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.

The popular singer and former UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador shares the story of his life and career, from his impoverished childhood in Harlem and Jamaica and his racial barrier-breaking career to his commitment to numerous civil causes.

What happened when a former slave took beat-up old instruments and gave them to orphans? A great American art form was born. Hey, Charleston! brings this fascinating moment of African American history to life.

Questlove -- musician, bandleader, designer, producer, culinary entrepreneur, professor, and all-around cultural omnivore -- offers insight into building the best creative life and how to let the best creative life build you. He synthesizes all the creative philosophies, lessons, and stories he's heard from the many creators and collaborators in his life, and reflects on his own experience, to advise how to consider creativity and where to find it....

"From the streets of Baltimore to the halls of the New Mexico Philharmonic, a musician shares his remarkable story in I'm Possible, an inspiring memoir of perseverance and possibility. Growing up, Richard Antoine White and his mother didn't have a key to a room or a house. Sometimes they had shelter, but they never had a place to call home. Still, they always had each other, and from a young age, Richard believed he could look after his mother, even...

"This novel maps the romantic history and emotional inheritance of one couple newly in love. Monster in the Middle moves from the U.S. to the Virgin Islands to Ghana and back again, to show how one couple's romance is influenced by the family lore and love stories that preceded their own pairing"-- When Fly and Stela meet in 21st Century New York City, it seems like fate. He is a Black American musician from a mixed-religious background who knows...

"The long-awaited memoir of Booker T. Jones, leader of the famed Stax Records house band, architect of the Memphis soul sound, and one of the most legendary figures in music. From Booker T. Jones's earliest years in segregated Memphis, music was the driving force in his life. While he worked paper routes and played gigs in local nightclubs to pay for lessons and support his family, Jones, on the side, was also recording sessions in what became the...

The life story of this great instrumentalist, bandleader, and entertainer illustrates much of the black entertainer's impact on American culture and illuminates how popular culture often intersects with politics and economics. --from publisher description.

Ray Charles went blind at the age of seven. Inspired by his mother who insisted he make his own way, he found his calling at the keyboard. 'Ray' follows as he overcomes drug addiction while becoming one of the country's most beloved performers.

The first fully rounded portrait of this terribly misunderstood man and musician, the ringleader of the bebop revolution, and, after Duke Ellington, Jazz' first major composer. He remained a highly productive musician after more than thirty years of musical activity. Includes clips of international performances and interviews with artists and producers.