"A product of the complicated history of the American South, James Brown was a cultural shape-shifter who arguably had the greatest influence of any artist on American popular music. Brown was long a figure of fascination for James McBride, a noted professional musician as well as a writer. When he received a tip that promised to uncover the man behind the myth, McBride set off to follow a trail to better understand the personal, musical, and societal...

"The first biography of soul pioneer Isaac Hayes, whose groundbreaking music provided the foundation for hip-hop and a new racial paradigm"--Amazon.

Mark Bego's freshly updated biography traces Aretha Franklin's life and career from her start in a church choir, to becoming one of the twentieth century's most beloved singers. Every album, every accolade, every personal heartbreak is examined in this unfolding of Franklin's story. With detailed research and in-person interviews, including a rare one with the star herself, Bego gives us an understanding of what made Aretha the "Queen of Soul."

A soul icon and the southern music he helped popularize come to life in this moving requiem. When he died in one of rock's string of tragic plane crashes, Otis Redding was only twenty-six, yet already the avatar of a new kind of soul music. The beating heart of Memphis-based Stax Records, he had risen to fame belting out gospel-flecked blues in stage performances that seemed to ignite not only a room but an entire generation. If Berry Gordy's black-owned...

Presents the life of one of the bestselling artists of all time, from her start singing in front of her father's Baptist congregation to being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In the 1970s, Marvin Gaye was the soulful prince of Motown with the seductive liquid voice; his chart-topping, socially conscious album What's Going On made him a superstar. Primarily silent since Marvin's tragic death in 1984, Jan Gaye gives a riveting cautionary tale about the ecstasy and dangers of loving him -- and a searing memoir of drugs, sex, and old school R & B. She reveals what it's like to be in love with a creative genius who transformed...

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. -- adapted from book jacket.

Documentary on singer Sam Cooke's life and music. Expanded version of the VH-1 Legends special. Includes interviews with Sam Cooke's family and other singers.