For those of you procrastinators still looking for some gift ideas for the musicians in your family who can actually read (just kidding, musicians), I wanted to throw out some ideas for music biographies and autobiographies. I’m addicted to this genre and my Amazon.com past purchases account proves it. I’ll separate these out by music style to save you some time.

COUNTRY MUSIC
“Diary of a Player: How My Musical Heroes Made a Guitar Man Out of Me,” by Brad Paisley and David Wild
Great book no matter what style of music you are into. This is especially true if you are a guitar player. Paisley talks about growing up with a grandfather that practically forced him to start playing guitar, but he eventually fell in love with the instrument and grew up playing in bands with some older gentlemen who taught him how to be a real musician. He then details his time at a business college in Nashville, while interning at a record label, writing songs and eventually getting a record deal. Anyone who knows much about Paisley knows he’s a ‘gear head,’ that is he loves guitars and amps and owns tons of them. Unfortunately, he lost almost every instrument he owned to the Nashville flood a couple of years ago. The book concludes with a great story that was also in Vintage Guitar magazine last month about Paisley receiving his insurance check and buying a very expensive, old Martin guitar from George Gruhn Guitars in Nashville that was more than likely played at some point by his grandfather 60 years earlier. GRADE: A+

“Waylon: An Autobiography,” by Waylon Jennings and Lenny Kaye
Like everything about Waylon, this book is gritty and honest and he doesn’t pull any punches. From his beginnings in a dirt floor house in west Texas, through busted marriages, his time as a DJ in Texas (along with the fateful day Buddy Holly dropped by the studio and made quick friends with Waylon), to his time playing bass guitar on tour with Buddy Holly, to his successful recording and touring career as well as his long and loving marriage to Jessi Colter, this book covers it all.  It’s packed with some great stories (my favorite is his animosity towards Merle Haggard for taking advantage of Waylon during a poker game) that makes you feel like you’re at the bar sharing a beer with Jennings as he takes you through his life’s experiences. GRADE: A

ROCK MUSIC
“Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock,” by Sammy Hagar
Great book if you are a Sammy fan, which I definitely am. The book starts as almost all biographies do, with the story of Sammy’s early life and in this case the extremely tough childhood he had with an abusive and alcoholic father. The book continues with his tear through rock and roll as a solo artist, lead singer of Montrose, and of course as the lead singer of Van Halen. The book comes full circle with Sammy again touring and recording as a solo artist and (his latest band) Chickenfoot. Sammy also tells about his many business ventures including his tequila, Cabo Wabo. Much has been made of his side of the story about the Van Halen brothers and you won’t be disappointed by the raw stories Sammy gives you in this book. GRADE: A+

“The Long Hard Road Out of Hell,” by Marilyn Manson & Neil Strauss
I’ve read a ton of positive reviews of this book, but unfortunately I wasn’t a big fan. I’ve never been a Marilyn Manson fan at all, so maybe that is why I’m not a fan of this book. “Why buy the book?” you might ask and that’s a good question. I guess I was just curious about what made this freaky dude tick. While the book is definitely entertaining and is a real roller coaster ride, I had a hard time telling how much was sincere and how much was given for shock value — just like everything else in his career I suppose. However, if you have a MM fan on your Christmas list, they will probably like the book. GRADE: C-

“Late, Late at Night,” by Rick Springfield
This one really surprised me. I was anticipating a ‘bubble gum biography,’ but what I got was a very deep and sincere memoir from an artist and actor who has been through more ups and downs than Traci Lords. I was unaware of Springfield’s childhood split between Australia and England or his early successes and then struggles in the music business long before “Jessie’s Girl” was recorded. The other surprising part of this story is Springfield’s long fight against depression that goes back to his childhood. Good read, but starts out a bit slow. GRADE: A-

BLUES MUSIC
“Blues All Around Me: The Autobiography of B.B. King,” by B. B. King & David Ritz
His real name is Riley B. King, but the B.B. stands, as any blues aficionado knows, for Blues Boy, a nickname he was given in the late 1940s when he was a disk jockey in Memphis. B.B. King — One of my favorite guitarists and a living legend. If you really want to hear about coming from nothing – dirt floor shack and all, B.B. can tell you that story and tell you the history of the Delta blues like no one else can. Great (but sad at times) story and very entertaining. GRADE: A+

Stoner

NON-ARTIST BOOKS
“Guitar Lessons: A Life’s Journey Turning Passion into Business,” by Bob Taylor
Now this is not a book for everybody. You have to either (a) be a fan of Taylor guitars or (b) be interested in the business of guitar building or building a business from the ground up. Since I can check both (a) and (b), I was pretty sure I would enjoy it and I did. I had no idea that Bob Taylor is a first cousin with legendary Bulls and Lakers coach, Phil Jackson. Anyway, this book tells the story of a young man with a passion for building guitars that worked for over a decade without making one dollar’s profit but he soldiered on to create one of the most successful modern guitar companies. For me this book is an A+, but for the average reader it will probably be a C due to the subject matter. However, if you have a Taylor guitar fan on your list or someone interested in building guitars, this will be a great Christmas present. GRADE: A+

Hope this list helps if you need some last minute books for the musicians in your clan.

Merry Christmas!

Steve Stoner