The Greatest Music Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from Music History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy (The Greatest Stories Never Told) - Hardcover

Beyer, Rick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061626988 ISBN 13: 9780061626982

Publisher: Harper, 2011

Synopsis

Rick Beyer plums the vast archives of the History Channel to deliver a treasure trove of obscure and fascinating stories to delight and entertain. "The Greatest Music Stories Never Told" continues the series tradition with short, fascinating tales accompanied by an array of stunning and diverse photographs from around the globe. "The Greatest Music Stories Never Told" illuminates the origins of a fascinating range of music topics, from instruments and styles to composers and technological advances - all which show us how little we really know. Guaranteed to astonish, bewilder, and stupefy, this all new volume will appeal not only to history buffs but to pop culture audiences and music fans of all ages and stripes.

About this title

Review:

“An effortless summer read for the music lover.” (Houston Chronicle)

“We picked up the book expecting to inflate our egos, reinforcing the myth that we know everything there is to know about music history. Short answer- we were wrong, very wrong.” (LA Weekly)

“A little book you won’t be able to put down.” (Florida Times-Union)

“History doesn’t have to be boring and author Rick Beyer proves it with this fun look at music.” (Rock Book Show)

“Full of tasty morsels...A delightful book to arm one for the next dull cocktail party.” (Chicago Tribune)

“History like you’ve never read it before...Amusing.” (The Tennessean)

“100 stories you haven’t heard will delight in knowing....Lively, offbeat and surprising in quick-hit snippets.” (Denver Rocky Mountain News)

“Surprising...the essentials of fascinating stories are here.” (Dallas Morning News)

From the Back Cover:

Did you know about:

• The ballet that sparked a riot?
• The rock star who became an astrophysicist?
• The song that saved Wheaties?
• The man killed by his own conducting?
• The controversy behind "Mary Had a Little Lamb"?

Prepare to be astonished, bewildered, and stupefied by the tantalizing tidbits of music history collected here: amazing stories about jazz, classical, country, rock 'n' roll, hip-hop, show tunes, composers, band names, song lyrics, instruments, technology, controversies, and more.

Learn how the FBI spent years trying to decode the lyrics of one rock song. Discover how Watergate provided the inspiration for A Chorus Line. Find out how one megahit was born in a history class, while another was dashed off in a fit of anger at actor Robert De Niro. Meet the monk behind solfège, the aviation pioneer who created Muzak, and the prisoner who literally sang himself out of jail. Then there's the most important person in rock 'n' roll history—chances are you've never heard of him!

Continuing the successful Greatest Stories Never Told series, Rick Beyer has delivered another classic volume for history and music buffs alike.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0061626988
• ISBN 13: 9780061626982
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224