Music Biography

Boston Little, Brown (1999)., 1999. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Dust Jacket Included. Remainder mark on bottom edge, else near fine condition. 7.5" x 5" pictorial dj 282pp. Illustrated by 10 full-page photo-illus. First Edition. Binding is orig boards. more information

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NY: St. Martin's Press, 1995. First Edition. Cloth-backed boards. Fine/Fine. pp: ix, 422 This comprehensive account is based on interviews with several hundred people, including Holly's widow. Frontispiece and 32pp illustrations from photos. 9.5" x 6.25". more information

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NY: St. Martin's Press, 1995. First Edition. Cloth-backed boards. Fine/Fine. pp: ix, 422 This comprehensive account is based on interviews with several hundred people, including Holly's widow. Frontispiece and 32pp illustrations from photos. 9.5" x 6.25". more information

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NY Warner Books (1992)., 1992. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Dust Jacket Included. Small, private bookplate, else book and dust jacket near fine condition. 9.25" x 6" pictorial dj pp: xii, 340 Discography and index. This detailed biography of Janis is based on interviews with friends, lovers, other musicians, etc. Illustrated by 16pp illus from photographs. First Edition. Binding is orig boards. more information

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NY St. Martin's Press (1995)., 1995. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Dust Jacket Included. Gift inscription on endpaper, else in fine condition. 9.5" x 6.25" pictorial dj pp: ix, 422 This comprehensive account is based on interviews with several hundred people, including Holly's widow. The endpaper gift-inscription is rendered less objectionable by its reference to the recipient as "one of Orange's Big Boppers.". Illustrated by frontis and 32pp photo-illus. First Edition. Binding is cloth/boards. more information

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NY: Zebra Books / Kensington, 1993. First Edition. Cloth-backed boards. Fine/Fine. Illus from Photographs. pp: xii, 260; 16pp illus from photographs. 9.25" x 6". more information

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NY: Oxford University Press, 1984. First paperback edition. Printed wraps. Fine. pp: x, 197. Balliett, perceptive jazz critic for The New Yorker, here writes on Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, Ornette Coleman, Doc Cheatham, Erroll Garner, and 14 other musicians. 8" x 5.25". more information

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NY: Hill and Wang, 1960. First Edition. Original cloth. Very Good/Good. pp: (ix), 245; 16pp illus from photographs. This autobiography comprises oral history, based on field recordings made by the great jazz clarinetist, and a discography of his recordings. The frontispiece portrait is by David Stone Martin. 8.5" x 5.5". more information

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Reading, PA: Exeter House Books, 1995. First Edition. Original Wraps. Very Good. Illus from Photographs. pp: (ix), 192, (2). Ferko was known as "the dancing captain" among the Philadelphia String Bands who marched in the annual New Years Day Mummers' Parade. 8.5" x 5.25". more information

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Boston: Little, Brown, 1975. First US Edition. Original cloth. Very Good/Very Good. 264pp, index; 100+ illus from photographs, some color. This well-illustrated account of the famous partnership contrasts the lives and characters of Gilbert and Sullivan. 10" x 7.5". more information

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NY: Macmillan, 1986. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. pp: xiii, 336; 16pp illus from photographs. This autobiography of one of the 10 original Rock and Roll Hall of Famers includes an extensive discography. 9.5" x 6.25". more information

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Chicago: Lakeside Press, 1988. First Thus. Original Cloth. Fine. pp: lxix, 360, index; 32 plates (5 in color), colored map. Recalls the experiences of a frontier "showboat" family, the Bryants, who entertained folks on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in the early 1900s. Son Billy, the author, was a friend of George M. Cohan's. 6.75"x 4.5". more information

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NY: Gallery Books, 1985. First edition. Pictorial Boards. Fine/near fine. 192pp; illus throughout from color photographs. 11.75" x 9 more information

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NY: Stein and Day, 1979. First Edition. Original cloth. Very Good/Very Good. pp: xiii, 253, bibliography, extensive discography, and index; 16pp illus from photographs. This biography of the man who was arguably America's greatest songwriter of country music is based in part on interviews with his friends and associates. It includes "a never-before-published account of the night Hank Williams died." 9.5" x 6.5". more information

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Philadelphia: Chilton Book, 1969. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. pp:xvi,226,(1); portrait, 6pp illus from photographs. 8.25" x 5.5". more information

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Portland, OR: Amadeus Press, 1995. First US Edition. Original Cloth. Very Good/Very Good. 558pp, indices; 16pp illustrations. Charpentier, the French composer of about 550 pieces, notably oratorio and vocal music, died in 1704 and was rediscovered after World War II, nearly three centuries past his heyday. This biography traces his life, analyzes his work, and includes a complete catalog of his compositions along with an extensive bibliography. 9.25" x 6.25". more information

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NY: Da Capo, 1977. First paperback edition. Pictorial wraps. Very Good. 192pp; text illus from photographs. First published in 1975. Discusses the blues idiom as well as the lives and music of 12 players: Big Joe Williams, J.D. Short, Bukka White, Robert Pete Williams, Juke Boy Bonner, Snooks Eaglin, Jack Dupree, Sunnyland Slim, Mighty Joe Young, Eddie Boyd, Memphis Slim, and Lightnin' Hopkins. 8.5" x 5.25". more information

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Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1994. First US Edition. Original Cloth. Fine/fine. pp: ix, 286, index; 16pp illus from photographs. 9.25" x 6 First biography of the man who pioneered rock and roll by combining his jump jive with jazz and rhythm & blues. more information

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NY: Oxford University Press, 1987. First US Edition. Original boards. Fine/Fine. Illus from Photographs. pp: xv, 331, index; 32pp illus from photographs. This is the first full-length biography of the great clarinetist, a contemporary of Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, and other early figures in jazz. 9.5" x 6.25". more information

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NY: Flash Books, 1977. First Edition. Pictorial wraps. Very Good. Illus from Photographs. 78pp; frequent illus from photographs. Has discography. This biography of the folk songwriter/singer, then 38, looks at her "career, accomplishments, politics, music, and life.". 10" x 7". more information

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NY: St. Martin's Press, 1989. First US Edition. Cloth-backed boards. Good/Very Good. pp: (x), 257, index; 8pp illus from photographs. The first few leaves are slightly crinkled, else in very good condition. 9.5" x 6.25". more information

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NY: Warner Books, 1985. 4th printing. Pictorial wraps. Very Good. Illus from Photographs. pp: xv, 368, index; 50+ illus from photographs. "In-depth biography of rock's greatest blues guitarist." 8" x 5.25". more information

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NY: Oxford University Press, 1989. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. pp: xii, 404, index; 16pp illus from photographs. This detailed biography of the King of Swing documents his rise amid the social milieu and popular music of the era. 9.5" x 6.25". more information

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NY: Oxford University Press, 1983. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. pp: viii, 383, notes, discography, and index; 16pp illus from photographs. 9.5" x 6.25". more information

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Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. 275pp, discography; 32pp illus from photographs. 9.25" x 6". more information

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NY: Pocket Books, 1998. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. pp: xv, 346, index; 16pp illus from photographs. The legendary folksinger's second book of autobiography centers on her son's suicide, marriage to Louis Nelson,etc. Signed in purple ink, with a heart, on the title-page. 9.5" x 6.25". more information

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NY: Galahad Books, 1973. Second Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Illus from Photographs. Approx 280pp, unpaginated; illus throughout. This scrapbook of photographs from Condon's jazz career has a two-page foreword by John Steinbeck. 10.25" x 10". more information

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NY: St. Martin's, 1984. First Edition. Original cloth. Very Good/Good. Thumb-size chip from rear panel of dust jacket, else very good. pp: xii, 402, index.; text illus from photographs. 9.5" x 6.25". more information

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Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith, 1995. First Edition. Pictorial Boards. Fine/Fine. 96pp; text illus from photographs. Profiles 20 blues musicians, including: Blind Lemon Jefferson, Memphis Minnie, Big Joe Williams, Son House, Buddy Guy, and 15 more. The original cd, in an unopened plastic pouch inside the back cover, contains 10 tracks, including: Every Day I Have the Blues; That's All Right; The Thrill Is Gone; Goin' Back to Memphis; and six more. 7.25" x 7.25". more information

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Philadelphia: John C. Winston, 1951. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Good. Marian L. Larer. Dust jacket is quite chipped. pp: ix, 102; 19 illustrations. Biography of the African-American Virginian who composed more than 700 songs. 11" x 8.5". more information

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NY: Scribner's, 1980. First Edition. Pictorial wraps. Very Good. Illus from Photographs. pp: xxi, 399, index; 24pp illus from photographs. Includes discography and bibliography. Issued simultaneously in cloth. Dance tells the story of Basie's big band in the words of the musicians who played in it. 9" x 6". more information

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Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2001. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Fine. Remainder mark on lower edge. pp: xx, 348, index. Davis takes a lively look at a wide range of jazz musicians from Billie Holiday to Ornette Coleman to Sun Ra. 9.25" x 6". more information

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NY: Harper & Row, 1980. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. pp: vii, 151; 6 small portraits in text. An unusual biography in the form of lyrics to a long song. This is a presentation copy, inscribed on the title-page: "To Dorothy: with thanks for your support--Alexis Oct 89." 9.25" x 6". more information

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Toronto: ECW Press, 1998. First Edition. Original Wraps. Very Good. 264pp; 70 illus from photographs, some color. 9.75" x 6.75 more information

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NY: Oxford University Press, 2004. 2nd printing. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. pp:(viii), 326, index; 8pp illus from photographs. Dregni's biography offers a definitive portrait of the great guitarist. 9.5" x 6.25". more information

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NY: Macmillan, 1971. 3rd printing. Original cloth. Fine/Very Good. Price-clipped dust jacket. pp: viii, 137. This is Dylan's first book, written in 1966 and published in 1971, delayed by his motorcycle accident and its aftermath. 8.75" x 5.5". more information

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NY: CBS, 1985. First Edition. Soft Cover. Very Good. 35pp; text illus from photographs. Laid into this colorful presentation of Dylan's early career are ten pages of printed notes on individual songs that he wrote. 12" x 12". more information

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NY: Ballantine Books, 1968. First Edition. Pictorial wraps. Very Good/Very Good. 160pp; illustrated by movie stills throughout text. Stated first printing. 7" x 4.25". more information

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NY: Owl Book/Henry Holt, 2000. First Edition. Pictorial wraps. Fine. pp: xxii, 408, discography, notes and index; 24pp illus from photographs. The '60s historian and journalist based this biography on hundreds of interviews. 8.25" x 5.5". more information

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Garden City: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1979. First Edition. Pictorial wraps. Good. Creases in paper covers from reading. pp: x, 316, discography, index; 48pp illus from photographs. Eliot crisscrossed the US six times, conducting interviews to produce this biography of Phil Ochs. 8" x 5.5". more information

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NY: Franklin Watts, 1989. Revised & Enlarged Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Good. pp: xv, 335, discography, index; 32pp illus from photographs. Eliot crisscrossed the US six times, conducting interviews to produce this biography of Phil Ochs. This is the updated and expanded edition, published ten years after the first edition. 9.25" x 6". more information

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Garden City: Doubleday, 1973. 2nd printing. Hardcover. Very Good/Good. Illus from Photographs. pp: xv, 523, discography, bibliography; illus throughout from photographs. The jazz great comments on his performances, philosophy of life and music, tour journals, etc. 10.5" x 7.25". more information

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Philadelphia: Theo. Presser, 1896. Second Edition. Original cloth. Very Good. Front free-endpaper removed. 301pp; portrait. Elson, editor of Boston's "Musical Herald," arranged more than 2,000 songs and composed some of his own. This book is his informal record of several vacations abroad in Germany, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, and England, with much discussion of concerts, recitals and musicians. 7.75" x 5.25". more information

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NY: Schirmer Books, 1999. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. pp: xi, 257, index; full-page and text illus from photographs. Comprises 17 chapters by various authors, profiling musicians of many sorts, all of whom "contributed to rock `n' roll," including Julia Lee, Freddie Bell and the Bellboys, Clyde McPhatter, Tommy Sands, Conway Twitty, and others. The chapters of this book were originally liner notes for Bear Family Records, a German company founded in 1975. 10.25" x 7". more information

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NY: E.P. Dutton, 1902. First US Edition. Original cloth. Good. Binding cloth lightly rubbed. 200pp; 4 plates from portraits. Contains biographies of ten Scottish songstresses: Carolina, Baroness of Nairne; Joanna Baillie; Mrs. Alison Cockburn; and seven others. 7.75" x 5". more information

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NY: W.W. Norton, 1993. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. 522pp, index; text illus from photographs, cd in envelope. This comprehensive biography of the King of Swing and the Swing Era includes an extensive bibliography. 9.5" x 6.25". more information

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Garden City: Doubleday, 1985. First paperback edition. Pictorial wraps. Fine. Illus from Photographs. (Copyright 1981) 251pp, index; 16pp illus from photographs. 8" x 5.25". more information

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New Rochelle: Arlington House, 1972. First Edition. Original c`loth. Very Good/Very Good. Illus from Photographs. pp: xxii, 554; frontispiece, 68pp illus from photographs. This definitive, scholarly work traces the Glenn Miller band from the mid-1930s through the last show in 1942, ten days before Miller joined the Army Air Force. It includes the physical layout of the recording sessions and the broadcasts, a summary of the band's position in the "Down Beat" and "Metronome" polls, index of tunes, index of personnel, etc. 9.25" x 6.25". more information

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NY: Chelsea House, 1988. First Edition. Pictorial Boards. Fine. 110pp, index; illus from photographs. This biography is a title in the series "Black Americans of Achievement." 9.5" x 7.5". more information

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NY: Chelsea House, 1996. 4th printing. Pictorial Boards. Fine. 126pp, index; illus from photographs. 9.5" x 7.5". more information

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