Recommended reading for guitarists

The autobiography of the songwriting genius of the Beach Boys.

Wilson talks a great deal about the music he created, but also his difficult childhood, his terrible father, and his later mental illness. It’s dark in places but fascinating and hard to put down:

A very open and surprisingly humble autobiography from Sting about his early life and attempts to make a living in the music industry.

Sting writes well and shows how easily he might have never ‘made it’ were it not for some fortunate encounters:

Prince was an astonishing talent – he really had it all – but he was also an extremely hard worker.

This excellent biography focusses on Prince’s greatest period of success in the 1980s, and features many firsthand accounts from band members, family and friends:

The first volume of Bob Dylan’s autobiography.

The book has an unusual timeline, given the vastness of Dylan’s career. He focusses mostly on the very earliest part of his career around 1961 but with splashes of later periods thrown in:

Frank Zappa was a fantastic musician with a truly unique attitude to music and life. He was also very very funny.

This is Frank’s very own autobiography. It’s interesting, educational and hysterically funny the whole way through. Highly recommended reading!

This is the disarmingly frank autobiography of Brian Warner aka ‘Marilyn Manson’.

Warner writes very well. He’s intelligent, perceptive and hides nothing, from his school days right through to his meteoric rise to fame in the music industry:

Written by the Pink Floyd’s drummer himself, this is nice read.

Mason talks about everything from their early years right through to their final reunion at Live 8:

A biography of one of jazz’s most important composers and bandleaders.

This book is almost entirely made up of firsthand accounts from people that knew Duke Ellington personally, or worked for him:

Miles Davis is without peer in the world of jazz. He changed the direction of jazz music multiple times in his life and his compositions fill the Real Book.

Even if jazz isn’t your passion, this is a great read:

If you’re a Beatles fan, this is a must-have book.

MacDonald details how every Beatles song was recorded; who did what, what was happening in the band at the time, and often what the songs were about: