Still Rockin' - Tom Jones, A Biography

Still Rockin' - Tom Jones, A Biography
Author: Aubrey Malone
Publisher: Y Lolfa
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2012-08-09
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1847715818

A short biography of Tom Jones's rags to riches story - his journey from a Welsh mining village to superstardom. The author explores his musical career, his special relationship with his wife and Wales, and also gives an insight into his phenomenal womanizing. This is a balanced and sympathetic account of Jones's personal and professional life.

Over the Top and Back

Over the Top and Back
Author: Sir Tom Jones
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2015-11-24
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0698409302

The long-awaited autobiography of legendary singer Tom Jones, following six decades of unparalleled experiences in the spotlight to coincide with his 75th birthday. Across six decades, Sir Tom Jones has maintained a vital career in a risky, unstable business notorious for the short lives of its artists. With a drive that comes from nothing but the love for what he does, he breaks through and then wrestles with the vagaries of the music industry, the nature of success and its inevitable consequences. Having recorded an expansive body of work and performed with fellow artists from across the spectrum and across every popular music genre, from rock, pop and dance to country, blues and soul, the one constant throughout has been his unique musical gifts and unmistakable voice. But how did a boy from a Welsh coal-mining family attain success across the globe? And how has he survived the twists and turns of fame and fortune to not only stay exciting, but actually become more credible and interesting with age? In this, his first ever autobiography, Tom revisits his past and tells the tale of his journey from wartime Pontypridd to LA and beyond. He reveals the stories behind the ups and downs of his fascinating and remarkable life, from the early heydays to the subsequent fallow years to his later period of artistic renaissance. It's the story nobody else knows or understands, told by the man who lived it, and written the only way he knows how: simply and from the heart. Raw, honest, funny and powerful, this is a memoir like no other from one of the world's greatest ever singing talents. This is Tom Jones and Over the Top and Back is his story.

Just Help Yourself

Just Help Yourself
Author: Vernon Hopkins
Publisher: Seren
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2019-02-11
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1781724776

"The story that the public were never supposed to read. Brilliantly written, a must-read for all those who want to know the real story." – Peter Karrie "Colourful, candid, humorous and poignant, I couldn't put the book down. Vibrant with unique and wonderful characters." – Iris Williams Just Help Yourself tells the story of The Senators – soon to become The Squires – in 1960s Britain. The band, formed by sixteen-year-old Vernon Hopkins, was to play something called rock and roll, the fresh musical import from America. From practising in his parents' front room to a reputation as the best band in south Wales took just a year. But by 1961 they were in need of a new singer. Vernon recruited local boy Tommy Woodward, and the rest is history. Or is it? This is a classic tale of rock and roll. Successful young musicians from 'the provinces' are enticed to London by their hopeful management, in search of the game-changing record deal. After a period of hardship in Notting Hill, and the addition of a new and thrusting manager, they get a break: records are cut, gigs are played, tv appearances arrive. But as success and money comes the star singer is ruthlessly uncoupled from the band. While Tim Jones takes off, The Squires become increasingly peripheral. Finally, they are cleverly and brutally sacked by the manager, and left to carve out their own careers in the shadow of Jones' success. Vernon Hopkins's authentic story reveals the highs and lows of the music business, and of the allegedly Swinging Sixties. It is full of gritty detail about life in Pontypridd and London, and with great insight into the music business, Just Help Yourself is a cautionary tales of ambition and success. Illustrated with previously unseen photographs from the author's archive.

Rocks

Rocks
Author: Joe Perry
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 432
Release: 2014-10-07
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1476714606

Joe Perry’s New York Times bestselling memoir of life in the rock-and-roll band Aerosmith: “An insightful and harrowing roller coaster ride through the career of one of rock and roll’s greatest guitarists. Strap yourself in” (Slash). Before the platinum records or the Super Bowl half-time show or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Joe Perry was a boy growing up in small-town Massachusetts. He idolized Jacques Cousteau and built his own diving rig that he used to explore a local lake. He dreamed of becoming a marine biologist. But Perry’s neighbors had teenage sons, and those sons had electric guitars, and the noise he heard when they started playing would change his life. The guitar became his passion, an object of lust, an outlet for his restlessness and his rebellious soul. That passion quickly blossomed into an obsession, and he got a band together. One night after a performance he met a brash young musician named Steven Tyler; before long, Aerosmith was born. What happened over the next forty-five years has become the stuff of legend: the knockdown, drag-out, band-splintering fights; the drugs, the booze, the rehab; the packed arenas and timeless hits; the reconciliations and the comebacks. Rocks is an unusually searching memoir of a life that spans from the top of the world to the bottom of the barrel—several times. It is a study of endurance and brotherhood, with Perry providing remarkable candor about Tyler, as well as new insights into their powerful but troubled relationship. It is an insider’s portrait of the rock and roll family, featuring everyone from Jimmy Page to Alice Cooper, Bette Midler to Chuck Berry, John Belushi to Al Hirschfeld. It takes us behind the scenes at unbelievable moments such as Joe and Steven’s appearance in the movie of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (they act out the murders of Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees). Full of humor, insight, and brutal honesty about life in and out of one of the biggest bands in the world, Rocks is “well-paced, well-plotted…a mini-masterpiece” (The Boston Globe).

Ask the Astronaut

Ask the Astronaut
Author: Tom Jones
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2016-03-22
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1588345386

Ever wondered what space is really like? Thanks to his 25 years of training for, flying in, consulting on, and writing and speaking about space, astronaut and spacewalker Tom Jones can answer that question and many others. What do you feel on liftoff? What is weightlessness? Where do you sleep in space? Can you see the Great Wall of China? Jones answers every question you have ever had about space in Ask the Astronaut. His entertaining blend of wit, personal experience, and technical expertise shines in each answer, and together all the answers illuminate the true space experience from start to finish. His engaging and informative responses remind readers of historic space achievements, acquaint them with exciting new ambitions, make them feel like they have experienced space firsthand, and even inspire an urge to explore space themselves. Jones covers everything from the training process for new astronaut candidates and the physical sensations and challenges of rocketing into orbit to what it's like to live, work, and walk in space. Jones also explores the future of spaceflight, both professional and commercial, in the years to come. Ask the Astronaut is a delight for all readers, especially "armchair astronauts" and younger, 21st century space explorers.

LIFE

LIFE
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 172
Release: 1967-12-22
Genre:
ISBN:

LIFE Magazine is the treasured photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century. It now lives on at LIFE.com, the largest, most amazing collection of professional photography on the internet. Users can browse, search and view photos of today’s people and events. They have free access to share, print and post images for personal use.

Redemption Song

Redemption Song
Author: Chris Salewicz
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 967
Release: 2008-05-13
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1466821620

With exclusive access to Strummer's friends, relatives, and fellow musicians, music journalist Chris Salewicz penetrates the soul of an rock 'n roll icon. The Clash was--and still is--one of the most important groups of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Indebted to rockabilly, reggae, Memphis soul, cowboy justice, and '60s protest, the overtly political band railed against war, racism, and a dead-end economy, and in the process imparted a conscience to punk. Their eponymous first record and London Calling still rank in Rolling Stone's top-ten best albums of all time, and in 2003 they were officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Joe Strummer was the Clash's front man, a rock-and-roll hero seen by many as the personification of outlaw integrity and street cool. The political heart of the Clash, Strummer synthesized gritty toughness and poetic sensitivity in a manner that still resonates with listeners, and his untimely death in December 2002 shook the world, further solidifying his iconic status. Salewicz was a friend to Strummer for close to three decades and has covered the Clash's career and the entire punk movement from its inception. He uses his vantage point to write Redemption Song, the definitive biography of Strummer, charting his enormous worldwide success, his bleak years in the wilderness after the Clash's bitter breakup, and his triumphant return to stardom at the end of his life. Salewicz argues for Strummer's place in a long line of protest singers that includes Woody Guthrie, John Lennon, and Bob Marley, and examines by turns Strummer's and punk's ongoing cultural influence.

Shell Shocked

Shell Shocked
Author: Howard Kaylan
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2013-03-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1480342947

(Book). If Howard Kaylan had sung only one song, the Turtles' 1967 No. 1 smash hit "Happy Together," his place in rock-and-roll history would still be secure. But that recording, named in 1999 by BMI as one of the top 50 songs of the 20th century, with over five million radio plays, is only the tip of a rather eye-opening iceberg. For nearly five decades, Howard Kaylan has been a player in the rock-and-roll revolution. In addition to his years with the Turtles, Kaylan was a core member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention and the dynamic duo Flo and Eddie, and part of glam rock history with Marc Bolan and T. Rex. He's also given street cred and harmonies to everyone from John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen and Alice Cooper to the Ramones and Duran Duran, to name just a few. Howard Kaylan's life has been a dangerous ride that he is only too happy to report on, naming names and shedding shocking tales of sex, drugs, and creative excess. Shell Shocked will stand alone as not only one of the best-told music-biz memoirs, but one with a truly candid and unmatchable story of rock-and-roll insanity and success from a man who glories in it all.

Let's Go!

Let's Go!
Author: Joe Milliken
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 249
Release: 2018-11-15
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1538118661

“When Ben got out of the hospital he said, ‘When I fall down and can’t pick myself up we’ll know it’s over. Until then, we rock!’” – Jeff Carlisi Benjamin Orr was the co-founder, co-lead singer, and bassist for the platinum-selling rock band The Cars. Often considered the band’s heartthrob, Orr possessed an incredible voice, diverse musical talent, and rare stage presence, all balanced by an enigmatic personality and a relentless determination to reach rock stardom. Selling over 30 million albums worldwide with fifteen Billboard Top 40 hits, The Cars certainly achieved success. Within a decade of the debut album, though, Orr found himself adrift and without a band. Veteran music journalist Joe Milliken draws together interviews with over 120 family members, friends, bandmates, and music associates from Orr's life, as well as many unpublished and never-before-seen photos from private collections, to reveal an intimate portrait of one of classic rock’s greatest talents. From Orr’s first performances as a house-band musician for the TV show UpBeat through his creation of The Cars with Ric Ocasek to Orr’s eventual rebirth with the supergroup Big People, this definitive account of Orr’s life is a rollercoaster ride that sheds new light on the history of The Cars. Orr is no longer able to rock with The Cars, but the music he made with them continues to attract new generations of fans. Coinciding with the band’s 2018 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, thisfirst-everbiography of Benjamin Orr immortalizes his legacy as a deeply kind-hearted and exceptionally talented musician who would stop at nothing to live his rock and roll dream.