Music biography & memoir

Paperback

The Silver River

Jim Moginie

A moving and inspiring memoir of families lost and rediscovered, by a founding member of legendary band Midnight Oil.

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Paperback

Madonna

Mary Gabriel

In this exceptional biography, Pulitzer Prize finalist Mary Gabriel chronicles the meteoric rise and enduring influence of the greatest female pop icon of the modern era: Madonna.

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Hardback

Songs from the Kitchen Table

Archie Roach, Ruby Hunter

The ultimate illustrated commemoration of iconic Australian musicians, Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter - including lyrics, stories, photographs and tributes.

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Paperback

Karma

Boy George

The definitive autobiography from Culture Club frontman and LGBTQ+ icon, Boy George

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Hardback

Lou Reed

Will Hermes

The most complete and penetrating biography of the rock master Lou Reed.

Since his death ten years ago, Lou Reed's stature and living presence have only grown. The great rock-poet…

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Paperback

George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle

Philip Norman

From the author of the million-copy selling Shout!: The Beatles in Their Generation and the bestselling John Lennon: The Life comes a revealing portrait of George Harrison, the most undervalued…

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Paperback

Straight from the Heart

Bonnie Tyler

The candid and heartfelt memoir of vocal powerhouse Bonnie Tyler

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Hardback

Unsung

Kate Ceberano

A beautiful illustrated memoir from beloved Australian musician Kate Ceberano, featuring her inspirational song lyrics, stories, paintings and embroidery, and celebrating four decades of songwriting and recording on the release…

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Paperback

Sonic Life

Thurston Moore

A study of a life lived in an environment of wild music and endless wonder, Sonic Life is the long-awaited memoir of iconic American musician and Sonic Youth frontman, Thurston…

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Hardback

Marr’s Guitars

Johnny Marr

A stunning photographic presentation of the guitars that defined the distinctive sounds and style of Johnny Marr with personal reflections and insights from the legendary guitarist himself.

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Hardback

The Woman in Me

Britney Spears

The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

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Paperback

Book of Life

Deborah Conway

A no-holds-barred memoir that charts the rise and fall - and rise - of one of Australia's most iconic music performers.

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Paperback

Sons of Beaches

Bill McDonough

Family, fame and tragedy, the story of Australian Crawl's Bill and Guy McDonough.

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Hardback

Energy Follows Thought

Willie Nelson, David Ritz, Mickey Raphael

"American icon Willie Nelson provides the stories behind the lyrics of 160 of his favorite songs, along with a dynamic assortment of never-before-seen photos and ephemera"--

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Hardback

Jimmy Little: A Yorta Yorta Man

Frances Peters-Little

In this first biography of the man and his music, Jimmy Little: A Yorta Yorta Man tells the incredible story of one of Australia's most acclaimed Aboriginal pop and country…

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Paperback

Woody Guthrie: A Life

Joe Klein

The classic biography of the hugely influential American folk singer who inspired a generation of songwriters, including Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.

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Paperback

Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

Sly Stone

The story, in his own words, of one of the most influential Black music legends of our time

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Paperback

Scattershot

Bernie Taupin

An evocative, clear-eyed, and revealing memoir by Bernie Taupin, the lyrical master and longtime collaborator of Elton John.

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Paperback

Nick Drake: The Life

Richard Morton Jack

The fully authorised biography of one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the twentieth century.

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Hardback

Beyond the Story

BTS, Myeongseok Kang

Published in celebration of BTS’s 10th Anniversary, and written over 3 years of in‑depth coverage, in interviews by Myeongseok Kang, BTS shares personal, behind-the-scenes stories of their journey so far.

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Paperback

Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You

Lucinda Williams

The beloved and iconic singer-songwriter and three-time Grammy winner opens up about her traumatic childhood in the Deep South, her years of being overlooked in the music industry, and the…

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Paperback

Half Deaf, Completely Mad: The Chaotic Genius of Australia’s Most Legendary Music Producer

Tony Cohen, John Olson

The music and mayhem behind the seminal sounds of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Models, Hunters & Collectors, The Saints, The Go-Betweens, Cold Chisel, The Cruel Sea and so…

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Paperback

Tell Me Why: The Story of My Life and My Music

Archie Roach

A powerful memoir of a true Australian legend: stolen child, musical and lyrical genius, and leader.

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Paperback

Dark Desert Highway

Mick Wall

The definitive story of ‘the American Beatles’, The Eagles - a band who have sold more records than Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones combined.

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Paperback

My Rock ‘n’ Roll Friend

Tracey Thorn

An exploration of female friendship and women in music, from the iconic singer-songwriter and bestselling author of Another Planet and Bedsit Disco Queen.

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Hardback

The Art of the Straight Line

Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson

The Art of the Straight Line captures the energy of LouReed's worlds of Tai Chi, music, and meditation. It wasedited by his wife, the artist Laurie Anderson, withStephan Berwick, Bob…

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Hardback

Faith, Hope and Carnage

Nick Cave,Sean O'Hagan

Faith, Hope and Carnage is a book about Nick Cave’s inner life.

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Crying in H Mart

Michelle Zauner

From the indie rockstar Japanese Breakfast and author of the viral 2018 New Yorker piece, a deeply moving memoir on identity and belonging, grief and joy.

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Hardback

Lead Sister: The Story of Karen Carpenter

Lucy O'Brien

A pioneering biography re-evaluating the life and legacy of transcendent musician Karen Carpenter.

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No Bull

Vika and Linda

With charming honesty and infectious humour, Vika and Linda recount the highs and lows, twists and turns they’ve navigated on the long road to centre stage

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Hardback

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics

Dolly Parton, Robert K. Oermann

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics is a landmark celebration of the remarkable life and career of a country music and pop culture legend.

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Paperback

Transformer: A Story of Glitter, Glam Rock and Loving Lou Reed

Simon Doonan

In this funny and poignant memoir and cultural history, the television personality, columnist, and author of Drag pays homage to Lou Reed’s groundbreaking album Transformer on its fiftieth anniversary and…

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Paperback

Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, etc.

Jeff Tweedy

The story, in his own words, of one of the century’s most feted singer-songwriters: Jeff Tweedy, the man behind music by Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, and Tweedy.

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Harry Styles: The Making of a Modern Man

Sean Smith

Sunday Times bestselling author Sean Smith tells the extraordinary story of a modern cultural icon: Harry Styles.

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Useless Magic: Lyrics, Poetry and Sermons

Florence Welch

Songs can be incredibly prophetic, like subconscious warnings or messages to myself, but I often don’t know what I’m trying to say till years later. Or a prediction comes true…

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Paperback

Lady Sings the Blues

Billie Holiday

The bluesy, gutsy, no-holds-barred memoir of jazz legend Billie Holiday

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Words Without Music

Philip Glass

The long-awaited memoir by ‘the most prolific and popular of all contemporary composers’ (New York Times)

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Bound for Glory

Woody Guthrie

An autobiography of Woody Guthrie, founder of modern American folk music. This book presents a cynical, earthy and tragic account of his life in an Oklahoma oil-boom town, of the…

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Paperback

You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone: The Biography of Nico

Jennifer Otter Bickerdike

A redemptive, myth-shattering biography of one of the twentieth century’s most underestimated creative and artistic forces.

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Hardback

Mr. B: George Balanchine’s Twentieth Century

Jennifer Homans

From the author of Apollo’s Angels, the first major biography of the figure who modernised dance: an intimate portrait of the man behind the mythology, set against the vibrant backdrop…

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Paperback

Beethoven: A Life in Nine Pieces

Laura Tunbridge

Laura Tunbridge offers an alternative history of Beethoven’s career, placing his music in contexts that shed light on why particular pieces are valued more than others, and what this tells…

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Hardback

Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands

Linda Ronstadt, Lawrence Downes

Feels Like Home is a love letter to Ronstadt’s Mexican American roots. It tells of her coming of age in the world between Tucson and the Rio Sonora region of…

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Hardback

Mozart: The Reign of Love

Jan Swafford

A vivid new biography, toppling the many myths surrounding Mozart, which will undoubtedly be the standard biography for years to come.

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Lovers Dreamers Fighters

Lo Carmen

A beautiful and moving memoir about passion, creativity and fearlessness from one of Australia’s true creatives, singer/songwriter Lo Carmen, inspired by the lives and careers of other remarkable Australian women…

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Paperback

Every Good Boy Does Fine: A Love Story, in Music Lessons

Jeremy Denk

A memoir that is also an immersive exploration of classical music - its power, its meaning, and what it can teach us about ourselves - from the MacArthur ‘genius’ grant-winning…

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Hardback

Enough: Scenes from Childhood

Sir Stephen Hough, CBE

We read of his early love-affair with the piano which curdled, after a teenage nervous breakdown, into failure at school and six-hours a day watching television, engulfed in dreams, seesawing…

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Paperback

Music Comes Out of Silence: A Memoir

Andras Schiff

A book of memoirs and stimulating reflections on music by the legendary classical pianist, Sir Andras Schiff

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Paperback

Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest

Hanif Abdurraqib

A stunning homage to A Tribe Called Quest and a musical era that shaped American culture, from critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author Hanif Abdurraqib.

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Music biography & memoir

The Silver River

Madonna

Songs from the Kitchen Table

Karma

Lou Reed

George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle

Straight from the Heart

Unsung

Sonic Life

Marr’s Guitars

The Woman in Me

Book of Life

Sons of Beaches

Energy Follows Thought

Jimmy Little: A Yorta Yorta Man

Woody Guthrie: A Life

Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

Scattershot

Nick Drake: The Life

Beyond the Story

Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You

Half Deaf, Completely Mad: The Chaotic Genius of Australia’s Most Legendary Music Producer

Tell Me Why: The Story of My Life and My Music

Dark Desert Highway

My Rock ‘n’ Roll Friend

The Art of the Straight Line

Faith, Hope and Carnage

Crying in H Mart

Lead Sister: The Story of Karen Carpenter

No Bull

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics

Transformer: A Story of Glitter, Glam Rock and Loving Lou Reed

Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, etc.

Harry Styles: The Making of a Modern Man

Useless Magic: Lyrics, Poetry and Sermons

Lady Sings the Blues

Words Without Music

Bound for Glory

You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone: The Biography of Nico

Mr. B: George Balanchine’s Twentieth Century

Beethoven: A Life in Nine Pieces

Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands

Mozart: The Reign of Love

Lovers Dreamers Fighters

Every Good Boy Does Fine: A Love Story, in Music Lessons

Enough: Scenes from Childhood

Music Comes Out of Silence: A Memoir

Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest