Omnibus Press

The story of The Who’s momentous first tours of America told through fabulous photos by the band’s official photographer and tour manager Tom Wright.

Foreword by Pete Townshend

Tom Wright first met Pete Townshend at Ealing Art School in the early 60s. He became The Who’s official tour photographer and manager from 1967 in the US, also managing the Grande Ballroom in Detroit where The Who’s rock opera Tommy premiered. He was much more than the band’s photographer, he was a friend and photographed them right up to their farewell tour in 1991. Tom’s vast record collection and musical influences had a big impact on the band in their early years.

Their Generation covers The Who’s first tours of North America, a hugely creative time with explosive performances both on and off stage, the time of their US hit ‘I Can See for Miles’ and much more.

Through the fabulous photographs, many of which have never been seen before, we see the band backstage, onstage, on tour, at rehearsal, at ease, in studio, at home. The photos will be accompanied by extended captions providing background details of the time, the people and the places.

As well as The Who, Tom Wright toured with the Rolling Stones, the Faces, The James Gang, J. D. Elvis Costello, The Eagles and many more, documenting their performances and life on the road.

“One thing is certain, had I not met Tom Wright, The Who would never have become successful.” Pete Townshend

Now You’re One of Us is the definitive statement about Redd Kross, an in-depth and riveting tale told in the voices of the talented and tempestuous brothers at the core of this iconic outfit.

Emerging from humble beginnings in suburban Los Angeles, the McDonalds took their rock ‘n’ roll fantasy and ran with it — and wound up becoming one of the most influential American bands of their time. The band’s flamboyant, genre-defying, joyously tuneful blend of musical, sartorial and pop cultural elements profoundly influenced the punk rock, glam metal and grunge movements and won them a worldwide cult of fervent admirers that includes bands like Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, L7 and The Bangles.

Redd Kross continue rocking to this day, much to the intense delight of fans old and new. And now the McDonalds team up with award-winning music journalist Dan Epstein to tell their wild, hilarious and gloriously star-spangled tale.

“To me, Redd Kross will always be one of the most important bands of the last 30-40 years.” Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)

"Brain Wilson. SMILE: Excellent! The man is my hero. I love him. I weep when I hear his band, I hear him sing. I love him." —Paul McCartney

The story of the Brian Wilson’s legendary SMiLE album from Beach Boys authority David Leaf. The story of SMiLE is a story without precedent, appropriate for music that was and remains groundbreaking.

"This is the first book to tell the full story of Brian Wilson and SMiLE, including the details of the original SMiLE recording sessions and their increasingly legendary status as well as the final release of the album, the accompanying concerts and film, and its afterlife.

With over two dozen new interviews as well as generous excerpts from his extended 2004 interviews with Brian Wilson and SMiLE collaborator Van Dyke Parks, the book tells the story of SMiLEby those who were there in 1966 and from the participants in its 2004 resurrection, including all the members of Brian Wilson’s band. It also features fan memories of what it was like to see Brian Wilson Presents SMiLEand what it meant to them.

With a foreword by Melinda Wilson and an anthology of essays from SMiLE historians, devotees, and music professors, this book promises to be the definitive word on the subject.

“If I had to select one living genius of popular music, I would choose Brian Wilson.” —George Martin

"He's a modern-day Stravinsky, the way he constructs his music." —Questlove

"I don't think there is anyone his equal in pop music."—Linda Ronstadt

"[T]he only real pop genius in the world..." —Sir Elton John

Celebrated singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Alvin is, first and foremost, a storyteller. The Grammy winning artist's disarmingly well-crafted lyrics represent just one of the many expressions of his unique ability to capture the gritty and beautiful moments of life with the written word. This anthology of his writing is a companion piece to Dave's considerable musical output, and presents a staggering cross section of his work.

New Highway includes a generous selection of his celebrated poetry; excerpts of his moving prose; newspaper articles and essays on artists including Frank Zappa, Bo Diddley, and Ray Charles (which earned Dave a Grammy nomination); tributes to influences such as Merle Haggard; a long-lost interview with Buck Owens; and, of course, a carefully curated representation of his inimitable lyrics. Packed with rich imagery and poignant observations, New Highway follows Dave's previous collections Nana, Big Joe & the Fourth of July, and Any Rough Times Are Now Behind You: Selected Poems & Writings: 1979-1995.

If you know Dave Alvin for his music, this collection will give you deeper insight into the heart of an artist whose pen knows no boundaries.

Pressure Drop chronicles reggae’s most tumultuous and influential decade. Beginning in 1970 and unfolding across the world, reggae flourished against a backdrop of political upheaval, gang warfare, Black Nationalism, racial and class discrimination and grinding poverty. 

The music that developed as rocksteady and early reggae gave birth to deejays, dub, rockers, lovers rock, early dancehall and 2 Tone was by turns brutal and revelatory.

Including an extensive analysis of the decade’s major singles and albums, Pressure Drop includes eyewitness accounts and experiences of the decade from the likes of Burning Spear, Chris Blackwell, Gregory Isaacs, Bunny Wailer, Jimmy Cliff, Black Uhuru, U-Roy, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Augustus Pablo, Toots and the Maytals, Desmond Dekker, Sly & Robbie, Dennis Bovell, Don Letts and members of the Specials, as well as first-hand anecdotes of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.

Brian Holland, Edward Holland, and Lamont Dozier, known as Holland-Dozier-Holland or H-D-H, were the greatest songwriting team in American pop music history. This is their story.

Seventy of the songs they wrote reached the Billboard Top 40, with 15 of these reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. No other songwriting team or individual has come close to equaling, let alone surpassing, this record. They’ve been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

As tunesmiths for the legendary Motown Record Corporation, and for their own corporations, Invictus Records and Hot Wax Records, they wrote and produced hits for Diana Ross and the Supremes, including “Baby Love,” “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “Where Did Our Love Go,” “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “I Hear a Symphony,” “Come See About Me,” “Back in My Arms Again” and “Reflections.”

Now the legendary composers are ready to reveal the inspirations and stories behind their chart-topping hits, providing millions of fans with the first complete history of their songwriting process, and detail the real-life experiences that led them to write each of their most famous tunes. They will also reveal their creative and intimate relationships with Motown’s biggest stars.

Marty Stuart's tenth studio album, The Pilgrim, was released 1999. The risky and ambitious concept project—based on true events that transpired in his hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi—was a turning point in Marty's unique artistry. While not a commercial success at the time, The Pilgrim represents a rediscovery of his roots and a creative rebirth that continues to reverberate today as we celebrate the album's twentieth anniversary.

From the art direction, to the eccentric narrative, to the participation of iconic performers such as Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, George Jones, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, and Connie Smith, The Pilgrim somehow managed to connect with the deepest spirit of country music's rich traditions while also breaking new ground.

It's impossible to understand Marty Stuart without understanding what led to The Pilgrim and how it has shaped who he is today as an uncompromising artist and an unflinching evangelist for pure country music.

Presented here is a lushly illustrated coffee table book that's about much more than just one landmark album. It's about art, discovery, artistic integrity, and a vision that set Marty Stuart on a new path. Also included with the book is a CD of the original album and unreleased bonus material.

As part of Motown's legendary songwriting and production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, Lamont Dozier is responsible for such classics as "Baby I Need Your Loving," "You Can't Hurry Love," "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "Heat Wave," "Baby Love," "It's the Same Old Song," "Nowhere to Run," "You Keep Me Hanging On," "Reach Out I'll Be There," "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)," and many more.

After leaving Motown, he continued to make his mark as an influential songwriter, artist, and producer with hits such as "Give Me Just a Little More Time," "Band of Gold," and "Two Hearts," a chart-topping Phil Collins single that earned the pair an Academy Award nomination and a Grammy win.

In How Sweet It Is Lamont takes us behind the scenes of the Motown machine, sharing personal stories of his encounters with such icons as Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and Berry Gordy. He reveals the moments that inspired some of his timeless songs—and pulls back the curtain on the studio secrets that helped him and his colleagues create "the sound of young America." From his early years of struggle growing up in Detroit to the triumphs and tragedies that have marked his personal and professional path, at the center of Lamont's story is the heart of a true songwriter.

Though he's racked up well over 100 Top 10 singles on the Billboard charts, been inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and has been named among Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time," Lamont continues to write music every day.

Having pursued the mystery of the songwriting muse for many years, his stories are interwoven with invaluable insights and wisdom on the art and craft of songwriting that will inspire the creative spark in all of us.

This exclusive Deluxe Edition is hand signed by Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and David Crosby. Additionally, it’s hand-numbered and limited to 795 copies worldwide. It is the only edition of the book signed by the three authors and housed in a deluxe slipcase. 

As with the other editions of the book, it’s printed in Italy on 200gsm premium art paper, and features quality thread-sew binding and quarter-bound casing. When the Byrds released “Mr. Tambourine Man” in 1965, they introduced Bob Dylan’s songs to a new audience and launched a career that would make them among the most influential rock bands of all time. With their unmistakable harmonies and Roger McGuinn’s innovative 12-string Rickenbacker guitar, the Byrds never stopped experimenting. They incorporated folk, country, and jazz, influences into a fresh blend that helped define an era. “And not to be too shallow,” Tom Petty once wrote, “but they also were just the best-dressed band around. They had those great clothes and hairdos.”

In 2022 the band’s three surviving founding members - Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and David Crosby - came together to present The Byrds: 1964-1967, a large format tabletop book that offers a unique visual history of the group. Featuring more than 500 images from legendary photographers such as Henry Diltz, Barry Feinstein, Curt Gunther, Jim Marshall, Linda McCartney, Tom Gundelfinger O’Neal, and Guy Webster, the book also includes restored images from the Columbia Records archives and the personal archives of the band’s original manager. Accompanied by a running commentary of their memories of the group, the era, one another, and their late compatriots Gene Clark and Michael Clarke, this carefully crafted volume is a truly unique collector’s item for Byrds fans.

Hand-signed by the legendary Iron Maiden guitarist, Adrian Smith.

Adrian Smith got hooked on fishing as a child growing up in East London, plundering ponds and bomb craters on the Hackney Marshes for newts and sticklebacks, and catching perch from the Grand Union Canal while on outings with his father. And then things began to get more exotic.

The young angling enthusiast grew up to become lead guitarist in one of the most successful rock bands in history, and started traveling the world playing to millions of fans. But once a fisherman, always a fisherman. The gear went with him; the fish got bigger; the adventures more extreme. 

 Welcome to the world of Adrian Smith, as he clocks in to his day job furthering the geographical boundaries of hard rock, and clocks out to explore far-flung rivers, seas, waterways, lakes, and pools on his fearless quest for fishing nirvana. His first sturgeon was a whopping 100-pounder from Canada’s swirling Fraser River that nearly wiped him out mid-Maiden tour. And how about the close shave with a large shark off the Virgin Islands while wading waist-deep for bonefish? Not to mention an enviable list of specimen coarse fish from the UK. 

It's a lifetime adventure in fishing.

This exclusive Deluxe Edition is hand signed by Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman. Additionally, it’s hand-numbered and limited to 1600 copies worldwide. It is the only edition of the book signed by two of the three authors and housed in a deluxe slipcase. 

As with the other editions of the book, it’s printed in Italy on 200gsm premium art paper, and features quality thread-sew binding and quarter-bound casing. When the Byrds released “Mr. Tambourine Man” in 1965, they introduced Bob Dylan’s songs to a new audience and launched a career that would make them among the most influential rock bands of all time. With their unmistakable harmonies and Roger McGuinn’s innovative 12-string Rickenbacker guitar, the Byrds never stopped experimenting. They incorporated folk, country, and jazz, influences into a fresh blend that helped define an era. “And not to be too shallow,” Tom Petty once wrote, “but they also were just the best-dressed band around. They had those great clothes and hairdos.”

In 2022 the band’s three surviving founding members - Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and David Crosby - came together to present The Byrds: 1964-1967, a large format tabletop book that offers a unique visual history of the group. Featuring more than 500 images from legendary photographers such as Henry Diltz, Barry Feinstein, Curt Gunther, Jim Marshall, Linda McCartney, Tom Gundelfinger O’Neal, and Guy Webster, the book also includes restored images from the Columbia Records archives and the personal archives of the band’s original manager. Accompanied by a running commentary of their memories of the group, the era, one another, and their late compatriots Gene Clark and Michael Clarke, this carefully crafted volume is a truly unique collector’s item for Byrds fans.

Released 50 years ago, and celebrated in this new book, the Zombies' final album Odessey and Oracle is a masterpiece of '60s rock.

"I remember first hearing 'She’s Not There' on the radio in my bedroom. So ethereal. So spooky ... the DJ said it was The Zombies from England. 'Of course,' I thought. 'That is exactly what a zombie rock group would sound like.'” - Tom Petty

To mark the 50th anniversary of the recording of their classic Odessey and Oracle album, The Zombies have assembled an eclectic collection of rare and unseen photos, original artwork and personal memories that offer readers an intimate snapshot of one of the more influential bands to emerge from the UK music scene of the 1960s.

The superbly illustrated book includes handwritten lyrics for 22 songs. From early hits “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No,” through every song on Odessey and Oracle—including the hit single “Time of the Season” —and all the way up to today, each selection is accompanied by a running oral history by original band members Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Chris White and Hugh Grundy.

Renowned artist Terry Quirk, who created the look of Odessey and Oracle, designed the book’s cover and contributed new artwork throughout, while Vivienne Boucherat created a unique piece of art to accompany each of the 22 songs. Additionally, The Odessey is rich with reflections from music journalists, friends and fans, including Tom Petty, who wrote the foreword, Brian Wilson, Carlos Santana, Susanna Hoffs, Paul Weller, Graham Nash, Clive Davis, Nate Ruess of FUN and members of Cage the Elephant and Beach House.

Sixteen Tons is the true story of Country Music Hall of Fame member Merle Travis, a brilliant, multi-talented and deeply troubled artist who is widely considered a genius. A world-class guitarist who dazzled audiences with his Kentucky thumb-picking style that came to be known as “Travis-picking,” Merle was also a pioneering country songwriter who wrote such classics as “Divorce Me C.O.D.,” “So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed,” “Dark as a Dungeon,” and “Sixteen Tons.” Additionally, he was responsible for early electric guitar innovations in the 1940s, and was a gifted actor, writer, and cartoonist, among many other talents.

This definitive portrait of Travis’s life and career is the result of a recently-discovered treasure trove of Merle’s unpublished autobiographical writings, which have been fleshed out with an immersive deep-dive biography by researcher and musical historian Deke Dickerson.

Sixteen Tons details the highs of a career that began with a string of nine straight Top 5 singles in the 1940s, and the lows of a lifelong struggle with alcoholism that developed into an addiction to pills that nearly killed Merle when he was running with Johnny Cash in the late 1950s. Travis ultimately reemerged to become a Grammy-winning artist who inspired millions with his creative stage presence and unparalleled guitar recordings.

A unique hybrid of posthumous memoir and unflinching biographical study, Sixteen Tons is the long overdue final word on the life and career of an inimitably talented American music legend.

Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith got hooked on fishing as a child growing up in East London, plundering ponds and bomb craters on the Hackney Marshes for newts and sticklebacks, and catching perch from the Grand Union Canal while on outings with his father.

And then things began to get more exotic.

The young angling enthusiast grew up to become lead guitarist in one of the most successful rock bands in history, and started traveling the world playing to millions of fans. But once a fisherman, always a fisherman. The gear went with him; the fish got bigger; the adventures more extreme.

Welcome to the world of Adrian Smith, as he clocks in to his day job furthering the geographical boundaries of hard rock, and clocks out to explore far-flung rivers, seas, waterways, lakes, and pools on his fearless quest for fishing nirvana. His first sturgeon was a whopping 100-pounder from Canada’s swirling Fraser River that nearly wiped him out mid-Maiden tour. And how about the close shave with a large shark off the Virgin Islands while wading waist-deep for bonefish? Not to mention an enviable list of specimen coarse fish from the UK. It's a lifetime adventure in fishing.

Award winning songwriter, musician, author, playwright, poet, visual artist, and Appalachian Renaissance man Billy Edd Wheeler is best known for penning "Jackson," which was popularized by Johnny Cash and June Carter with their Grammy-winning recording from 1967. In addition to his own albums and singles as a highly regarded singer/songwriter (including the Top 5 hit, "Ode to the Little Brown Shack Out Back"), Billy Edd has penned numerous songs for artists such as Elvis Presley, Judy Collins, The Kingston Trio, Neil Young, and Kenny Rogers.

Wheeler's memoir is populated by a fascinating cast of characters which he encountered on his journey. Songwriting changed his life, bringing him a long lasting career that saw the birth of classic tunes such as "The Reverend Mr. Black," "High Flyin' Bird," "The Coming of the Roads," "It's Midnight," "Coal Tattoo," and others.

Peppered with the folksy wisdom of his beloved Appalachia, Hotter Than a Pepper Sprout is like pulling a chair up next to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer by a warm fire; you won't want to leave.

As a co-founder of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, Chris Hillman is arguably the primary architect of what's come to be known as country rock. He went on to record and perform in various configurations, including as a member of Stephen Stills's Manassas and as a co-founder of The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. In the 1980s he formed The Desert Rose Band, scoring eight Top 10 Billboard country hits. He's released a number of solo efforts, including 2017's highly acclaimed Bidin' My Time—the final album produced by the late Tom Petty.

In Time Between, Hillman shares his quintessentially Southern Californian experience, from an idyllic, rural 1950s childhood; to achieving worldwide fame thanks to hits such as "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and "Eight Miles High"; to becoming the first musician to move to Laurel Canyon.

Featuring behind-the-scenes insights on his time in The Byrds, his productive but sometimes complicated relationship with Gram Parsons, his role in launching the careers of Buffalo Springfield and Emmylou Harris, and the ups and downs of life in various bands, music is only part of his story.

Within the pages of Time Between, Hillman reveals the details of his personal life with candor and vulnerability, writing honestly about the shocking tragedy that struck his family when he was a teenager, his subsequent struggles with anger, and how his spiritual journey led him to a place of deep faith that allowed him to extend forgiveness and experience wholeness. Chris Hillman is much more than a rock star. He is truly a founding father of American music and a man who has faced down the challenges of life to discover what really matters.

From growing up in Texas, to living in his car, to landing his first publishing deal, to writing fifteen #1 songs, Word for Word is a lavishly illustrated look at the lyrics of an icon among songwriting giants.

Emmylou Harris—who once employed Rodney Crowell as the guitarist, harmony singer, and arranger in her legendary Hot Band—introduced many listeners to his finely-crafted songs, including “Til I Gain Control Again,” “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight,” “I Ain’t Living Long Like This,” “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues,” and “Ashes by Now.” They all went on to be become hits for other performers, while Crowell went on to carve out a career as the first country singer to earn five #1 singles from one album.

Rodney continued writing and recording classics, such as “Lovin’ All Night,” “I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried” (which was nominated for a Best Country Song Grammy), and “After All This Time” (which was nominated for both CMA and ACM Song of the Year and won a Grammy for Best Country Song). And other artists continued to take his songs to the top of the charts, including Bob Seger’s recording of “Shame on the Moon,” The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper’s Dream),” Tim McGraw’s recording of “Please Remember Me,” and Keith Urban’s cover of “Making Memories of Us.” By the early 2000s, Crowell was already a legend. But the poetic songs continued to flow as he became the embodiment of the growing Americana movement and continued to release new material that can be considered among his best work.

In this disarmingly intimate look at Crowell’s songs, he shares pages from his lyric notebooks, personal photographs, scribbles, and correspondence, alongside his memories and stories of some of the songs that have defined his life and career. Experiencing Word for Word is experiencing the heart of one of this generation’s finest songwriters.

Wanda Jackson's debut single, "You Can't Have My Love," reached the Top 10 while she was still a sixteen-year-old high school student. She hit the road after graduation, playing package shows with Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley, who gave Wanda his ring and asked her to be "his girl." With Presley's encouragement, the Oklahoma native began recording rock music, often releasing singles with country on one side and rock on the other during her decade-and-a-half tenure on Capitol Records.

Known for her energetic stage shows and pioneering presence as a female artist, Wanda stormed the charts with a series of hit singles, including "Let's Have a Party," "Right or Wrong," and "In the Middle of a Heartache." With more than 40 albums to her credit, Wanda has proven to be an enduring and genre-defying legend of American music.

In Every Night is Saturday Night, Wanda tells her own story of getting discovered by Country Music Hall of Famer Hank Thompson; why she refused to return to The Grand Ole Opry for more than fifty years; the challenges she and her integrated band, The Party Timers, faced in the early 1960s; finding the love of her life; her recent work with rock luminaries Jack White and Joan Jett; and how her deep faith has sustained her over more than seven decades of rocking, shocking, and thrilling audiences around the globe.

Known for the classics "Knock on Wood," "634-5789," "Raise Your Hand," "Big Bird," and "I've Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)," among others, Eddie Floyd's career as a soul legend spans over sixty years. His professional singing career began in Detroit in the 1950s as a founding member of the Falcons, considered "The First Soul Group."

A solo artist and songwriter for Memphis's famed Stax Records from 1966 until 1975, Floyd has subsequently been the singer for the Blues Brothers Band and for Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, while continuing to perform and record solo.

In Knock! Knock! Knock! On Wood, Floyd recounts how a three-year stint in an Alabama reform school shaped his young life; recalls the early years of R&B in Detroit alongside future Motown and Stax legends; discusses the songwriting sessions with Steve Cropper and Booker T. Jones that produced his biggest hits; addresses his complicated life-long relationship with the often-unpredictable Wilson Pickett; shares his memories of friend Otis Redding; reveals his unlikely involvement in the rise of southern rock darlings Lynyrd Skynyrd; and offers an insider perspective on the tragic downfall of Stax Records.

With input from Bruce Springsteen, Bill Wyman, Paul Young, William Bell, Steve Cropper, and others, Knock! Knock! Knock! On Wood captures Eddie's tireless work ethic and warm personality for an engrossing first-hand account of one of the last true soul survivors.

It’s Chris Jagger’s turn to lift the lid on one of the most colorful and exotic periods in British cultural history. He unrolls an insider’s tale of growing up among the bombsites and ration books of post-war Dartford, weaving through the glittery underground of late 1960s countercultural London, and spending months in India before most trod that path. He covers the highs and lows of acting and film work, and the pursuit of his own unique musical adventures that have resulted in a number of albums and gigs across the world. Ultimately though it’s the beguiling story of a close-knit family and deep brotherly ties.

The London-based Ready, Steady, Go! began broadcasting in August of 1963 and, within a matter of weeks, became an essential television ritual for the newly confident British teenager. It set trends and became the barometer for popular culture by attracting and presenting anyone who was anyone in popular music: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, The Animals, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Otis Redding, and many more.

RSG! also provided the first small screen exposure for then-unknowns such as Rod Stewart, Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Donovan, and Jimi Hendrix.

Ready, Steady, Go! ran for three and a half years, setting a blueprint for music presentation and production on television that resonated over the following decades and can still be felt today.

Featured in this lavishly illustrated and definitive history of the show are hundreds of color and black and white images—the bulk of them previously unpublished—as well as exclusive essays by Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Ray Davies, Eric Burdon, Donovan, Andrew Oldham, Lulu, and others.

Also included is a detailed guide to all 173 episodes—with complete artist appearances and the songs they performed—as well as forewords from the show's original editor Vicki Wickham and acclaimed director Michael Lindsay-Hogg.

This is the first full documentation of the show that went from quintessential Swinging London accessory to its current status as the most legendary popular music program of all time.

A large-format 400-page collectible art book curated by the band’s three surviving founding members.

When the Byrds released “Mr. Tambourine Man” in 1965, they introduced Bob Dylan’s songs to a new audience and launched a career that would make them among the most influential rock bands of all time. With their unmistakable harmonies and Roger McGuinn’s innovative 12-string Rickenbacker guitar, the Byrds never stopped experimenting. They incorporated folk, country, and jazz, influences into a fresh blend that helped define an era. “And not to be too shallow,” Tom Petty once wrote, “but they also were just the best-dressed band around. They had those great clothes and hairdos.”

Now the band’s three surviving founding members - Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and David Crosby - have come together to present The Byrds: 1964-1967, a large format tabletop book that offers a unique visual history of the group. Featuring more than 500 images from legendary photographers such as Henry Diltz, Barry Feinstein, Curt Gunther, Jim Marshall, Linda McCartney, Tom Gundelfinger O’Neal, and Guy Webster, the book also includes restored images from the Columbia Records archives and the personal archives of the band’s original manager. Accompanied by a running commentary of their memories of the group, the era, one another, and their late compatriots Gene Clark and Michael Clarke, this carefully crafted volume is a truly unique collector’s item for Byrds fans.

From growing up in Texas, to living in his car, to landing his first publishing deal, to writing fifteen #1 songs, Word for Word is a lavishly illustrated look at the lyrics of an icon among songwriting giants. This exclusive hand-numbered and hand-signed deluxe edition is limited to 1500 copies worldwide and comes housed in a deluxe slipcase.

Emmylou Harris—who once employed Rodney Crowell as the guitarist, harmony singer, and arranger in her legendary Hot Band—introduced many listeners to his finely-crafted songs, including “Til I Gain Control Again,” “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight,” “I Ain’t Living Long Like This,” “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues,” and “Ashes by Now.” They all went on to be become hits for other performers, while Crowell went on to carve out a career as the first country singer to earn five #1 singles from one album.

Rodney continued writing and recording classics, such as “Lovin’ All Night,” “I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried” (which was nominated for a Best Country Song Grammy), and “After All This Time” (which was nominated for both CMA and ACM Song of the Year and won a Grammy for Best Country Song). And other artists continued to take his songs to the top of the charts, including Bob Seger’s recording of “Shame on the Moon,” The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper’s Dream),” Tim McGraw’s recording of “Please Remember Me,” and Keith Urban’s cover of “Making Memories of Us.” By the early 2000s, Crowell was already a legend. But the poetic songs continued to flow as he became the embodiment of the growing Americana movement and continued to release new material that can be considered among his best work.

In this disarmingly intimate look at Crowell’s songs, he shares pages from his lyric notebooks, personal photographs, scribbles, and correspondence, alongside his memories and stories of some of the songs that have defined his life and career. Experiencing Word for Word is experiencing the heart of one of this generation’s finest songwriters.

"Some time ago a crazy dream came to me…."

Perhaps the only subject more fascinating than the mysterious world of dreams is the mysterious world of Bob Dylan. Dreaming of Dylan brings the two together for a weird and wonderful romp through the ways the mercurial musical master shows up in our subconscious states.

Celebrated writer and musician Mary Lee Kortes, who once earned high praise from the Bard himself for her song-by-song recording of his classic Blood on the Tracks LP, lovingly gathered and curated this aesthetically stunning off-kilter collection of nocturnal visions. Paired with over 100 original images and illustrations, these dreams will captivate you in ways you never expected.

Bob Dylan once sang "I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours." And be in them he has! There are plenty of musical dreamers here, from the incomparable Patti Smith to Squirrel Nut Zippers frontman Jimbo Mathus to Kevin Odegard, whose guitar is heard on the memorable intro to "Tangled Up in Blue," to renowned drummer Will Rigby. Not to mention the everyday dreamers, from plumbers to poets to pastors, who appear alongside dentists, attorneys, and psychotherapists. Some dreams are poignant; some are disturbing; some are touching; and others are nothing short of bizarre. Taken together they're an enthralling look at what the famously enigmatic singer/songwriter represents in the deepest recesses of our minds. You may have read books about Bob Dylan, but you've never read a book like this. Like a great Dylan song, you'll return to many of these passages again and again to untangle their rich layers of meaning. Or simply to have a little fun.

In 2011, Janet Devlin wowed X-Factor judges and charmed the nation with her unique vocals and performances. She consistently received the highest consecutive public vote out of all the contestants and gained a place on the live arena tour. But rather than this steering her towards greater musical success, Janet faced numerous challenges which almost cost her her career...

"Believe it or not, you’re holding my life in your hands. Not the picture-perfect version we’ve all become accustomed to, thanks to social media. This is my life as I’ve lived it – no filters.

Each chapter in this book unlocks the truth behind a song from my album Confessional. They span ten years of intense self-discovery married with a lot of self-sabotage. My broken brain has taken me to dark places both in my own head and in the real world. But, with destruction comes creation. I genuinely hope that My Confessional does not personally resonate with you and that you’ve not been to the same Hell that I’ve come to call Home, but if you have let my life be proof that it all works out in the end. I see now that the world is truly what we make of it and that everything happens for a reason. Or, at least, that’s what I tell myself.

Here lyeth my confessional of the sins I want so much to be free from and to finally forgive myself for what I’ve done.

I confess.

Janet Devlin"

Anita Pallenberg, instantly recognisable as a member of The Rolling Stones’ rock ’n’ roll circus in the Sixties and Seventies, was no docile groupie. Fluent in four languages, she partied with the jet set in Rome, met Warhol, Ginsberg and Ferlinghetti in New York, was at home with London’s leading lights of popular culture and went on to star in over a dozen films, perhaps most notably in Performance.

A German-Italian rebel and social phenomenon, Anita consistently gravitated towards the next wave of movers and shakers. Full of extraordinary adventures with the rich and famous, as well as her personal triumphs and tragedies, She’s a Rainbow delves deep into her fascinating and moving story – for the first time ever.

Pallenberg epitomised the hedonistic counter-culture world of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll during the sixties and seventies; muse to the Rolling Stones and star of enduring cult movies like Barbarella and Performance, this is Anita's incredible story of excess, art, motherhood and her often unknown influence on one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

"How Anita came to be with Brian is really the story of how the Stones became the Stones. She almost single-handedly engineered a cultural revolution in London by bringing together the Stones and the jeunesse dorée… The Stones came away with a patina of aristocratic decadence that served as a perfect counterfoil to the raw roots blues of their music. This…transformed the Stones from pop stars into cultural icons." —Marianne Faithfull.

A Continual Farewell tells the story of the relationship between Factory Records’ Tony Wilson and his first wife, Lindsay Reade, through their letters, Factory Records memorabilia and numerous family photos and snapshots. Many are typed on Factory notepaper, or are scrawled on pages from various studios and hotels.

They begin in the punk year of 1976 from love at first sight to marriage, from a music show entitled So It Goes to the formation of Factory and the Hacienda, across domestic infidelities, separation, stalled reconciliations and a brutal sacking.

After all that, when the reader would doubt any recovery was possible, the letters describe a renewed but now illicit love affair of former marriage partners. And beyond that, to a lasting friendship.

Just how the King's Road in London came to be a focal point for multiple cultural shifts is a classic rise-and-fall story of satisfaction and sedition, featuring some of the most famous people of the last fifty years, and also many of the pivotal moments of decades of the 50s, 60s and 70s.

The King's Road in Chelsea was at the epicenter of not one but two worldwide cultural shifts. In the mid-sixties, it became a focal point and shop window for the new 'swinging' London, encompassing music, the visual arts, fashion and much more. It remained continuously at the forefront of developing trends throughout the following decade until it was the key breeding-ground for punk rock, whose sound, look and attitudes continue to shape global notions of youthful rebellion almost thirty years later. In short, it was the place to be.

As a laboratory and showcase for the emerging youth-orientated scene, it became the favored habitat of several generations of pop-culture prime movers. The Sex Pistols may have sacked bass player Glen Matlock in 1977 for 'liking the Beatles', but the street in its day had also been a regular haunt for the likes of Paul McCartney and Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd. Like Paris in the twenties, or Hollywood in the thirties, during the time between the formation of the Rolling Stones and the demise of the Sex Pistols the King's Road had the attention of the world.

By 1983, many of Scotland’s post-punk bands had broken up or moved south to chase the major labels in London. That vacuum was filled by an influx of young musicians who were determined to remake the scene in their own image.

In this compelling and dynamic oral history, Grant McPhee chronicles the radical transformation of Scotland’s independent music scene from 1983-1995. Including archival photos and drawing from over 100 interviews with the key players of the time, Grant McPhee allows them to set the scene in their own words; including the Cocteau Twins, Shop Assistants, Teenage Fanclub, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream and many more.

Postcards from Scotland is the definitive story of the radicals, misfits and experimentalists who made independent music what it is today.

With an incredible blues career spanning over sixty years, which rightly earned him the title "The Godfather of British Blues," John shares his experiences and encounters in what will be a must read autobiography for any true blues fans.

John Mayall played with them all; Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jack Bruce, Mick Fleetwood, Mick Taylor, Andy Fraser... the list goes on. John continued to tour all over the world and perform to sell-out crowds well into his 80s.

John Mayall's story is like no other in the annals of rock and blues. Born in the UK in 1933, he laid the foundations of British blues, nurtured a generation of future superstars and then took the music back to the land of its birth.

This extraordinary autobiography offers a vivid glimpse of Britain well before the rock revolution of the sixties, at a time when young men like John found themselves conscripted for national service that, in his case, included eighteen months in Korea. What followed when he returned was an odyssey of musical trail-blazing. 

From Manchester, England, to Laurel Canyon in California, and many points in between, John's account of his long life is both affectionate and compelling - a guided tour through more than sixty years of the music business and its stars, brought to vivid life by one of its undisputed pioneers.

Tom Petty has long been considered one of the great songwriters of American rock 'n' roll, as well as one of the key standard bearers of integrity in the music business.

Author Paul Zollo conducted a series of in-depth discussions with Tom about his career, with special focus on his songwriting. The conversations are reprinted here with little or no editorial comment and represent a unique perspective on Tom's entire career.

Originally published in 2005, Tom's wife Dana has fully approved this updated edition, which retains its foreword by Petty, adds additional interview material, an expanded introduction as well as additional photos from Petty's last ever live performance. This is, perhaps, as close as you can get to an autobiography by the great man.

Emerging onto the punk scene at just 18 years old, inspired by an early encounter with the Sex Pistols, Pauline details how she played alongside the leading bands of the era, navigated the demands of the music industry, conquered the post-punk landscape with the Invisible Girls, opened her own music studios and reformed Penetration in 2001.

Highly illustrated with unseen photographs and drawing upon Pauline’s teenage diaries, interviews and archive material from her personal collection, this book chronicles the life and work of an authentic creative artist and punk rock legend.

In the fifties and sixties, in the period leading up to the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality and the founding of the Gay Liberation movement, a group of gay men behind the scenes of rock’n’roll was changing pop, politics and society for good.

Through a mix of new interviews and contemporary reports, Darryl W. Bullock shines a light on the lives of the so-called ‘Velvet Mafia’, including impresario Larry Parnes, Beatles manager Brian Epstein, songwriter Lionel Bart, record producer Joe Meek, and Bee Gees and Cream manager Robert Stigwood.

The Velvet Mafia explores how the LGBT professionals at the heart of the music industry were working together and supporting each other at a time when being homosexual could mean the end of your career – or much worse.

An expansive and illuminating account of the development of electronic music, told with passionate enthusiasm by Matthew Collin, the critically-acclaimed author of Altered State and Rave On.

Dream Machines tracks the music’s evolution from early avant-garde experiments after World War Two through psychedelia, art-rock and synth-pop to electronic dance music, sampling and the techno era. As well as profiling the sonic futurists who pioneered new styles, it documents the scenes and underground movements that built a thrillingly diverse electronic music culture in its formative decades.

Based on interviews with key players and a wealth of in-depth research, Dream Machines explores genres as diverse as space rock, electro-pop, ambient, dub, industrial music, prog, electro, hip-hop, hi-NRG and house, highlighting how developments in electronic music were shaped by changes in society as well as technological advances.

'Whatever I did, at least I meant it . . .' Gary Moore

White Knuckles chronicles the personal and professional journey of one of rock's most influential musicians: Gary Moore.

Born in Belfast and rising to conquer some of the world's biggest stages, the guitarist-singer-songwriter enjoyed spells with the likes of rock giants Thin Lizzy before becoming a successful solo artist in his own right.

Moore's solo career spanned three decades and millions of album sales until his untimely passing in 2011. Balancing biography with a critical analysis of Moore's songs and guitar style, White Knuckles explores the evolution of Gary Moore's music, from progressive rock and jazz fusion to metal and pure blues.

It also examines his friendships and artistic collaborations with the likes of George Harrison, Philip Lynott, Peter Green, Rory Gallagher, Cream's Jack Bruce and many more. Based on interviews with Moore's friends, colleagues and fellow musicians, this definitive work catalogues the life and oeuvre of a true legend.

From bass player to lead guitarist, singer and last remaining founding member, Steve Diggle has been the driving force keeping Buzzcocks alive since he first met Pete Shelley in 1976. Together they would ignite the Manchester music scene, kickstart indie and become one of the best loved and most influential punk groups of all time.

Following Shelley’s untimely death in 2018, Autonomy is Diggle’s definitive inside account of their shared musical legacy and complex friendship through the band’s rise, fall, and rise again – from their punk origins supporting Sex Pistols with original singer Howard Devoto to Top of the Pops, the excess of success, break-up, reformation and life beyond bereavement.

Funny, honest and touchingly philosophical, it is also Diggle’s very personal story of working class escape, dreams, redemption and loss – an ultimately heroic survivor’s tale from an irrepressible rock ’n’ roll spirit.

This new edition features numerous extra photographs and a new Foreword from Brian May

The original edition of this revered and authorised Queen biography explored every aspect of the legendary group’s career from inception to 1992. Newly revised and updated with cooperation and insight from Brian May and Roger Taylor – and drawing on exclusive interviews with the bandmembers – this book completes the story of the Mercury era and the immediate years after his death. 

This book features the images from Pink Floyd's album sleeves and promotional material designed for the group. It features almost all Pink Floyd's iconic album covers, posters, singles bags, a selection of band photos, booklet pages and rough artwork that developed into iconic designs. This new edition incorporates an additional 32 pages of material used in re-issues created since 2007.

Storm Thorgerson, who died in 2013, was a world-famous designer whose memoirs of his time spent with Pink Floyd are combined with all the artwork he created to represent the band at each stage of their career.

Storm revisited the work he created for the albums and offers insights into the work that went into the creation of this legendary album art. Designers who worked with Storm have all contributed to this new edition of Mind Over Matter. Amongst the new material is artwork from the Oh By The Way box set, the Atom Heart Mother 40th Anniversary 'Wire Cow' sculpture, the Why Pink Floyd? Campaign and the Dark Side Of The Moon 40th Anniversary images and stickers.

Poly Styrene was many things: a pop star, a punk, a songwriter, a single mother, a woman of colour, a Hare Krishna convert and an artist, but she is best known as the singer of X-Ray Spex. Dayglo! is the definitive statement on Poly Styrene as an artist.

Poly Styrene was a singer-songwriter, an artist, a free-thinker, a post-modern style pioneer and a lifelong spiritual seeker: a true punk icon. But this rebel queen with the cheeky grin was also a latter-day pop artist with a wickedly perceptive gift for satirising the world around her - her brightly coloured, playful aesthetic sharply at odds with the stark monochrome style and nihilism of punk.

Here, for the first time, the vibrant jigsaw of Poly's inspiring and often moving story has been lovingly pieced together by her daughter, singer-songwriter Celeste Bell, and writer/artist Zoë Howe.

From growing up mixed-race in London in the 1960s, to being at the forefront of the emerging punk scene with X-Ray Spex in the 1970s, to finding faith with the Hare Krishna movement, to balancing single motherhood with a solo music career and often debilitating mental health issues, the book honestly and openly explores Poly's exceptional life, up until her untimely passing in 2011.

Based on interviews with those who knew and loved Poly whether personally or through music, this oral history book includes testimonies from Vivienne Westwood, Don Letts, Glen Matlock, Jonathan Ross, Neneh Cherry, The Slits' Tessa Pollitt, Thurston Moore, Jon Savage, and many others.

Heavily illustrated throughout including personal photographs, flyers from the punk scene and hand-drawn artwork and lyrics for X-Ray Spex and beyond the book beautifully captures Poly Styrene's creative and personal legacy, reminding us that if anyone had the power to turn our worlds dayglo, it was her.

Starring the Grammy award winning filmmaker, rock star, dj, radio broadcaster, social commentator, husband and father Don Letts, There And Black Again takes in many lives and places.

It is written as scenes from a movie shot on location in London, Kingston, New York, Los Angeles, Windhoek, Salt Lake City, and Goldeneye. Co-starring a cast of hundreds, including Joe Strummer, John Lydon, Bob Marley, Chrissie Hynde, Chris Blackwell, Paul McCartney, Nelson Mandela, Keith Richards, Pattie Smith, Chuck D.,McLaren, and Westwood, etc., it takes in major cultural movements from skinhead through punk to Black Lives Matter, and includes scenes of civil unrest, live music, humour, and political struggle.

There And Black Again describes in clear-eyed detail a life of work and love, of battles against prejudice and negativity, of failures and great successes. It describes a six-decade journey through sound and vision which has left a unique body of award-winning work in film, television, and music.

This incredible collection of photos, shot by Darren and Elliott Bloom between 2005 and 2011, chronicles the troubled career of a legendary singer who tragically died at the age of 27. These images capture the highs and lows of a hugely talented but flawed young woman, whose every move attracted the attention of the press.

In Amy: A Life Through The Lens all aspects of Amy Winehouse's life are covered as she enthusiastically talks to fans, inhabits London's clubs and pubs, and browses in neon-lit convenience stores, whilst also revealing an artist troubled by substance abuse and ill-judged relationships. Darren and Elliott Bloom's family knew the Winehouse family and this connection gave them a unique opportunity to work alongside Amy. As her fame grew, the Bloom brothers became Amy's 'official' paparazzi in the hope of clawing back some control over the media feeding frenzy. Many of their images appeared in the acclaimed 2015 Oscar-winning documentary 'Amy'.

Spanning over decades, this is the remarkable, heartfelt memoir from Abdul 'Duke' Fakir, the last surviving member of The Four Tops.

Amidst a backdrop of Detroit, I'll Be There features revealing anecdotes from the group's formation, their early days as backup singers for the likes of Jackie Wilson, and their years working with Berry Gordy at the legendary Motown Records.

With era-defining number ones like 'I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)' and 'Reach Out I'll Be There' came stardom and also a more enduring reward: the love of four men who become tighter than brothers. Together they comprise one of the most celebrated R&B groups of all time. But remarkable musical success didn't spare Fakir the pain of marital distress, soured investment deals, struggles with sobriety, and the sudden loss of his brothers, all of which he covers in this confessional, unmissable book.

This richly illustrated oral history account of The Jam's rollercoaster final year, led principally by the voice of Jam drummer Rick Buckler, contains a number of previously unseen images and takes in everything from the recording and release of final studio album The Gift and the rigours of the road to the announcement of the split, the final tours, The Tube, and more.

In addition to Buckler's memories of this final year, The Jam 1982 also brings together testimonies from Gary Crowley, producer Peter Wilson, A&R manager Dennis Munday, photographer Neil 'Twink' Tinning, Eddie Piller, Paolo Hewitt, Mat Osman, Belle Stars singer Jennie Matthias ('The Bitterest Pill'), touring musicians Jamie Telford and Steve Nichol and others, to tell the tale of a single, fateful year: the year The Jam, for better or worse, went out at the very top of their game.

The complete lyrics of Syd Barrett – 52 songs written for Pink Floyd and during his subsequent solo career – are presented together for the first time, along with rare photos and artwork, to form this beautifully illustrated book. 

Despite just a three-year tenure with the band, co-founder Syd Barrett's influence on Pink Floyd was profound and long-lasting. If his guitar gave the early Pink Floyd a distinctive hallucinatory sound, his often obscure and surreal lyrics were perhaps even more intoxicating. 

Compiled in collaboration with the Syd Barrett estate, and featuring a foreword from former Pink Floyd manager Peter Jenner and a comprehensive introduction by biographer Rob Chapman, The Lyrics of Syd Barrett delves deep into one of rock'n'roll's most imaginative and searing minds.

Weighted Down is the first biography of the legendary '60s cult musician Skip Spence.

As a member of era-defining bands Moby Grape, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Jefferson Airplane, Spence played a large part in setting the agenda and aesthetic for many other groups of the era. His only solo album, the hugely psychedelic and occasionally challenging Oar, cemented his reputation, and he has since gone on to be celebrated by the likes of Tom Waits, Beck, and Robert Plant.

However, the musician's life was aggrieved by substance abuse, erratic behavior, and poor mental health. Cobb regards Spence's life as a whole, warts and all, from his visionary recordings, to his idiosyncratic personality and untimely death at the age of 52.

Skip Spence was a soldier, a rockstar, an innovator, an addict, a cult phenomenon, and a ward of the state. The characters in his story include Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, B.B. King, Neil Young and many more.

Spence's story is the story of the 60s, and one that has never been told in full. It's the story of San Francisco, the biggest bands in America, Columbia Records, The Hells Angels and rock 'n' roll mayhem.

Weighted Down is a first-hand narrative of Skip Spence, told by his friends, bandmates and family, and includes a trove of never-before-seen photographs.

This is the definitive account of the LGBTQ trailblazers of early blues and a fascinating consideration of the intersection between music and LGBTQ history, from the award-winning Darryl W. Bullock.

Queer Blues tells the story of the pioneering LGBTQ composers and entertainers that wrote, performed and recorded these wonderfully outlandish, life-affirming songs and chronicles, including: Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Josephine Baker to Frankie ‘Half-Pint’ Jaxon and many more.

Pride, Pop and Politics charts the development of gay culture and the rise of LGBTQ politics, from the formation of the Gay Liberation Front to the present day, through the music that provided the soundtrack.

Fifty years on from Britain’s first Pride march, the long road to LGBT equality continues. Through protest songs and gay club nights, street theatre activism and fundraising concerts, the performing arts have played an influential role in each great stride made.

With new interviews with musicians and DJs, performers and activists, including Andy Bell (Erasure), Jayne County, John Grant, Horse McDonald and Peter Tachell, Pride, Pop and Politics hears from those whose art has been influenced by the campaign for LGBT rights – and helped push it forward.

This informative, eye-opening book is the first to focus on the relationship between gay nightlife and political activism .

A major new biography of Joe Meek, the legendary maverick engineer, songwriter, artist manager and record producer. 

Joe Meek. Wayward genius; the British Phil Spector, the first producer to treat the recording studio as an instrument; head of one of the earliest independent record labels; creator of some of the most incredibly influential pop music ever, including ‘Telstar’, the first American number one single by a British band; and a man tormented by mental health issues and financial battles.

He was all these and more, as author Darryl W. Bullock reveals through numerous original interviews with friends and colleagues in his compelling biography of the legendary producer.

Love and Fury takes readers on a guided tour of Meek’s fabled Holloway Road studio, examines the recordings issued during his lifetime, looks at the wealth of unreleased material he left behind - the legendary Tea Chest tapes, rumoured to include recordings by David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Ray Davies of the Kinks and others – and examines that events which ultimately led to murder and suicide.

The fascinating true story of the year in which everything changed in the music business.

This is the story of a year in which the record business appeared to be firing on all cylinders, when the CD was at its commercial zenith, bringing in staggering sums of money for the global record business. The good times – and they were phenomenal times, both culturally and financially – looked like they would never end for record labels.

Yet by December 1999, a bomb had been squarely set under their core business. All was to change with the arrival of digital music delivery.

Eamonn will tell the true story and not simply the oft-repeated tale of an industry complacent and caught napping.

Written and Illustrated by Students of the Special Music School at the Kaufman Music Center, NY

Florence loved her mother’s piano playing and wanted to be just like her. When she was just four years old she played her first piano concert and as she grew up she studied and wrote music hoping one day to hear her own music performed by an orchestra.

The story of a brilliant musician who prevailed against race and gender prejudices to become the first Black woman to be recognised as a symphonic composer and be performed by a major American orchestra in 1933.

This is a day-by-day account of Bowie's life from the start of 1970 to the end of 1980, his golden era that defined his work as a major artist a dozen inspired studio albums, five major tours, two feature films and critically acclaimed theatrical performances in Chicago and New York. He reinvented stage presentation in rock and revived the careers of Mott The Hoople, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop.

David Bowie: The Golden Years chronicles in fascinating detail how it all unfolded, tracking Bowie s creative life from post- Space Oddity London in 1970, through the genesis of Ziggy Stardust, The Thin White Duke, his withdrawal to West Berlin and New York in 1980.

Informed by recollections from Bowie himself and his many collaborators, friends and associates of the time, the book illustrates how Bowie's influences and experiences shaped his extraordinary body of work, which in turn has inspired generations of musicians. David Bowie: The Golden Years features rare, unpublished and iconic photographs from a unique era in the private and professional life of one of rock s greatest and most enduring heroes.