Musician biography examples
- •
The 10 Best Memoirs by Musicians
1
Number 1 New York Times Bestseller
Andy Cohen Books 'The Meaning of Mariah Carey' by Mariah Carey with Michaela Angela Davis
Most of us are well acquainted with Mariah Carey's music career, but in her revealing memoir, the "Fantasy" singer takes fans behind the scenes of her private life. From her difficult childhood growing up in Long Island, New York, to her allegedly abusive marriage to music executive Tommy Mottola, Carey's book is a frank account of her incredible rise to fame.
Carey also offers readers a glimpse of her songwriting process while exploring her identity as a biracial woman in the music industry. Not to be missed.
2
Most-Anticipated Memoir of 2023
Gallery Books 'The Woman in Me' by Britney Spears
Following the end of Britney Spears' 13-year conservatorship, fans have been waiting to hear the superstar's story in her own words. With The Woman in Me, due October 24 from Gallery Books, Spears explores her rise to fame, her journey with motherhood, and her experiences breaking free from cons
- •
In the big literary world of (auto)biography, the best music memoirs stand out as some of the juiciest books. We have an inexhaustible appetite for dispatches from the front line of rock, pop and other genres, and who better to provide them than the musicians who were on stage and in the studio when history was made?
Some of the best music memoirs are compelling excavations of the subject’s own psyche. Some focus on explaining the music itself. Some are a parade of celebrity anecdotes. Some are a riot of sex, drugs and other hedonistic pursuits. The best music memoirs blend together a heady cocktail of them all. So here’s our pick of the highlights, which should hopefully help bulk up your playlists as well as your reading list.
Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys by Viv Albertine
In her 2014 memoir, Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys, The Slits’ guitarist Viv Albertine traces her life from its music-obsessed north London beginnings through its revolutionary rock middle and into its turbulent present day (well, as
- •
"This is non-fiction with feeling. It's incredibly cool and it's as close as you'll get to time travel for a tenner. Hold it tight enough and you'll swear it has a heartbeat."
Words by Sophie Diver, Rough Trade Nottingham
Equally as essential and rewarding as our best new music, we are proud to foster a keen interest in printed works, with the 'memoir genre' a regular occurrence amongst our best new reads at Rough Trade.
From revealing the lives behind the lyrics of cult figures like Mark Lanegan or Patti Smith (in their own words), the enlightening insight of music industry figures such as Island Records founder Chris Blackwellor Creations Records founder Alan McGee, or a part autobiographical, part ghostwriter memoirs, such as the well put together The Beautiful Ones, a project delving into Prince's private archives. It would take a long, long list to really reflect on the booming nature of music memoirs and just how much is covered by the literary genre. Here to take an initial deep dive is one of our well-read staffers, poet and writerSophie Diver
Copyright ©bitelogy.pages.dev 2025