Rakuten Kobo

Sweet Soul Music (Enhanced Edition)

Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom

by Peter Guralnick ...

A gripping narrative that captures the tumult and liberating energy of a nation in transition, Sweet Soul Music is an intimate portrait of the legendary performers--Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, James Brown, Solomon Burke, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Al Green among them--who merged gospel and rhythm and blues to create Southern soul music. Through rare interviews and with unique insight, Peter ... Read more

Was $9.99 USD Now $1.99 USD

A gripping narrative that captures the tumult and liberating energy of a nation in transition, Sweet Soul Music is an intimate portrait of the legendary performers--Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, James Brown, Solomon Burke, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Al Green among them--who merged gospel and rhythm and blues to create Southern soul music. Through rare interviews and with unique insight, Peter
... Read more
Funk

The Music, the People, and the Rhythm of The One

by Rickey Vincent, George Clinton ...

An award-winning volume of music history: "Comprehensive . . . the first and only definitive take on the superfreaky genre" ( San Francisco Bay Guardian ).Foreword by George ClintonFunk: It's the only musical genre ever to have transformed the nation into a throbbing army of bell-bottomed, hoop-earringed, rainbow-Afro'd warriors on the dance floor. Its rhythms and lyrics turned bleak urban ... Read more

$17.99 USD

An award-winning volume of music history: "Comprehensive . . . the first and only definitive take on the superfreaky genre" ( San Francisco Bay Guardian ).Foreword by George ClintonFunk: It's the only musical genre ever to have transformed the nation into a throbbing army of bell-bottomed, hoop-earringed, rainbow-Afro'd warriors on the dance floor. Its rhythms and lyrics turned bleak urban
... Read more
Ain't No Sunshine: The Smooth Soul and Rough Edges of Bill Withers

by Mark Ribowsky ...

Bill Withers entered the music fray as hardly an afterthought, rewrote the rules for a decade, earned a fortune, then, unable to square himself with the requisites of the music business, took his leave. When he died in 2019 at eighty-one, he was every bit the mystery he was when he started.Born and raised in Slab Fork, West Virginia—his father a coal miner, his childhood spent in a pit of racism, ... Read more

$12.99 USD

Bill Withers entered the music fray as hardly an afterthought, rewrote the rules for a decade, earned a fortune, then, unable to square himself with the requisites of the music business, took his leave. When he died in 2019 at eighty-one, he was every bit the mystery he was when he started.Born and raised in Slab Fork, West Virginia—his father a coal miner, his childhood spent in a pit of racism,
... Read more
It's No Wonder

The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy

by Dr. Margena A. Christian ...

"More than a biography, It's No Wonder is a long-overdue act of recognition."--Booklist (starred review)The biography of Sylvia Moy, Motown’s first certified female in-house producer and songwriter, and one of the authors behind classic hits like “My Cherie Amour,” “Uptight (Everything’s Alright),” and a slew of other time-honored tunes.Imagine a world without the music of Stevie Wonder. A world ... Read more

$15.99 USD

"More than a biography, It's No Wonder is a long-overdue act of recognition."--Booklist (starred review)The biography of Sylvia Moy, Motown’s first certified female in-house producer and songwriter, and one of the authors behind classic hits like “My Cherie Amour,” “Uptight (Everything’s Alright),” and a slew of other time-honored tunes.Imagine a world without the music of Stevie Wonder. A world
... Read more
Knock! Knock! Knock! On Wood

My Life in Soul

by Eddie Floyd, Tony Fletcher ...

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 ... Read more

$11.99 USD

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
... Read more
Soul Survivor

A Biography of Al Green

by Jimmy McDonough ...

The bestselling author of Shakey: Neil Young's Biography presents the first in-depth biography of the legendary soul singer Al Green.Al Green has blessed listeners with some of the biggest hits of the past fifty years. "Love and Happiness," "I'm Still in Love with You," "Let's Get Married," and "I'm Tired of Being Alone" are but a sampling of the iconic songs that led a generation to embrace love ... Read more

$18.99 USD

The bestselling author of Shakey: Neil Young's Biography presents the first in-depth biography of the legendary soul singer Al Green.Al Green has blessed listeners with some of the biggest hits of the past fifty years. "Love and Happiness," "I'm Still in Love with You," "Let's Get Married," and "I'm Tired of Being Alone" are but a sampling of the iconic songs that led a generation to embrace love
... Read more
Country Soul

Making Music and Making Race in the American South

by Charles L. Hughes ...

In the sound of the 1960s and 1970s, nothing symbolized the rift between black and white America better than the seemingly divided genres of country and soul. Yet the music emerged from the same songwriters, musicians, and producers in the recording studios of Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee, and Muscle Shoals, Alabama — what Charles L. Hughes calls the “country-soul triangle.” In legendary ... Read more

$14.99 USD

In the sound of the 1960s and 1970s, nothing symbolized the rift between black and white America better than the seemingly divided genres of country and soul. Yet the music emerged from the same songwriters, musicians, and producers in the recording studios of Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee, and Muscle Shoals, Alabama — what Charles L. Hughes calls the “country-soul triangle.” In legendary
... Read more
Over the Influence

A Memoir

by Joanna "JoJo" Levesque ...

**THE INSTANT *NEW YORKTIMES* BESTSELLER**A breathtakingly candid memoir by Joanna "JoJo" Levesque, the chart-topping, multi-platinum recording artist behind hits like “Leave (Get Out),” “Too Little, Too Late”, and the Grammy Award-winning "Say So"."A remarkably compassionate portrait ... that's bolstered by fastidious journal entries [JoJo's] kept throughout her life ... JoJo is back in control." ... Read more

$12.99 USD

**THE INSTANT *NEW YORKTIMES* BESTSELLER**A breathtakingly candid memoir by Joanna "JoJo" Levesque, the chart-topping, multi-platinum recording artist behind hits like “Leave (Get Out),” “Too Little, Too Late”, and the Grammy Award-winning "Say So"."A remarkably compassionate portrait ... that's bolstered by fastidious journal entries [JoJo's] kept throughout her life ... JoJo is back in control."
... Read more
Detroit 67

The Year That Changed Soul

by Stuart Cosgrove ...

Series Book 1 - The Soul Trilogy
First in the award-winning soul music trilogy—featuring Motown artists Diana Ross & the Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and others.Detroit 67 is "a dramatic account of twelve remarkable months in the Motor City" during the year that changed everything ( Sunday Mail). It takes you on a turbulent journey through the drama and chaos that ripped through the city in 1967 and tore it apart in ... Read more

$9.89 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

First in the award-winning soul music trilogy—featuring Motown artists Diana Ross & the Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and others.Detroit 67 is "a dramatic account of twelve remarkable months in the Motor City" during the year that changed everything ( Sunday Mail). It takes you on a turbulent journey through the drama and chaos that ripped through the city in 1967 and tore it apart in
... Read more
Fela: This Bitch Of a Life

by Carlos Moore ...

African superstar composer singer and musician as well as mystic and political activist Nigerian Fela Kuti born in 1938 was controversy personified. He was swept to international celebrity on a wave of scandal and flamboyance and when he died of AIDS in 1997 more than a million people attended his funeral. But what was he really like this man who could as easily arouse violent hostility as he ... Read more

$8.99 USD

African superstar composer singer and musician as well as mystic and political activist Nigerian Fela Kuti born in 1938 was controversy personified. He was swept to international celebrity on a wave of scandal and flamboyance and when he died of AIDS in 1997 more than a million people attended his funeral. But what was he really like this man who could as easily arouse violent hostility as he
... Read more
Remembering Whitney

My Story of Love, Loss, and the Night the Music Stopped

by Cissy Houston ...

The definitive account of Whitney Houston’s astonishing life, ground-breaking career, and tragic death — complete with never-before-seen photographs — from the only one who truly knows the story behind the headlines: her mother, Cissy Houston.Cissy has said little publicly about Whitney’s heart-breaking death. Now, for the first time, she opens up and shares the unbelievable story of her daughter ... Read more

$13.99 USD

The definitive account of Whitney Houston’s astonishing life, ground-breaking career, and tragic death — complete with never-before-seen photographs — from the only one who truly knows the story behind the headlines: her mother, Cissy Houston.Cissy has said little publicly about Whitney’s heart-breaking death. Now, for the first time, she opens up and shares the unbelievable story of her daughter
... Read more
Motown

Music, Money, Sex, and Power

by Gerald Posner ...

In 1959, twenty-nine-year-old Berry Gordy, who had already given up on his dream to be a champion boxer, borrowed eight hundred dollars from his family and started a record company. A run-down bungalow sandwiched between a funeral home and a beauty shop in a poor Detroit neighborhood served as his headquarters. The building’s entrance was adorned with a large sign that improbably boasted ... Read more

$12.99 USD

In 1959, twenty-nine-year-old Berry Gordy, who had already given up on his dream to be a champion boxer, borrowed eight hundred dollars from his family and started a record company. A run-down bungalow sandwiched between a funeral home and a beauty shop in a poor Detroit neighborhood served as his headquarters. The building’s entrance was adorned with a large sign that improbably boasted
... Read more
What a Fool Believes

A Memoir

by Michael McDonald, Paul Reiser ...

* INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *A sweeping and evocative memoir from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Grammy Award–winning, platinum selling singer-songwriter Michael McDonald, written with his friend, Emmy Award–nominated actor, comedian, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Paul Reiser.Doobie Brothers. Steely Dan. Chart topping soloist. Across a half-century of American music, Michael ... Read more

$14.99 USD

* INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *A sweeping and evocative memoir from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Grammy Award–winning, platinum selling singer-songwriter Michael McDonald, written with his friend, Emmy Award–nominated actor, comedian, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Paul Reiser.Doobie Brothers. Steely Dan. Chart topping soloist. Across a half-century of American music, Michael
... Read more
The Lost Supreme

The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard

by Peter Benjaminson ...

In the months before she died, Florence Ballard, the spunky teenager who founded the most successful female vocal group in history—the Supremes—told her own side of the story. Recorded on tape, Flo shed light on all areas of her life, including the surprising identity of the man by whom she was raped prior to her entering the music business, the details of her love-hate relationship with Motown ... Read more

$12.99 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

In the months before she died, Florence Ballard, the spunky teenager who founded the most successful female vocal group in history—the Supremes—told her own side of the story. Recorded on tape, Flo shed light on all areas of her life, including the surprising identity of the man by whom she was raped prior to her entering the music business, the details of her love-hate relationship with Motown
... Read more
But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?

An Oral History of the '60s Girl Groups

by Laura Flam, Emily Sieu Liebowitz ...

Featuring over 300 hours of new interviews with 100+ subjects, an oral history of the girl groups (such as The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Supremes, and The Vandellas) that redefined the early 1960sThe girl group sound, made famous and unforgettable by acts like The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Supremes, and The Vandellas, took over the airwaves by capturing the mixture of innocence and rebellion ... Read more

$15.99 USD

Featuring over 300 hours of new interviews with 100+ subjects, an oral history of the girl groups (such as The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Supremes, and The Vandellas) that redefined the early 1960sThe girl group sound, made famous and unforgettable by acts like The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Supremes, and The Vandellas, took over the airwaves by capturing the mixture of innocence and rebellion
... Read more
The Red Hot Chili Peppers

An Oral/Visual History

by The Red Hot Chili Peppers ...

This is the book fans have been waiting for since Mother’s Milk and Blood Sugar Sex Magik first hit the charts: The first (and only!) official Red Hot Chili Peppers story—an oral and visual autobiography from one of the world’s greatest rock groups. Together, Anthony Kiedis, John Frusciante, Flea, and Chad Smith tell the 61-million-album selling band’s rollercoaster story, with anecdotes of their ... Read more

$13.99 USD

This is the book fans have been waiting for since Mother’s Milk and Blood Sugar Sex Magik first hit the charts: The first (and only!) official Red Hot Chili Peppers story—an oral and visual autobiography from one of the world’s greatest rock groups. Together, Anthony Kiedis, John Frusciante, Flea, and Chad Smith tell the 61-million-album selling band’s rollercoaster story, with anecdotes of their
... Read more
On Time

A Princely Life in Funk

by Morris Day ...

A memoir by Morris Day of The Time centering around his lifelong relationship and association with Prince"A vital, illuminating, and wildly entertaining autobiography." -Billboard"Great book! Great storytelling!" -LENNY KRAVITZ"Lean, slick, cooler than Santa Claus, and surprisingly tender, this book not only traces Day's history in Minneapolis funk, but doubles as an intimate recollection of his ... Read more

$13.99 USD

A memoir by Morris Day of The Time centering around his lifelong relationship and association with Prince"A vital, illuminating, and wildly entertaining autobiography." -Billboard"Great book! Great storytelling!" -LENNY KRAVITZ"Lean, slick, cooler than Santa Claus, and surprisingly tender, this book not only traces Day's history in Minneapolis funk, but doubles as an intimate recollection of his
... Read more
Soulless

The Case Against R. Kelly

by Jim DeRogatis ...

The essential account of R. Kelly’s actions and their consequences, a reckoning two decades in the makingIn November 2000, Chicago journalist and music critic Jim DeRogatis received an anonymous fax that alleged R. Kelly had a problem with “young girls.” Weeks later, DeRogatis broke the shocking story, publishing allegations that the R&B superstar and local hero had groomed girls, sexually abused ... Read more

$11.09 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

The essential account of R. Kelly’s actions and their consequences, a reckoning two decades in the makingIn November 2000, Chicago journalist and music critic Jim DeRogatis received an anonymous fax that alleged R. Kelly had a problem with “young girls.” Weeks later, DeRogatis broke the shocking story, publishing allegations that the R&B superstar and local hero had groomed girls, sexually abused
... Read more
Time Is Tight

My Life, Note by Note

by Booker T. Jones ...

The long-awaited memoir of Booker T. Jones, leader of the famed Stax Records house band, architect of the Memphis soul sound, and one of the most legendary figures in music.From Booker T. Jones's earliest years in segregated Memphis, music was the driving force in his life. While he worked paper routes and played gigs in local nightclubs to pay for lessons and support his family, Jones, on the ... Read more

$11.99 USD

The long-awaited memoir of Booker T. Jones, leader of the famed Stax Records house band, architect of the Memphis soul sound, and one of the most legendary figures in music.From Booker T. Jones's earliest years in segregated Memphis, music was the driving force in his life. While he worked paper routes and played gigs in local nightclubs to pay for lessons and support his family, Jones, on the
... Read more
The One

The Life and Music of James Brown

by RJ Smith ...

The definitive biography of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, with fascinating findings on his life as a Civil Rights activist, an entrepreneur, and the most innovative musician of our timePlaying 350 shows a year at his peak, with more than forty Billboard hits, James Brown was a dazzling showman who transformed American music. His life offstage was just as vibrant, and until now no biographer ... Read more

$9.99 USD

The definitive biography of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, with fascinating findings on his life as a Civil Rights activist, an entrepreneur, and the most innovative musician of our timePlaying 350 shows a year at his peak, with more than forty Billboard hits, James Brown was a dazzling showman who transformed American music. His life offstage was just as vibrant, and until now no biographer
... Read more
Sweet Soul Music

Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom

by Peter Guralnick ...

A gripping narrative that captures the tumult and liberating energy of a nation in transition, Sweet Soul Music is an intimate portrait of the legendary performers--Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, James Brown, Solomon Burke, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Al Green among them--who merged gospel and rhythm and blues to create Southern soul music. Through rare interviews and with unique insight, Peter ... Read more

$12.99 USD

A gripping narrative that captures the tumult and liberating energy of a nation in transition, Sweet Soul Music is an intimate portrait of the legendary performers--Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, James Brown, Solomon Burke, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Al Green among them--who merged gospel and rhythm and blues to create Southern soul music. Through rare interviews and with unique insight, Peter
... Read more
Higher Ground

Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul

by Craig Werner ...

An insightful music writer brilliantly reinterprets the lives of three pop geniuses and the soul revolution they launched.Soul music is one of America's greatest cultural achievements, and Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and Curtis Mayfield are three of its most inspired practitioners. In midcentury America it was soul music—particularly the dazzling stream of recordings made by these three stars ... Read more

$14.99 USD

An insightful music writer brilliantly reinterprets the lives of three pop geniuses and the soul revolution they launched.Soul music is one of America's greatest cultural achievements, and Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and Curtis Mayfield are three of its most inspired practitioners. In midcentury America it was soul music—particularly the dazzling stream of recordings made by these three stars
... Read more
The Last Sultan

The Life and Times of Ahmet Ertegun

by Robert Greenfield ...

The definitive biography of Ahmet Ertegun—founder of Atlantic Records and the man behind stars from Ray Charles to the Rolling Stones.Brilliant, cultured, brash, and irreverent, Ahmet Ertegun was a legend in the music world. Blessed with great taste and sharp business acumen, he founded Atlantic Records and brought rock ’n’ roll into the mainstream. He quickly became as renowned for his incredible ... Read more

$15.99 USD

The definitive biography of Ahmet Ertegun—founder of Atlantic Records and the man behind stars from Ray Charles to the Rolling Stones.Brilliant, cultured, brash, and irreverent, Ahmet Ertegun was a legend in the music world. Blessed with great taste and sharp business acumen, he founded Atlantic Records and brought rock ’n’ roll into the mainstream. He quickly became as renowned for his incredible
... Read more
Ain't Too Proud to Beg

The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations

by Mark Ribowsky ...

The first and only definitive biography of legendary Motown group, the TemptationsThe Temptations are an incomparable soul group, with dozens of chart-topping hits such as My Girl and Papa Was a Rollin Stone. From the sharp suits, stylish choreography, and distinctive vocals that epitomized their onstage triumphs to the personal failings and psycho-dramas that played out behind the scenes, Ain't ... Read more

$12.99 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

The first and only definitive biography of legendary Motown group, the TemptationsThe Temptations are an incomparable soul group, with dozens of chart-topping hits such as My Girl and Papa Was a Rollin Stone. From the sharp suits, stylish choreography, and distinctive vocals that epitomized their onstage triumphs to the personal failings and psycho-dramas that played out behind the scenes, Ain't
... Read more

eReaders

Apps

Accessories

Shopping Cart

You're getting the VIP treatment!

Your Shopping Cart is empty

Available:

1 audiobook monthly

+ FREE 30-day trial

Available:

1 audiobook monthly

+ FREE 30-day trial

Recommended For You

Soul eBooks

Show: