The touching, triumphant story of a young black man's journey from violence and despair to one of the world's most elite artistic institutions. In 2011, at the age of twenty-four, Ryan Speedo Green won a nationwide competition hosted by New York's Metropolitan Opera. Today, he is a rising star performing major roles at the Met and Europe's most prestigious opera houses.

Explores the history of the American South and its music through the life of country singer Charley Pride. Raised in the segregated Mississippi Delta, Pride's voice, talent, and resolve led him to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Thriller takes us back to a time in 1982 when Michael Jackson was king of the charts, breaking the color barrier on MTV, heralding the age of video, and becoming the ultimate representation of the crossover dreams of Motown's Berry Gordy, who helped launch Jackson's career with the Jackson 5.

An inspirational journey toward finding forgiveness within oneself. A gifted black music student at the University of Texas is cast in an opera to co-star with a white male classmate, fueling a racist backlash from members of the Texas legislature. This small-town girl, whose voice and spirit stem from her roots in East Texas, emerges as an internationally celebrated mezzo-soprano and headlines on stages around the world.

A tribute to lesser-known Harlem Renaissance performer Florence Mills includes coverage of her youth as a child of former slaves, her singing and dancing performances that inspired songs and entire plays, and the struggles with racism that prompted her advocacy of all-black theater and musicals.

In this stirring biography of a true artistic and social icon, young readers learn how Aretha's talent, intelligence, and perseverance made her a star who will shine on for generations to come. --

This work is a portrait of Michael Jackson, illuminating the private man, offering access into a rarefied world. The author, his brother, older than Michael by four years, offers a keenly observed and surprisingly candid memoir tracing Michael's life starting with their shared childhood and extending through the Jackson 5 years, Michael's phenomenal solo career, his loves, his suffering, and his tragic end which sparked worldwide grief. It is an examination...

Pharrell Williams is one of the biggest names on today's top 40 charts. He's won eleven Grammys (and immeasurable attention for his Grammys fashion choices), been nominated for an Oscar, and is about to begin writing a series of children's books. He's worked behind the scenes as a producer on hits like Kelis's "Milkshake," Britney Spears's "Slave 4 You," and has collaborated with every major hip hop artist in the business. Pharrell's music is inescapable,...

Even as a little child, Marian Anderson knew what she wanted to do. More than anything in the world, she wanted to sing. From the age of six, Marian amazed her listeners with the beauty of her voice. All through her long life, what Marian Anderson had was a gift for singing. But she had other gifts as well. When she faced discrimination, Marian gave us all the gift of her example. At a time when fear and hatred divided the nation, Marian showed dignity...