Bøger af Mark Ribowsky

The Everly Brothers¿aka Don and Phil to fans with an intimate appreciation for them¿seemed to exist almost as an apparition. Emerging within the formative era for young Baby Boomer during the blandly regimented `50s, they were a ubiquitous presence, clad in snug suits and skinny ties, hair neatly Brylcreemed, never raising their voices when they sang. The two prim-looking country boys with dark, curiously penetrating eyes and perfectly merged, honey-dipped harmonies, were oddly but comfortably settled as sentimental, soothing, sometimes lovelorn voices of a still-uncharted cultural turf.Magnificent as the duo was, they have until now never received a definitive biography. In Long Time Gone: The Perfect Harmony and Imperfect Lives Of the Everly Brothers, the details, small and great, roll along on the mighty ¿Mississipp,¿ in near novel-like fashion, revealing facts drawn from exhaustive research and first-hand interviews that trace the character and influences of these hardy but flawed men who grew from teenagers to old men before our eyes. Mark Ribowsky¿s authoritative book serves as a fitting companion to an unforgettable collection of songs¿heard on countless albums, and covered literally thousands of times¿whose recording was a long time gone but that will never to be forgotten.

The first major biography of Little Richard, a rollicking, nuanced celebration of the late singer/songwriter¿s life and his role in the history of American music¿gospel, soul, rock, and more¿Tutti Frutti¿ ¿ ¿Rip It Up¿ ¿ ¿Good Golly Miss Molly¿ ¿ ¿Lucille¿ ¿ ¿Long Tall Sally¿ ¿ ¿You Keep A-Knockin¿¿Little Richard blazed the trail for generations of musicians¿The Beatles, James Brown, the Everly Brothers, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Prince . . . the list seems endless. He was ¿The Originator,¿ ¿The Innovator,¿ and the self-anointed ¿King and Queen of Rock ¿n¿ Roll.¿ When he died on May 9, 2020, The Big Life of Little Richard¿a nearly-completed book¿was immediately updated to cover the international response to his death. It is the first major biography of Macon, Georgiäs Richard Wayne Penniman, who was, until his passing, the last rock god standing.Mark Ribowsky, acclaimed biographer of musical icons¿the Supremes, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding¿takes readers through venues, gigs, and studios, conveying the sweaty energy of music sessions limited to a few tracks on an Ampex tape machine and vocals sung along with a live band. He explores Little Richard¿s musicianship; his family life; his uphill battle against racism; his interactions with famous contemporaries and the media; and his lifelong inner conflict between his religion and his sexuality.The Big Life of Little Richard not only explores a legendary stage persona, but also a complex life under the makeup and pomade, the neon-lit duds and piano pyrotechnics, along with a full-body dive into the waters of sexual fluidity. By 2020, eighty-seven-year-old Little Richard¿s electrifying smile was still intact, as were his bona fides as rock¿s kingly architect: the ¿50s defined his reign, and he extended elder statesmanship ever since. His biggest smash, ¿Tutti Frutti,¿ is one of history¿s most covered songs¿a staple of the pre-Invasion Beatles¿and Elvis pivoted from country to blues rock after Little Richard made R&B¿s sexual overtones a fundament of the new musical order. Even Hendrix, the greatest instrumentalist in rock history, toured with him before launching a meteoric solo career. Whenever someone pushes the music and culture of rock to its outer borders, one should turn to Little Richard for assurance that anything is possible.

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 Too Proud to Beg tells the complete story of this most popular-and tragic-of all Motown super groups.Based on in-depth research and interviews with founding Temptations member Otis Williams and many others, the book reveals the highly individual, even mutually antagonistic, nature of the group's members. Venturing beyond the money and the fame, it shares the compelling tale of these sometime allies, sometime rivals and reveals the unique dynamic of push and pull and give and take that resulted in musical genius.The first book to tell the whole story of Motown's greatest group, with all-new interviews and previously undiscovered sources and photographsGives the last word on enduring Motown mysteries, including the deaths of Paul Williams and David Ruffin and the truth behind Ruffin's tumultuous romance with Tammi TerrellReveals the secret "e;can't miss"e; formula behind the Temptations' thirty-seven chart hitsDraws on more than one hundred interviews with the group's associates, industry figures, family members, and most importantly, founding Temptation Otis WilliamsAin't Too Proud to Beg takes a cohesive and penetrating look at the life and enduring legacy of one of the greatest groups in popular music. It is essential reading for fans of the Temptations, music lovers, and anyone interested in the history of American popular culture over the last fifty years.

The first definitive biography of music legend Stevie WonderStevie Wonder's achievements as a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer are extraordinary. During a career that has spanned almost fifty years, he has earned more than thirty Top 10 hits, twenty-six Grammy Awards, and a place in both the Rock and Roll and Songwriter Halls of Fame--and he's not finished yet. On the verge of turning sixty, he is still composing, still touring, and still attracting dedicated fans around the world.For the first time, Signed, Sealed, and Delivered takes an in-depth look at Stevie Wonder's life and his evolution from kid-soul pop star into a mature artist whose music helped lay the groundwork for the evolution of hip hop and rap.* Explores the life, achievements, and influence of one of America's biggest musical icons, set against the history of Motown and the last fifty years of popular music* Based on extensive interviews with Motown producers, music executives, songwriters, and musicians, including founding Temptation Otis Williams, Mickey Stevenson, surviving Funk Brother Eddie Willis, synthesizer genius Malcolm Cecil, guitar legend Michael Sembello, and many others* Traces Stevie's personal and musical development through the decades, from the early 1960s R&B of "Fingertips" to the social and political themes of "Living for the City" and other 1970s classics, through periods of musical and personal confusion, uncertainty, and, later, renewalRead Signed, Sealed, and Delivered to explore the life and work of one of pop music's most compelling masters of invention.

The first biography of soul pioneer Isaac Hayes, whose groundbreaking music provided the foundation for hip-hop and a new racial paradigm.

This intimate story of Lynyrd Skynyrd tells of how a band of lost souls and self-destructive misfits with uncertain artistic objectives clawed their way to the top of the rock 'n' roll world. Based on interviews with surviving band members, Whiskey Bottles and Brand-New Cars shares how lead singer and front man Ronnie Van Zant guided the band's hugely successful five-year run and, in the process, created not only a new country rock idiom, but a new Confederacy in constant conflict with old Southern totems and prejudices. Placing the music and personae of Skynyrd into a broad cultural context, this book gives a new perspective to a history of stage fights, motel-room destructions, cunning business deals, and brilliant studio productions. It also offers a greater appreciation for a band whose legacy, in the aftermath of their last plane ride, has since descended into self-caricature.

A Publishers Weekly Holiday Gift Guide Selection Spanning seven decades, the notorious loss of Super Bowl III, and an historic undefeated season with the Dolphins, Shula is the definitive biography of a coaching legend.

A heart-breaking, unforgettable portrait of country music's founding father and "Hillbilly King".

A soul icon and the southern music he helped popularise come to life in this moving requiem.

The acclaimed, first comprehensive biography of the most successful female vocal group of all time

It is said that Josh Gibson is the only man ever to have hit a fair ball out of Yankee Stadium. This work shows us Gibson's dark side, but also enhances his historical status even as it separates fact from fiction by examining the truth behind his legendary performances.