Music Mentor Books – förlag

This amazingly detailed blow-by-blow analysis of every recording Chuck Berry has ever made is now universally acknowledged as the standard reference work on the man known throughout the world as 'Mr. Rock & Roll'. Includes an overview of the man's life and career, his influences, the stories behind his most famous compositions, full session details, listings of all his key US/UK vinyl and CD releases (including track details), TV and film appearances, and much, much more. The author presents this wealth of information and his enlightening critiques of Berry's recordings in a lightweight style tinged with humour that makes for a highly entertaining read. Over 100 illustrations including label shots, vintage ads and previously unpublished photographs.

The achievements of Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly have been extensively documented, but until now little if anything has been known about the many ways in which their lives were interconnected. For the first time anywhere, rock & roll expert Alan Mann takes a detailed look at each artist's early years, comparing their backgrounds and influences, chronicling all their meetings and examining the many amazing parallels in their lives, careers and tragic deaths. Contains many rare and previously unpublished photographs. A fascinating, thought-provoking insight into two of the greatest popular musical figures of the Twentieth Century.

Ian Wallis is a lifelong rock 'n' roll enthusiast and has been writing about the music he loves for over 20 years. His first book, The Hawk, a biography of Ronnie Hawkins, was published in Canada in 1997. He is also joint promoter of the Rockers' Reunion Party held in Reading every January, and has had a hand in organising European tours for several American rock 'n' rollers. There is no more fervent supporter of live music, and he has travelled countless thousands of miles in pursuit of 'the greatest music in the world'. This is the first serious attempt to chronicle every visit to the UK by American (and Canadian!) rock 'n' roll artists, and includes full tour itineraries, support acts, show reports, TV appearances and a wealth of other information. The author's painstaking research is augmented with illustrations of dozens of original programmes, tickets, vintage ads and atmospheric live shots -- many of them rare or previously unpublished -- to provide a complete picture of this exciting and fascinating era

Born to shell-shocked parents in shell-shocked London shortly after the end of World War II, Paul 'Sailor' Vernon came into his own during the 1960s when spotty teenage herberts with bad haircuts began discovering The Blues. For the Sailor it became a lifelong obsession that led him first to record collecting and stalking unsuspecting visiting bluesmen, and then into a whirlwind of activity as a rare record hunter, record dealer, magazine proprietor/editor, video bootlegger and record company director before a variety of personal and business setbacks eventually ushered him into seeking a more stable form of existence. The many twists and turns in the author's roller-coaster adventure of a life are all vividly charted in this hilarious illustrated autobiography. GASP as you read how he road-tripped his way through the Deep South armed only with a Rand McNally map, a Swiss army knife and an emergency jar of Marmite! MARVEL as you absorb in-depth descriptions of legendary performances by long-departed giants of the Blues! CHOKE on your coffee as one rotten gag after another blindsides you! REND YOUR GARMENTS as you realise just how many original Blues 78's went through his sweaty hands! SHOUT "BLIMEY!" within earshot of surprised elderly relatives as you follow the rags-to-riches tale of his extraordinary life! It's all here in this one-of-a-kind life history that will leave you reaching for an enamel bucket and a fresh bottle of disinfectant!

The third of four volumes in this extensive reference work dedicated to rock'n'roll's most influential guitarist and composer. Contains details of over 4,500 cover versions of Chuck Berry songs including many rarities from around the world. Alphabetical listing by artist (brief biography, comprehensive details of recordings and relevant releases, illuminating commentary and critiques), plus dozens of sleeve and label illustrations.

Fifty years ago, at the dawn of the Swinging Sixties, Royston Ellis was a spokesman for Britain's teenage generation. Aged 16, he hung around coffee bars and jazz clubs in Soho, chronicling in poetry the life he saw around him. Gradually, he also became closely associated with the emerging music scene. In 1959, he teamed up with Cliff Richard's group, the Drifters, and appeared with them on television and stage shows performing his unique brand of 'rocketry' (rock'n'roll poetry). In 1960, he was backed by the Beetles (as they then were) in Liverpool, and by Jimmy Page at London's Mermaid Theatre. Before leaving the UK in 1961 to explore the world, Ellis penned the first-ever books on Cliff (Driftin' with Cliff Richard) and the Shadows (The Shadows by Themselves), as well as The Big Beat Scene, the first contemporary account of the teenage music scene in Britain. Written before the emergence of the Beatles and without the benefit of hindsight, this fascinating document provides a unique, first-hand insight into the popularity and relevance of jazz, skiffle and rock'n'roll at a time when Cliff Richard & The Shadows were at the cutting edge of pop, and the social attitudes of the time. A photographic portrait of the author was taken in 1960 by Ida Kar, and is one of the portraits featuring in a major exhibition of Kar's work at the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition, 'Ida Kar: Bohemian Photographer', runs from 10 March - 19 June 2011.

As a founder member of the world's most successful instrumental group, the Shadows, and a chart-topper in his own right, bassist Jet Harris scaled the heights of superstardom in the 1960s. A helpless alcoholic for most of his adult life, he also sank to unimaginable depths of despair, leaving a string of broken hearts and shattered lives in his wake. In this unauthorised biography author Dave Nicolson examines his eventful life and career, and how he eventually overcame his addiction to the bottle and fought his way back to centre stage. In the second part of the book, a series of revealing interviews with those friends and artists who knew him best -- Cliff Richard, Bruce Welch, Tony Meehan, Brian 'Licorice' Locking, Billie Davis and others -- completes this unique and intimate portrait of a music legend.

From Django Reinhardt and Édith Piaf to Françoise Hardy and Serge Gainsbourg, French pop has long fascinated the outside world. This book, the first in-depth history published outside France, travels from music halls, jazz cellars and cafés to discothèques and teenage parties to tell the tale of how the French transitioned from accordions to electric guitars, from Maurice Chevalier to Johnny Hallyday, from the existential angst of Left Bank chanson to the effervescent joy of yé-yé. Across dozens of performers from Sacha Distel to Sylvie Vartan, and hundreds of recordings, this is the story of how the French fused their native traditions with the best the world had to offer tango, jazz, swing, exotica, rock'n'roll and folk and emerged in the sixties with their own unique and much- loved spin on the pop music conquering the world.