musician, activist and family man. Read this book - and give it to your kids to read. Hardcover. 356 pp. ($29.95) ]]> Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:00:00 -0400 http://elderly.com/books/items/542-354.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/542-354.htm Long awaited biography of the legendary lead guitarist for The Who. He wrote over 100 songs and rock operas in the band's catalogue. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, he is also one of Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." He invented the Marshall stack, feedback and the concept album. Publishing his bio at 67 years old, Pete Townshend has a LOT of stories to tell. Hardcover, 538 pp. ($32.50) ]]> Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:00:00 -0400 http://elderly.com/books/items/542-357.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/542-357.htm With more than 40 rare photos from the Woody Guthrie archives, removable poster and original interviews with many music icons, an account of the creation of America's most celebrated folk song also details Guthrie's journey for Oklahoma to New York City in 1940. Hardcover, 221 pp. ($24.00) ]]> Thu, 13 Sep 2012 20:00:00 -0400 http://elderly.com/books/items/542-356.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/542-356.htm Drawing on dozens of new interviews, as well as unpublished letters and photos, Kealing examines the remarkable array of musicians and friends with whom Parsons collaborated, and from whom he drew inspiration. An absorbing story, full of quotes and anecdotes from those who knew Parsons. There are lots of surprises along the way. Hardcover, 288 pp. ($27.50) ]]> Thu, 13 Sep 2012 20:00:00 -0400 http://elderly.com/books/items/542-359.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/542-359.htm A devout Jew, sophisticate and ladies' man, ordained Buddhist monk - Cohen has been many things to many people. Simmons explores with equal focus each complex, contradictory strand of his life, from the halls of academia to the arenas of rock 'n' roll. More than 100 interviews are incorporated into this fascinating biography. Hardcover, 570 pp. ($27.99) ]]> Thu, 13 Sep 2012 20:00:00 -0400 http://elderly.com/books/items/542-361.htm http://elderly.com/books/items/542-361.htm