Kirjahaku

In the first and only definitive biography of country music star Keith Urban, insider Jeff Apter chronicles how a skinny, shy high school dropout with an outrageous mullet went from humble origins in Australia to conquering Nashville and global stardom--plus his struggles with addiction, marriage to Nicole Kidman, turns on American Idol, and more. Four Grammys. Twenty US Number Ones. A Hollywood marriage. Who wouldn't want to be Keith Urban? Keith Urban came from humble origins. His father worked at the local landfill and Keith was a high school dropout. But Keith had a plan: conquer Nashville. "It's my destiny," he said. And Keith was hell-bent on scaling that musical Everest. Whatever it took. It didn't come easy. Keith served his apprenticeship in the beer barns of Australia, and his early trips to America were disastrous. But he never gave up, settling in Nashville in the 1990s and forming The Ranch. When the band fell apart, so did Keith, ending up in rehab (not for the last time). But Keith did eventually reach the top, through a combination of talent, charisma, sex appeal, dogged perseverance--and skin thick enough for a rhino. And along the way he married Nicole Kidman. As Keith has said, "All those detours, the really dark ones, got me to where I am now. I would not want to change one leaf on any tree in the whole journey." Keith Urban is the definitive biography of an international superstar.

How did Keith Urban go from Australian smalltown singer to Nashville superstar? The Grammy Award winner's astonishing trajectory is meticulously told in this biography of the modern country legend every fan should have on their bookshelf. Keith Urban came from humble origins. His father worked at the local landfill and Keith was a high school dropout. But Keith had a plan: conquer Nashville. "It's my destiny," he said. And Keith was hell-bent on scaling that musical Everest. Whatever it took. It didn't come easy. Keith served his apprenticeship in the beer barns of Australia, and his early trips to America were disastrous. But he never gave up, settling in Nashville in the 1990s and forming The Ranch. When the band fell apart, so did Keith, ending up in rehab (not for the last time). But Keith did eventually reach the top, through a combination of talent, charisma, sex appeal, dogged perseverance--and skin thick enough for a rhino. And along the way he married Nicole Kidman. As Keith has said, "All those detours, the really dark ones, got me to where I am now. I would not want to change one leaf on any tree in the whole journey." Keith Urban is the definitive biography of an international superstar.

The definitive and fascinating biography of the musical trailblazer who wrote the classic "Blue Suede Shoes" and was the influence behind countless other legendary hits, a rock and roll legend in his own right, and the original rockabilly cat--Carl Perkins. He was the King of Rockabilly, and one of rock and roll's true pioneers. A groundbreaking guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Carl Perkins inspired countless musicians in country, rock, and pop music. His influence is enormous. As Paul McCartney said, "If there were no Carl Perkins, there would be no Beatles." One Beatle was such a fan that he gave himself the stage name Carl Harrison. Now acclaimed music writer Jeff Apter recounts Carl Perkins's remarkable life story--the triumphs, tragedies, and career highlights that include some of the most pivotal moments in music history. Born in Tennessee to poor sharecroppers, Carl grew up listening to gospel and country music, learned blues guitar from a fellow field hand, and started writing songs at age fourteen. He plied his trade in rough and rowdy honky-tonks, performing with his brothers before beginning his recording career at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis. It was there that Carl became a member of the fabled "Million Dollar Quartet," alongside Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1955, he wrote and recorded "Blue Suede Shoes," the first record by a Sun artist to sell over a million copies. But then a fateful car crash stalled his career, one of many tragedies in Carl's life. Over the following decades, Presley, Cash, and countless other artists, from the Beatles, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan to Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, performed and recorded his songs and became Carl's friends, collaborators, and champions. Rich with insider detail and background into Carl's private battles, humanitarian work, and personal inspirations, this is a fascinating, in-depth look at "Mr. Blue Suede Shoes" and his one-of-a-kind legacy.

The definitive biography of one of music history's most beloved, versatile, unforgettable icons--Roy Orbison, the singer-songwriter of legendary hits including "Only the Lonely," "Crying," and "Oh, Pretty Woman"--from his chart-topping highs and tragic lows to his momentous comeback. He didn't look, move, or sound like his contemporaries, but Roy Orbison, king of the emotionally charged, slow-burning, drama-ballad, struck a worldwide chord. Now, from acclaimed music biographer Jeff Apter, comes the definitive biography of one of music history's most beloved, versatile, singer-songwriter legends. Clad in black with dark shades, Roy Orbison had a mystique, style, and voice that were unmistakable and singularly different from his famous peers of the 1950s and '60s, like Johnny Cash, Elvis, or Jerry Lee Lewis. Roy hit notes that, in the words of Bruce Springsteen, sounded "like the world's going to end." Born in Vernon, Texas, Roy was the son of a guitar-playing oil worker. Already a music fan by age 6, Roy went on to form a high school band. Honky-tonk gigs followed. Then a contract at Elvis Presley's label, Sun Records, where Roy found mentors and friends among the likes of Carl Perkins. Following a shift to Monument Records, he shared a bill with a group called the Beatles, who were huge fans of his. After experimenting with different styles, Roy edged closer to a sound all his own. He found it with smash singles including "Only the Lonely," "Crying," and "Oh, Pretty Woman," songs heavy with pathos and remarkable vocals. It was gold. But what lay ahead was a professional downswing, and personal tragedy with the death of his wife and two sons. 20 lean years followed. Yet Roy Orbison was far from over. Amid the rockabilly revival of the 1980s and the formation of the British-American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys--with, among others, Jeff Lynne, who would eventually produce Roy's posthumous albums--Roy's comeback was legendary. Asked how he'd like to be remembered, Roy said, "One day when they are mentioning people who had an impact, if they just mention me among the rest of the guys and gals, it would be great." He got his wish. Roy Orbison: King of Hearts seals it.

(Book). Bono called Jeff Buckley "a pure drop in an ocean of noise." In this startling new biography, Buckley's friends, peers, enemies, collaborators, lovers, and others speak of the Jeff they knew or, in some cases, thought they knew. His struggles with writer's block are explored, as are his battles with the concept of stardom, his desire for escape, and his attempts to deal with the unavoidable legacy of his equally gifted father, Tim Buckley.

Malcolm Young was a legend: the founder and the driving force of AC/DC, a man with what many have called 'the greatest right hand in rock and roll'. That right hand provided the instantly recognisable riffs and muscle behind such timeless songs as 'Highway to Hell', 'Back in Black', 'A Long Way to the Top' and many others. Malcolm was instrumental in ensuring that AC/DC survived shifting musical trends and numerous in-house dramas to stand tall as the biggest rock band on the planet. Yet he was the most unpretentious man to ever strap on a Gretsch guitar.One of eight children, Young was always destined for a life in rock and roll: his elder brother George was a key member of The Easybeats and was also a vital early mentor of AC/DC. And Malcolm stood alongside his younger brother Angus in AC/DC for the best part of 40 years.Malcolm lived hard and fast, enduring incredible hardship when the band started out in the mid-1970s, surviving the terrible loss of Bon Scott in 1980, and suffering numerous personal demons, including alcoholism. Yet without Malcolm Young, there would have been no AC/DC. As the band's former bassist, Mark Evans, wrote of Malcolm: 'He was the driven one, the planner, the schemer, the behind the scenes guy, ruthless and astute.'This is the first biography to focus exclusively on Malcolm and tells the riveting story of his remarkable rise from working-class Glasgow and the Villawood migrant hostel in Sydney to the biggest stages in the world. It includes rarely seen photographs and is essential reading for any AC/DC fan.'Thank you, Malcolm, for the songs, and the feel, and the cool, and the years of losing control to your rock and roll.' Dave Grohl

Teen idol. King of Pop. Voice of the common man. Australian of the Year. Friend. Icon. Superstar.John Farnham is the quintessential Aussie legend. As a teenager he gave up an apprenticeship to chase his musical dreams, hitting the big time with 'Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)'. A family man at heart, and the most loyal of friends, John was sometimes uncomfortable with the spotlight and for many years struggled to take his career to the heights that those close to him, including Molly Meldrum and Glenn Wheatley, felt it could reach.He finally hit his stride with 1986's Whispering Jack and the breakaway success of 'You're the Voice', which became the anthem of a generation. John lived it up - holidaying with the Skases and dining at the Lodge with Bob Hawke - but always came back down to earth. And the King of Pop would also become king of the comeback, showing longevity rare in the music industry.Thanks to the support of those close to John, author and music industry insider Jeff Apter provides a rare glimpse inside Farnsie's world. Insightful, entertaining and deeply personal, Playing to Win is the definitive John Farnham story.

George Young wasn't so much on the charts for the best part of three decades: he and his musical partner Harry Vanda were the charts. George's journey began with the trailblazing Easybeats and continued, alongside Harry, as producer/songwriter for hire with John Paul Young, The Angels, Rose Tattoo, Cheetah, Ted Mulry, Stevie Wright and, most crucially, AC/DC. George and Harry also struck gold with Flash and the Pan, almost by accident.George Young helped create such classics as 'Friday on My Mind', 'Sorry', 'Love is in the Air', 'Evie', 'Yesterday's Hero', 'Down Among the Dead Men', 'Hey, St. Peter', 'Bad Boy for Love', 'Jailbreak' and 'It's a Long Way to the Top'. In 2001, APRA voted 'Friday on My Mind' the best and most significant Australian song of the past 75 years.In this long-overdue book, the first to focus exclusively on the life and work of George Young, writer Jeff Apter explores George's long and fruitful association with Harry; his rare ability to maintain a stable married life with his wife Sandra; and his handshake deal with Ted Albert that helped create a music empire. The book also reveals such little-known events as the accident that almost killed off 'Hey, St. Peter' before its release, and the tragedy that bonded George and Harry for life.

Bon Scott was once asked if he was AC or DC. 'Neither,' he grinned, 'I'm the lightning flash in the middle.' And that's how he lived his life.No one had the same skill with lyrics as Bon, who called his words 'toilet poetry', his 'dirty ditties'. He could also vividly depict life on the road, best heard in the AC/DC classics 'Long Way to the Top' and 'Highway to Hell'.When Bon appeared on Countdown in March 1975, the impression he left was indelible. The ugliest schoolgirl to ever grace the small screen, Bon was a mess of tattoos and pigtails, wearing an awkwardly short skirt, all the while puffing on a ciggie. His bandmates, not just the audience, were in hysterics. The video quickly became part of Oz rock folklore.Bon was always the joker in the AC/DC pack. He'd happily pose for a photograph with a joint dangling from his lips or be interviewed in cut-off shorts with a banana provocatively stuffed into his waistband. Anything to elicit a laugh. The off-stage stories surrounding Bon are legendary. After spending a lively couple of days with Bon, Ol' 55 singer Jim Manzie said, 'My rock-and-roll education was pretty much complete.'Bad Boy Boogie is the first biography to focus on Bon's remarkable gifts as a lyricist, frontman and rascal. In short, the real Bon Scott.

Four Grammys. 20 US Number Ones. A Hollywood marriage. Who wouldn't want to be Keith Urban?Keith Urban came from humble origins. His father worked at the local tip and Keith was a high school dropout. But Keith had a plan: conquering Nashville. 'It's my destiny,' he said. And Keith was hell-bent on scaling that musical Everest. Whatever it took.It didn't come easy. Keith served his apprenticeship in the beer barns of Australia and his early trips to America were disastrous. But he never gave up, settling in Nashville in the 1990s and forming The Ranch. When the band fell apart, so did Keith, ending up in rehab (not for the last time). But Keith did eventually reach the top, through a combination of talent, charisma, sex appeal, dogged perseverance-and skin thick enough for a rhino. And along the way he married Nicole Kidman.As Keith has said, 'All those detours, especially the really dark ones, got me to where I am now. I would not want to change one leaf on any tree in the whole journey.'Keith Urban is the definitive biography of an Australian superstar.

Loaded with candid interviews and hard truths about Grohl's life in music, this is the first comprehensive biography of an icon whose career charts rock and roll's rise and fall over the past two decades. This book details his drumming and touring with Queens of the Stone Age and Nine Inch Nails and his battle over Nirvana's legacy with Courtney Love.

This new edition brings The Cure's story right up to date to include details of Robert Smith's personnel changes and the band's 13th studio album. Author Jeff Apter traces their roots from middle-class Sussex documenting in detail their gradual rise to fame. This work details the full story of Robert Smith's defection to Siouxsie and the Banshees and his drug problems. Compiled from dozens of interviews, including exclusive discussions with co-founders Lol Tolhurst and Michael Dempsey and various members of the band, this work includes many photographs and a comprehensive discography.

Teen idol. King of Pop. Voice of the common man. Australian of the Year. Friend. Icon. Superstar. John Farnham is the quintessential Aussie legend. As a teenager he gave up an apprenticeship to chase his musical dreams, hitting the big time with 'Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)'. A family man at heart, and the most loyal of friends, John was sometimes uncomfortable with the spotlight and for many years struggled to take his career to the heights that those close to him, including Molly Meldrum and Glenn Wheatley, felt it could reach. He finally hit his stride with 1986's Whispering Jack and the breakaway success of 'You're the Voice', which became the anthem of a generation. John lived it up - holidaying with the Skases and dining at the Lodge with Bob Hawke - but always came back down to earth. And the King of Pop would also become king of the comeback, showing longevity rare in the music industry. Thanks to the support of those close to John, author and music industry insider Jeff Apter provides a rare glimpse inside Farnsie's world. Insightful, entertaining and deeply personal, Playing to Win is the definitive John Farnham story.

To fans and critics alike, the years 1973 to 1980 the Bon Scott era are the most significant of AC/DC s five-decade career. In a prolific and frequently brilliant run, they recorded six studio albums, established a diehard fan base that stretched from Australia to the UK, Europe to North America, toured relentlessly, and created no small amount of controversy and chaos. At one low point in Australia, the band s records were banned, their shows were cancelled, and they were hounded by police all because Angus Young dared bare his spotty backside at a press conference. In the midst of the mayhem, however, they were building a body of work that remains unmatched in hard rock. Many of AC/DC s classic songs were cut during this time `Dirty Deeds , `Rock And Roll Damnation , `High Voltage , `If You Want Blood (You Got It) , `Whole Lotta Rosie , `Long Way To The Top , `Let There Be Rock , and more and it says plenty that these fan favorites are still staples of the band s current live sets today. Illustrated throughout with rare photographs from the era, this book documents all the key events of this frenetic time, beginning with the band s very first shows in the bloodhouses of suburban Sydney even before the name AC/DC had been dreamed up by Margaret Young, Malcolm and Angus s big sister and culminating with 1979 s Highway To Hell, the album that paved the way for the mammoth success of Back In Black and all that was to follow, and the untimely death of Bon Scott, both an end and a new beginning for the band.

Across five decades and counting, New Zealand-born singer/songwriter and Crowded House founder Neil Finn has become one of the best-loved figures in popular music, crafting enough hits along the way -- Weather With You, Locked Out, I Got You, Fall At Your Feet, It s Only Natural, and of course Don t Dream It s Over -- to forge his very own one-man Great Antipodean Songbook. One fateful day in April 1977, teenage Neil received a transcontinental phone call that would change his life. It was his older brother, Tim, calling from London, England, with a simple question: Do you want to join the band? That band, the art-rock combo Split Enz, would provide the launchpad for a career that has taken in widespread international success with Crowded House, as a solo artist, back with Tim in The Finn Brothers, and as a touring member of Fleetwood Mac. There have been bumps along the road, including repeated clashes with Tim and the tragic death of original Crowded House drummer Paul Hester, but taken as a whole, Finn s story is one of the most inspiring musical sagas of modern times. Australian author and journalist Jeff Apter has observed Neil s career from close quarters since the late 70s, from frantic early Enz gigs to private listening parties to huge reunion shows and numerous points in between, giving him the perfect perspective to write this intimate, even-handed biography.

Fanit ja kriitikot ovat yhtä mieltä siitä, että vuodet 1973-1980, kun Bon Scott oli yhtyeen riveissä, olivat AC/DC:n kulta-aikaa.Harvinaisin otoksin kuvitettu kirja dokumentoi koko tuon hurjan aikakauden, alkaen Sydneyn lähiöissä heitetyistä ensimmäisistä keikoista aina Bon Scottin traagiseen kuolemaan vain 33-vuotiaana.Noina vuosina yhtye levytti kuusi studioalbumia, keräsi maailmanlaajuisen uskollisen fanijoukon, teki kiertueen toisensa jälkeen ja aiheutti melkoisen määrän kaaosta ja pahennusta.