Iris Cooper has been singing ever since she can remember, hitting the high notes like no one else. When she is twelve, her father convinces the owner of a bar in Lake City, Texas, to let her perform, and she stuns the audience. In the ensuing years, never staying anywhere for long, father and daughter move from one dusty town to the next, her passion for music growing every time she takes the mike in another roadhouse. But it is not an easy life for...

"From the acclaimed, controversial singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor comes a revelatory memoir of her fraught childhood, musical triumphs, struggles with illness, and of the enduring power of song" --

"A cultural phenomenon. A worldwide obsession. An agent of emotional chaos. There's no parallel to Taylor Swift in history: a teenage girl who turns into the world's favorite pop star, songwriter, storyteller, guitar hero, live performer, changing how music is made and heard. ... Rob Sheffield, the ... author of Dreaming the Beatles, On Bowie, and Love Is a Mix Tape ... has chronicled Taylor for every step of her long career, from her early days to...

At the dawn of rock'n'roll, a down-and-out woman falls for a budding musician. With a ten-city tour.

"As hard as it is to believe, the irrepressible Jimmy Buffett has hit the half-century mark and, in A Pirate Looks at 50, he brings us along on the remarkable journey which he took through the Southern hemisphere to celebrate this landmark birthday. Jimmy takes us from the legendary pirate coves of the Florida Keys to the ruins of ancient Cartegena. Along the way, we hear a tale or two of how he got his start in New Orleans, how he discovered his...

"Country music star Devin McClain understands there's a downside to life in the public eye, but the laidback Wyoming cowboy has never imagined he'd attract crazed fans who would do anything to garner his attention. When veiled threats become real, he agrees to hire a discreet security detail. But Devin is shocked when that bodyguard is a hard-bodied woman. He's even more stunned to be attracted to the steely-eyed stunner. Former soldier Liberty Masterson's...

"Rainy, an endearing bear of an Orphean narrator, seeks refuge in the harbors, fogs and remote islands of the inland sea. Encountering lunatic storms and rising corpses from the warming depths, Rainy finds on land an increasingly desperate and illiterate people, a malignant billionaire ruling class, crumbled infrastructure and a lawless society. Amidst the Gulliver-like challenges of life at sea and no safe landings, Rainy is lifted by physical beauty,...

"Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, until tragedy grounded his aspirations. Now the head of a small family farm in North Carolina, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in St. Pete's Beach, Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home. But when he meets Morgan Lee, his world is turned upside-down, making him wonder if the responsibilities he has shouldered need dictate his life forever. The daughter of affluent Chicago...

Contains narrative stories profiling dozens of female musicians who have made major contributions to music and culture. Includes dozens of color photographs, a timeline, and further resources.

"An unprecedented celebration of the evolution, influence, and power of women in popular music. From Bessie Smith to The Supremes, Joan Baez, Madonna, Selena, Beyoncé, Amy Winehouse, Dolly Parton, Sleater-Kinney, Taylor Swift, and scores more, women have played an essential and undeniable role in the evolution of modern music including blues, rock and roll, country, folk, glam rock, punk, and hip hop. Today, in a world once traditionally dominated...