The title's a reference to one of the greatest hits of Booker T & The MGs, the legendary Memphis group that featured Booker T himself on organ – a hell of a player, and an individual with a much longer legacy than just his early recordings for Stax Records! Booker has roots that go way deep in the Memphis scene, long before Stax Records – and the book recounts those days, and also follows the keyboardist as he moves west to California, opening up in superstardom in a very different way! The style is a bit unique – almost like these little diary entries written from different locations in different years, but put together to form this cool patchwork picture of Booker T's hopes and dreams, music and personal life, all with a very vivid approach. The hardcover edition is 336 pages in all, with a section of images in the middle. (Books, Books)Book
Plenty of rock stars have walked the walk and talked the talk over the years – but few have been through the trenches as much as Wayne Kramer – the revolutionary guitarist whose work was a key part of the MC5 and their importance in music! Even after decades, Kramer is still highly regarded for the small number of albums the group gave the world – albums that were soon followed by years of excesses in drugs and then crime – leading Wayne to spend a few young years behind bars in a federal prison, before emerging to play a surprisingly important background role in scenes on both the coasts. Part of that life was some time as a music writer – which really helped shape Kramer's prose here, and create a book that's a very riveting read – honest and upfront, but not in the braggy way that some musicians sometimes treat their personal tragedies in projects of this nature. Softcover volume is 310 pages, with some black and white images. Book
The baroness Pannonica De Koenigswarter was a key supporter of New York bop musicians in the postwar years – referenced in tunes like "Nica's Tempo", "Pannonica", and other classics – and a was also a friend to a number of important figures, including Thelonious Monk! That friendship is served up here in very rich detail, in a graphic novel that follows Nica from Europe to the New York scene – and traces both the work of Monk and their friendship over the course of many decades – including both famous scenes and moments, and some more fanciful musings on jazz, life, and mental health. Hardcover book is 347 pages, with tri-color images throughout. Book
A huge book on the equally-huge creative legacy of bassist William Parker – a musician who first arose in the loft jazz scene in New York during the 70s, but who's gone on to be one of its greatest surviving players, and one who's transformed the inspirations of that world into so many different modes of expression over the decades! Author Cisco Bradley really digs deep – following Parker from his southern roots to his childhood in the South Bronx, to his strong contributions to avant scenes, first in New York, then around the globe – all with a sensitivity to community and context that shows that Parker isn't just some genius musician, but both an evolving participant in creative activity, and one whose contributions have transformed the landscape as well! The book is softcover, 402 pages, and has copious notes, a discography, and even some black and white images as well. Book
Fantastic photographs of the Queen Of Soul – images that start from her early years in Detroit, then move to her rise to fame on Atlantic Records in the 60s – and continue with images that follow Aretha well into her later years too! The book mixes together color and black and white, famous and obscure – and often includes images that are a great sidebar to some better-known photos of Franklin – all supported by text from author Meredith Ochs. This is hardly a comprehensive look at Aretha Franklin, but the photos are more than enough – great shots of Aretha on stage, in the studio, on the TV screen, and just kicking back on her own – 138 pages, hardcover, with images throughout. Book
Maybe the largest book we've ever seen to focus on the artwork of Robert Rauschenberg – a huge volume that's overflowing with full color images – and which traces a lineage of creative activity that's much longer than we would have guessed! The book's divided up into chapters on so many different eras in the career of this groundbreaking visual artist – and also contains a good deal of history and writings on his artwork along with the images – served up in a super-heavy, hardcover book that's over 350 pages in all – stuffed with paintings, collages, photographs, and plenty more! Book
A fantastic slice of work from WEB Dubois – materials showcased at the Paris Exposition of 1900, in a special exhibit in which Dubois tried to convey the reality of black life in America to a larger international audience! The materials include a number of handmade charts, graphs, and maps – all created by DuBois as an early sort of data analysis, with a very visual punch – images that instantly conveyed the black experience in America in the years after the Civil War – combined with a range of photographs that provided visual illustration of the contents. Much of DuBois' efforts were to showcase advancement and achievements – and the large 11" x 17" presentation of the softcover book allows the reproductions of these materials to really get the kind of prominence they had at the exposition. The book is the first-ever reproduction of all these items, along with the photographs – and features a new essay by historians Stephen G Hall and Jacqueline Francis. Book
Way more than just another art book on the creations of Andy Warhol – although there are plenty of those inside, too – as the large volume is part of an exhibition at the Tate in London, which looked not just as Warhol's artwork, but also his past, his ties to the larger scene, and some special strands of his life and career! As such, the book is overflowing not just with big projects, but also a lot of other smaller parts of his history – including unusual photographs, drawings, and even record cover images – with a few great essays at the beginning, followed by over 100 pages of amazing creations in both color and black and white. The large softcover book is a heavy 224 pages. Book
The first really in-depth look at the life of the great Al Green – a book that traces the fascinating journey that led a young man from Memphis to the top of the soul charts in the 70s – only to leave the world of secular music for the church in the following decade, then go on to a surprisingly rich career in decades that followed! The book is especially great at the roots of Al's sound and style – and if you dig southern soul as much as us, you'll really appreciate the author's account of the long journey before Green rose to fame at Hi Records – the kind of journeyman work that's often eclipsed when an artist becomes a star. The book also includes an appendix with a discography and legal notes too – and is over 400 pages, hardcover, with some black and white images. Book
An amazing history of Japanese jazz, and another great testament to the impact jazz had on global cluture! The book covers the entire history of Japanese jazz, from the first wave in the dancehalls of the 1920s, to the amazing renaissance of the 60s and 70s. It's a well-paced, incredibly researched, thoughtfully laid out story that we are glad to have had the opportunity to enjoy – with a lot history of that is deeply neglected in the Dusty Groove half of the world, if not everywhere. There are life stories of passionate, unrecognized musicians that mirror those in other parts of the world, as well as those unique to the Japanese experience. Atkins understands the artistic impulses of the musicians and followers, which is essential to the book's appeal to music freaks like us, but he's also an accomplished historian with a great capacity for conveying the nationalist cultural big picture. More than 350 pages, including the bibliography (which is worth the price alone) with a lot of amazing photos that help push the narrative along at a fast clip, not unlike a great piece of music! Book
Chicago's way up north, but it has had a surprising influence on the growth of country music over the past century or so – from early radio broadcasts that provided the inspiration for Nashville's Grand Ol Opry, and a training ground for huge early stars of the 78rpm generation – to a home for southern emigres in the postwar years, a huge folk scene in the 60s and 70s, and a big resurgence of alt-country energy over the past few decades! Author Mark Guarino chronicles that oft-forgot history here in wonderful detail – bringing more to our attention than we even knew, even as Chicago lifers – all laid out in wonderful detail, but with a narrative flow that really makes the history come alive. The heavy hardcover book is 524 pages in length, with copious notes, and a few sections of black and white photographs inside. Book
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