Книги о музыке

The photographer Josh Lehrer's up-close-and-personal document of the evolution, and revolution, that is Hamilton: An American Musical.

Only the second official book, Hamilton: Portraits of the Revolution invites Hamilfans to experience the award-winning show in a brand-new and intimate way through more than 100 portraits of the cast, including Lin-Manuel Miranda (Alexander Hamilton), Leslie Odom Jr. (Aaron Burr), Daveed Diggs (Lafayette), Phillipa Soo (Eliza Schuyler Hamilton), and Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler), along with personal commentary by the cast about Hamilton, their experiences, and the show's impact on them and the world. It includes contributions by creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Thomas Kail, as well as a curated collection of ephemera and original writings from the historical figures who served as the inspiration for their stage characters.

With book, music, and lyrics by Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, and choreography by Andy
Blankenbuehler, Hamilton is the story of an immigrant who became George Washington's right-hand man and the new nation's first treasury secretary.

Now, with Hamilton streaming on Disney+ starting on July 3rd, the fan base for this musical smash hit will only continue to grow. From "Broadway Babies" to history buffs to anyone who appreciates photography, this is the perfect book for the millions who have been moved by, and want to reexperience, the extraordinary theatrical and musical experience.

About the Author:

Josh Lehrer is an advertising, lifestyle, and portrait photographer who has photographed for the New York Times, Elle, and many Broadway and theatrical projects. Lin-Manuel Miranda is the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of Hamilton: An American Musical. Thomas Kail is the director of the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Hamilton: An American Musical.

Filled with more than 250 images of artists including Ice Cube, The Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Naughty by Nature, Public Enemy, 50 Cent, N.W.A, Snoop Dogg, Lil' Kim, Flavor Flav, Lauren Hill, Queen Latifah, TLC, many that have never before been published, this book is set to become the new hip-hop photography bible

With exclusive, behind-the-scenes access, preeminent photographer Brother Ernie captures the last four decades of the evolution of hip-hop -- the styles that grew from it, and the artists who shaped it. Complete with Brother Ernie's personal anecdotes of time spent with subjects, and stories behind the photographs, Hip-Hop at the End of the World shares intimate moments from the most important era of hip-hop.

After picking up a camera in the 1973 to document the graffiti art that dominated New York City, Ernest Paniccioli started his journey of whole-heartedly capturing the scene during the most fertile years of hip-hop. Always armed with a 35mm camera, he successfully photographed nearly every rapper of note since the genre's inception, making him the go-to photographer for magazines like Word Up and Rap Masters. Hip Hop at the End of the World is a carefully curated selection of photographs from Brother Ernie's extensive archives, celebrating over 40 years of swag in one of the most complete records of the most crucial movements in American music.

About the Author:

Brother Ernie (Ernest Paniccioli) is a photographer most known for his photographs of the hip-hop scene in the 80s and 90s. He is the author of the best selling book Who Shot Ya? and the subject of the award-winning documentary The Other Side of Hip-Hop.

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Пролистать книгу Hip Hop at the End of the World: The Photography of Brother Ernie

The first monograph on the achievements of Hiro of EXILE, one of the most influential figures in contemporary music and pop culture in Asia.

With tours that pack 50,000-seat stadiums, the J-Pop band EXILE is one of the most popular bands on the planet. Founded as a six-man group in 1999 by Hiro Igarashi, now EXILE and its associated boy bands and singer-songwriters are platinum acts many times over, having sold more than twenty-five million records in Japan alone, and count Pharrell, A$AP Rocky, and Afrojack as collaborators.

This lavishly illustrated book documents Hiro’s empire, one of the most unique media and entertainment companies in Japan. Images of EXILE’s innovative stadium tours, stage designs, and fashion photography will draw in Western readers, and offer a unique collectible for fans in Asia. The book emphasizes the engagement with fashion and its links to pop music, as it describes the rise of Hiro and EXILE as a force in streetwear—with collaborations with NIGO®, Mastermind, Adidas Originals, and Dr. Romanelli.

About the Author:

Hiro is a founding member of the bands J-Soul Brothers and EXILE and the president of LDH, an independent J-pop artist management and media company. VERBAL is the founding member of the multiplatinum electronic group M-FLO and the fashion brand AMBUSH. NIGO® is the founder of *A Bathing Ape® and Human Made.

No band would be complete without some kick-ass electric guitar. "How to Play Electric Guitar" contains everything the new or intermediate electric player needs to perfect their playing of this vital instrument. More than a simple how-to-play guitar book, this great new addition to a best-selling series also shows you how to use effects, how to adapt to stage and rehearsal amps, how to record the electric guitar at home on your computer and how to cope with cables, feedback and dodgy microphones while playing live on stage. The clear text is accompanied by illustrative photos and diagrams, and is complemented by some how-to-play basics, selected scales and modes and useful barre and power chords.

About the Author:

Jake Jackson is creator, editor or contributor to over 30 music books, including 'Guitar Chords', 'Piano & Keyboard Chords', 'Scales and Modes' and 'How to Play Guitar'. As guitarist and songwriter he has gigged in a number of bands, including Slice, The Harmonics and Starbank and studied a form of Flamenco guitar. A heavy user of Sibelius and Logic Pro. Tony Skinner is widely respected as one of the UK's premier music educators. He has written and edited over 50 music-education books, and is the editor of Guitar Tutor magazine and a columnist for Total Guitar magazine.

This volume documents the collaborations between famed fashion designer Nigo® and many recording artists (including Pharrell, A$AP Rocky, and Tyler, the Creator), presenting a trove of limited-edition apparel, sneakers, accessories, album covers, and collectibles and an archive of trademark graphics and patterns.

Straddling the worlds of fashion and hip-hop, Nigo® is a giant of streetwear culture. One of the pioneers of the highly influential Harajuku style movement, Nigo® is the founder of *A Bathing Ape®. Currently the creative director of Kenzo and a partner with Pharrell in both Human Made and Billionaire Boys Club/IceCream, he is one of the transformational figures in contemporary fashion, instrumental in translating streetwear trends into modern luxury.

He is also well known for being a music producer, and since the 1990s, has collaborated with hit-makers in hip-hop and contemporary music, having worked with Pharrell, Pusha T, Mos Def, M-Flo, the Teriyaki Boyz, and many others. The book is a visual record of the material culture generated by these partnerships. These collaborative goods—in limited quantities, emblazoned with logos and slogans—are a vital part of why Nigo®’s designs are so sought after. The same maximalist philosophy is employed in the design of the book, with original character art and all-over graphics integral to the visual narrative.

About the Authors:

Nigo® is a fashion designer and musician, the founder of *A Bathing Ape and Human Made, and the current design director of Kenzo.

Pharrell is a multiplatinum recording artist.

Steven Victor is the founder & CEO of Victor Victor Worldwide records and Senior VP of A&R at Universal Music Group.

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Пролистать книгу I Know Nigo​  на сайте издательства.

Personally compiled and curated by Yoko Ono, Imagine John Yoko is the definitive inside story – told in revelatory detail – of the making of the legendary album and all that surrounded it: the locations, the creative team, the artworks and the films, in the words of John & Yoko and the people who were there.

In 1971, John Lennon & Yoko Ono conceived and recorded the critically acclaimed album Imagine at their Georgian country home, Tittenhurst Park, in Berkshire, England, in the state-of-the-art studio they built in the grounds, and at the Record Plant in New York. The lyrics of the title track were inspired by Yoko Ono’s ‘event scores’ in her 1964 book Grapefruit, and she was officially co-credited as writer in June 2017.

Imagine John Yoko tells the story of John & Yoko’s life, work and relationship during this intensely creative period, featuring 80% exclusive, hitherto-unpublished archive photos and footage sequences of all the key players in situ, together with lyric sheets, Yoko’s art installations, and exclusive new insights and personal testimonies from Yoko and over 40 of the musicians, engineers, staff, celebrities, artists and photographers who were there – including Julian Lennon, Klaus Voormann, Alan White, Jim Keltner, David Bailey, Dick Cavett and Sir Michael Parkinson. It transports readers to home and working environments showcasing Yoko’s closely guarded archive of photos and artefacts, using artfully compiled narrative film stills, and featuring digitally rendered maps, floorplans and panoramas that recreate the interiors in evocative detail. John & Yoko introduce each chapter and song; Yoko also provides invaluable additional commentary and a preface.

All the minutiae is examined: the locations, the key players, the music and lyrics, the production techniques and the artworks – including the creative process behind the double exposure polaroids used on the album cover.

With a message as universal and pertinent today as it was when the album was created, this landmark publication is a fitting tribute to John & Yoko and their place in cultural history.

Contents List:

Preface • 1. Tittenhurst • 2. Recording Imagine • 3. Album Artwork • 4. Filming Imagine • 5. This Is Not Here • 6. Legacy

About the Authors:

John Lennon (1940–1980) was an English singer, songwriter and peace activist who co-founded the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music.

Yoko Ono is a globally renowned multimedia artist, singer, songwriter and activist. She married John Lennon in 1969 and became his creative partner and muse. She continues to work to preserve his legacy, funding, among other projects, Strawberry Fields in Manhattan’s Central Park, the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER in Iceland and the ‘Imagine There’s No Hunger’ campaign.

Published in conjunction with the band, KISS: 1977 - 1980 is the definitive photographic chronicle of KISS at the height of their popularity, showcasing the band on and off stage, in the photo studio, and in unguarded candid moments. From her archive, Goldsmith has compiled fan favorites as well as many never-before-seen photographs, all which perfectly capture the enduring phenomenon that is KISS. Chances are you've seen numerous iconic pictures by award-winning photographer Lynn Goldsmith, who has photographed every important rock musician and band of the late twentieth century: The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, The Police, Talking Heads, Frank Zappa, Bob Dylan, and Patti Smith, among many others.

KISS rose to meteoric prominence with their extravagant live performances featuring fire-breathing, blood spitting, guitars bursting into flames, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits, and pyrotechnic showpieces. With makeup and costumes, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley created characters and origin stories similar to comic book characters: the Starchild, the Demon, the Space Ace, and the Catman. When put all together, it wasn’t just a stadium rock concert, it was dynamic performance art that is still on the road today!

Goldsmith, Stanley, and Simmons have created this book as a thanks to the KISS Army, many of whom have been devoted to the band for more than 40 years and have brought their children and grandchildren into appreciating the music, as well as the spectacle of the band’s live performances. With a simple matte white laminated padded cover that highlights the KISS logo and edged with gilding, the end result could be compared to a kind of bible, holding the relics that their supporters cherish.

About the Authors:

Lynn Goldsmith’s editorial work has appeared in every major publication world wide. Her fine art work is in numerous collections including The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, The Museum of Modern Art, The Chicago Museum of Contemporary Photography, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Polaroid Collection, The Kodak Collection, etc. 

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Пролистать книгу KISS: 1977-1980

An icon of performance art and the indie-music world, this is the first book on the artist’s full career to date, as curated by the artist herself. Laurie Anderson is one of the most revered artists working today, and she is as prolific as she is inventive. She is a musician, performance artist, composer, fiction writer, and filmmaker (her most recent foray, Heart of a Dog, was lauded as an “experimental marvel” by the Los Angeles Times). Anderson moves seamlessly between the music world and the fine-art world while maintaining her stronghold in both. A true polymath, her interest in new media made her an early pioneer of harnessing technology for artistic purposes long before the technology boom of the last ten years. Regardless of the medium, however, it is exploration of language (and how it seeps into the image) and storytelling that is her métier.

A few years ago, Anderson began poring through her extensive archive of nearly forty years of work, which includes scores of documentation, notebooks, and sketchbooks. In the process, she rediscovered important work and looked at well-known projects with a new lens. In this landmark volume, the artist brings together the most comprehensive collection of her artwork to date, some of which has never before been seen or published. Spanning drawing, multimedia installations, performance, and new projects using augmented reality, the extensive volume traverses four decades of her groundbreaking art. Each chapter includes commentary written by Anderson herself, offering an intimate understanding of her work through the artist’s own words.

About the Author:

Laurie Anderson is a multimedia artist, musician (with more than seven albums), and filmmaker. She has exhibited widely around the world, including at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; the Musée d’art contemporain, Lyon, France; Fondazione Tramontano Arte, Naples; the Park Avenue Armory, New York; and MASS MoCa, North Adams, Massachusetts.

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Пролистать книгу Laurie Anderson: All the Things I Lost in the Flood

An extraordinary archive of the most iconic sites on the American musical landscape.

Prompted by the closing of New York’s famed CBGB, Rhona Bitner embarked on a thirteen-year journey to photograph 403 venues across twenty-six states and eighty-nine cities — the studios, concert halls, arenas, high schools, bars, ballrooms, prisons, and fields where the most memorable songs were inspired, recorded, performed, and listened to.  Close to 300 of those photographs are included in this book.

Featuring Jimi Hendrix’s recording studio, Elvis’s Graceland music room, Aretha Franklin’s family church, the Georgia auditorium where fourteen-year-old Little Richard was discovered and Ray Charles, Otis Redding, James Brown, and Sam Cooke took the stage, and the high school where a young Bob Dylan first performed, this book showcases each locale that played a seminal role in the soundtracks of generations. While Bitner recorded these sites empty and silent, the reverberations of fabled tunes still echo from within their walls. With informative texts on each location and archival images of performers recording or playing in the venues, this encyclopedic collection is a must-have addition to the libraries of music aficionados everywhere.

About the Author:

Rhona Bitner is an artist whose photographs are in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Pinault Collection, among others. She lives and works between New York and Paris. Iggy Pop is a legendary musician known as the “godfather of punk.” Éric Reinhardt is a French writer and editor. Natalie Bell is the exhibitions curator at MIT’s List Visual Arts Center. Jon Hammer is a writer, artist, and rhythm guitarist. Greil Marcus is a music critic, journalist, and author. Jason Moran is a jazz pianist, composer, and performance artist.

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Пролистать книгу Listen: The Stages and Studios That Shaped American Music

Co-authored by Hip-Hop legend LL COOL J, acclaimed journalist Vikki Tobak and Rock The Bells’ editorial director Alec Banks, this momentous volume celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the influential culture, sound, and preeminent voices of American Hip-Hop music.

LL COOL J Presents The Streets Win commemorates the birth, rise, and progression of Hip-Hop’s culture and its indisputable impact on American music over the past fifty years. Vikki Tobak, Alec Banks and LL COOL J reveal the journey of this music genre through rarely seen photographs of Hip-Hop from its inception, from block party performances to street shots, parties, sessions at recording studios, and more. The imagery is accompanied by first-person recollections from Hip-Hop’s MCs, B-Boys, graffiti artists, and DJs who share how they fell in love with Hip-Hop, broke into the business, their artistic and personal style inspiration, and their views on Hip-Hop’s culture and music. Stories are told by icons DJ Kool Herc, Salt-N-Pepa, MC Lyte, KRS-One, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Grandmaster Flash, Run-D.M.C., Beastie Boys, De La Soul, Slick Rick, Public Enemy, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, Big Daddy Kane, Fat Joe, DJ Khaled and more.

Each page features a treasure trove of images by celebrated Hip-Hop photographers including Joe Conzo Jr., Ernie “Brother Ernie” Paniccioli, Jonathan Mannion, Janette Beckman, Estevan Oriol, Jamel Shabazz, Mike Miller, Clay Patrick McBride, and others who documented the growth; ephemera such as album covers, notebook drawings, and lyrics; party announcements; street scenes; clothing; and graffiti art. This definitive volume of the most important origin stories from the last fifty years of Hip-Hop is the perfect gift for music and photography fans.

About the Authors:

LL COOL J is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy Award-winning Hip-Hop icon, Kennedy Center Honoree, actor, New York Times best-selling author, philanthropist, founder and CEO of Rock The Bells. Vikki Tobak is an author, journalist, and curator of music photography and contemporary culture. Alec Banks is a journalist and the editorial director of Rock the Bells.

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Пролистать книгу LL COOL J Presents The Streets Win: 50 Years of Hip-Hop Greatness​ на сайте издательства.

The V&A may proudly hold the original artwork for the Rolling Stone’s ‘tongue and lips’ logo, but this is an anomaly. The cultural significance of the band logo has been overlooked. And yet, thousands of people wear them on T-shirts every day, mostly as badges of allegiance, but also simply because they look cool. Some have even become tropes – think The Ramones, Run DMC, AC/DC. (Q: How many people who wear Ramones T-shirts have seen them live or know their music?)

Band logos first emerged during the 1960s. They became commonplace in the 1970s and 1980s, when record companies and designers latched on to the power of music branding. Bands and logos may seem like unlikely bedfellows … yet it’s often the most eccentric, anarchic types who end up with the most compelling or ingenious visual marques to signify their attitude and style of music.

It is also interesting how many prominent graphic designers first became interested in logos and letterforms by doodling the names of their favourite bands on their school exercise books. Some of these efforts were reverential copies, others were improvements or embellished versions of the original. A wannabe designer’s version of attempting to emulate a Hendrix riff.

Logo Rhythm includes stories and insight from well-known designers such as Beatles art director Kosh, Bowie designer Jonathan Barnbook, Malcom Garrett, Rob O’Connor of Stylorouge, Chris Bigg of 4AD and editorial guru Mark Porter. There are contributions from Horace Panter of The Specials, XTC’s Andy Partridge, Allan Gorrie of Average White Band, Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds and Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand.

The book hails the unsung heroes and tall stories behind iconic band logos of all genres. It unearths original artwork and proffers informed comment and critique. It celebrates the good, the eccentric and the notorious, digging for nuggets of interest and illumination in the compelling world of band logos.

About the Author:

Jim K Davies is one of the UK’s most highly awarded copywriters. He works with design agencies and brands to help them tell their stories. A former Guardian journalist, he’s written for design publications the world over – from Domus in Italy, to Idea in Japan, to Print in the US. Author of The Book of Guinness Advertising and several acclaimed books on philatelic design, Jim is a huge funk and soul fan. Two of the happiest (and most drunken) weeks of his life were spent as an intern at music paper Melody Maker. Jamie Ellul is founder and creative director of Supple Studio, a small Bath-based design and branding agency that thinks big. He’s a multi-awarded member of D&AD and a seasoned book designer having created books for Thames & Hudson, BBC Books and Royal Mail. Jamie previously worked at several of London’s most-lauded creative studios, including hat-trick, The Partners and Magpie – the latter set up with friends from art college. An accomplished bass player and a member of upcoming bands The Super Colours and The Mystery Callers, he’d happily trade all his success in the world of design for a record contract.

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Пролистать книгу  Logo Rhythm: Band Logos that Rocked the World  на сайте издательства.

A tribute to the life and work of one of the great musical icons of the twentieth century, reflected through the lenses of the world’s greatest photographers. Published to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the release in 1964 of her groundbreaking debut single "As Tears Go By," this is the definitive book on Faithfull, one of the most beloved singers of the twentieth century. As a folk singer in London, Marianne Faithfull was discovered in a coffeehouse in 1964 by the manager of the Rolling Stones. Over the five decades since, her work as a musician, her performances as an actress on stage and screen, and her presence as an icon of style have made Faithfull an undisputed icon of pop culture. Edited by the artist herself, with accompanying handwritten captions, this book represents a personal collection of images that tell the stories of her life — from her explosive success in London in the 1960s and her infamous relationships with Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, to her rise as an actress and her collaborations with artists as diverse as David Bowie and Nick Cave. Including never-before-seen snapshots from Faithfull’s collection, specially commissioned photographs of her home in Paris, and iconic images by many of the world’s best-known photographers — Steven Meisel, David Bailey, and Anton Corbijn, among many others — this is a revealing celebration of an extraordinary life in popular culture.

About the Author:

Marianne Faithfull is a singer, songwriter, and actress. She has collaborated with icons such as the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Blur, Beck, and Nick Cave, among many others. Alongside her music, Faithfull has maintained a successful career as an actor, working with luminaries such as Orson Welles, Jean-Luc Godard, Alain Delon, and Sofia Coppola.

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Пролистать книгу Marianne Faithfull: A Life on Record

Chances are you’ve seen numerous iconic pictures by award-winning portrait and documentary photographer Lynn Goldsmith at some point in your life. Her images have graced the covers of magazines worldwide from Life to Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, People and many more. She has also published 14 monographs of her photographs, including the New York Times best-selling photobook New Kids (Rizzoli, 1990).

Over the past 50 years, Goldsmith has photographed hundreds of musicians in studio portrait sessions, at live concerts, on the road and at home.  Her new book, Music in the ‘80s, showcases an incredible range of artists during a decade when many new forms of music were gaining popularity: New Wave, Electronica, Rap, Metal, and Ska had chart topping success, as did R&B and Pop. Michael Jackson, Philip Glass, Run DMC, Miles Davis, Judas Priest - these are but a few of the names that during this period became icons. The 80’s was a time like no other in history, and the photographs chosen for this book are as diverse in their style as the music and dress of the decade.

The book also features quotes from many of the people featured in Goldsmiths’ photographs — including Iggy Pop, Tina Turner, Keith Richards, Alice Cooper, Elvis Costello and more — as well as those who were influenced by the tremendous cultural importance of the decade, proving that Music in the ‘80s is sure to hit the right note for all lovers of music.

About the Author:

Lynn Goldsmith is a celebrity portrait photographer, as well as a fine art photographer and painter. In the past she has been an entrepreneur, film director, recording artist, and lyricist.

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Пролистать книгу Music in the '80s

A definitive collection of photographs of the legendary and influential band New Order. New Order remains one of the most popular bands of the last half-century. Founded in the dying years of punk and disco, and combining elements of post-punk, new wave, and electronic dance music, New Order was responsible for some of the biggest hits of the era and is one of few bands to have achieved mainstream success while retaining cult status. Having been the most trusted photographer of Joy Division in the 1970s, Kevin Cummins was uniquely placed to document the rise and fall of New Order, from their formation in 1980 to their split in 1993. From underground beginnings as the flagship group of Factory Records in Manchester to grandstand tours around Europe and America, Cummins captured the band in every light, from the intimacy of the studio to the frenetic energy of live performance. Collected here for the first time are more than a hundred photographs reflecting over a decade of New Order. Prefaced by a selection of rarely-seen ephemera, conversations with the band members, and an introduction from Douglas Coupland, this is a stunning celebration of a band whose influence on music and fashion is still palpable today.

About the Author:

Kevin Cummins’s photographs are included in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and have been published in several monographs, including Joy Division. Douglas Coupland is a best-selling Canadian novelist, essayist, playwright, and screenwriter. Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Gillian Gilbert, and Stephen Morris are founding members of New Order

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Пролистать книгу New Order на сайте издательства.

It is our most passionate music, rooted in ancient Africa but brought to blossom in America at the doorstep of the twentieth century. It is a living heritage of song born in poverty, persecution, and hard labor, born of love and love betrayed, of holiness and sin, the pleasures and the pains of the flesh, the experience of tragedy, comedy, drunkenness, despair, desolation, and pure joy. It is the blues.

At root, the blues is rich in its simplicity, but it has flowered across the years in a variety of rare complexity. Perhaps no form of popular art is more immediately appealing than the blues, yet so rewards a thorough knowledge of its finer points. In eleven authoritative essays commissioned especially for the book, Nothing But the Blues traces the African-American origins of the music, its early development as popular entertainment, its early recorded manifestations, its regional differentiation (Mid-South, Tidewater-Piedmont, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Los Angeles), its many stylistic dimensions, and its contemporary manifestations. Country blues, urban blues, the evolution of rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll, and the blues revival are all fully covered.

But the written history is only part of the story. Blues fans have always treasured rare photographs of their heroes, and Nothing But the Blues is gloriously illustrated with posed and candid shots of the musicians as well as photographs of such one-of-a-kind artifacts and documents as Leadbelly's NYPD rap sheet and classic recording contracts. Nothing But the Blues features an introduction by one of the genre's living legends, B. B. King, and a comprehensive "best of the best" discography, including current and rereleased recordings as well as the collectors' treasures to go after.

Blues is more popular than ever before. Not only are reissues of historical blues classics selling in unprecedented numbers, but a whole new crop of vital young blues artists is active in clubs and on record today. Nothing But the Blues is a lavishly illustrated comprehensive history of the music and the musicians, as well as the promoters, producers, and others who have shaped--and continue to shape--this powerful and enduringly popular American musical art form.

About the Author:

Lawrence Cohn is best known as one of the creators of Legacy Recordings, a branch of Sony Music Entertainment and as the originator and producer of the Roots 'N' Blues series.

Cohn was educated as a lawyer and became Vice-President of CBS/Epic Records and later head of Playboy Records and Music. One of his responsibilities at CBS was to co-supervise the Country Music Division. He was also COO & minor partner in the short-lived CBS Records-Bob Dylan generated label, "Accomplice Records." [1980-82] He has continued his career as a producer, writer and critic. He wrote Movietone Presents the Twentieth Century (New York : Saint Martin's Press, 1976) and edited Nothing But The Blues : The Music and the Musicians (New York : Abbeville Press, 1993).

He has eight Grammy Award nominations and won Grammy Award for Best Historical Album in 1991 for the "Robert Johnson : The Complete Recordings" project. In the same year he also received the W. C. Handy Award for his work on Robert Johnson and was honored with a Special Distinction Award by the Blues Foundation for his "Contribution to the Blues." Moreover, Sony Music provided him with their first President's Award, for his work on Robert Johnson. He was also selected as one of the "100 Most Important People In The Music Business."