Billy Mitchell: The Gigging Musician

How to Get, Play, and Keep the Gig. Packed with proven solutions developed from real-life experiences, this book by Gig columnist Billy Mitchell analyzes both the business and creative challenges of successful gigging. Articles on specific issues with landing, planning and playing gigs are backed by firsthand interviews with musicians, agents, producers and others who have handled these problems on the road and in the studio. This well-rounded reference offers practical advice and inspiring insight on everything from curbing stage fright to controlling finances. This book is a must for young musicians ... it's a great experience. - Maurice White, Founder/Leader/Producer, Earth, Wind & Fire

Gimme All Your Lovin' : The Blues, Boogie, and Beard of ZZ Top's Billy F. Gibbons

Keyboard Presents: Classic Rock

Keyboard Presents: Classic Rock brings out the stories behind the hits on drive-time radio, as told by the keyboard-playing artists and sidemen who created them. What was Billy Joel thinking when he wrote "Piano Man"? Who played the pounding piano on the Doobie Brothers' "China Grove"? What was it like to back up Jim Morrison in the Doors? How did synthesizers create the sound of Genesis? It's all here: the gear, the songs, the road stories, and the inspiration behind some of the greatest songs of the '60s, '70s, and '80s by Chicago, Deep Purple, Tom Petty & the Hearbreakers, Blood, Sweat & Tears Steve Winwood, the Grateful Dead, and many more.

Clive Young: Crank It Up - Live Sound Secrets Of The Top Tour Engineers

Live Sound Secrets of the Top Tour Engineers. The live concert business is exploding; hundreds of acts are hitting the road every year, and whatever style music they play, they need to sound great.How can you be at the controls for these show? Learn from this book! Meet 72 of the world's finest front-of-house and monitor engineers, and listen as they reveal what gear they use and how, how they make top acts always sound amazing, and what it takes to survive the climb to the big time.Get the inside scoop straight from concert engineers on the road with stars such as Aerosmith, KISS, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, U2, the Dixie Chicks, Blondie, Madonna, Norah Jones, Elton John, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and many others!

Guitar Licks of the Texas Blues Rock Heroes

With enough hot licks to set the whole Lone Star state afire, this book details the solo styles of legendary guitarists, complete with essential stylistic details that make the music come alive. You get it all, from pioneers like T-Bone Walker, Freddie King, and Lightnin' Hopkins, through the next generation of innovators like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Billy Gibbons, and Johnny Winter, and on to latter-day explorers like Eric Johnson. You'll learn more than 100 licks in the authentic style of each player, each lick with its own mini-lesson, performed by the author at half and full tempo on the accompanying CD. Also features: a rundown of each player's guitars, amps and effects • lists of must-have tracks, albums and videos • revealing quotes from dozens of 6-string notables • essential tips on tone and style • insight-filled lessons.

Sunburst: How The Gibson Les Paul Standard Became A Legendary Guitar

Through a series of interviews with players, collectors, guitar-makers and dealers, Sunburst: How The Gibson Les Paul Standard Became A Legendary Guitar reveals how the Gibson Les Paul Standard, known as 'the burst', became one of the most desirable electric Guitars of all time. Famously played by Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, the Gibson Les Paul Standard was first produced, in a batch of around 1,400, at the end of the 1950s. This book examines those originals, as well as the various reissues over the years, looking at the latest efforts by Gibson to re-create these hallowed Guitars. Sunburst is the latest book in Tony Bacon's bestselling Guitar series, with a thoroughly researched story partnered by a gallery of full-colour pictures of great Guitars, rare memorabilia, and famous 'burst' players ? from Keith Richards to Joe Bonamassa and Jeff Beck to Billy Gibbons. Its reference section reveals production details and dating clues for this most enigmatic and revered instrument.

The Smiths FAQ : All That's Left to Know About the Most Important British Band of the 1980s

Revered and massively influential, the Smiths have been called the most important band of the fertile U.K. 1980s music scene. While the group was only active for five years (1982 to 1987), the cult of the Manchester-reared foursome has ballooned inthe three decades since its dissolution.Despite a $75 million offer to reunite for a two month tour in 2007, Morrissey and Johnny Marr, the groups principals, refused, opting to leave their legend untainted. The Smiths have since influenced a whos who of alternative music, includingDeath Cab for Cutie, Radiohead, the Killers, Jeff Buckley, Pete Yorn, the Decemberists, and Oasis.Featuring a foreword by guitarist and “Fifth Smith” who played with the band in 1986, The Smiths FAQ traces the bands history with clarity and detail, illuminating such questions as Who were the Nosebleeds? Why did Morrissey shun the Ramones?Who were the Paris Valentinos? What was Cult guitarist Billy Duffys connection to the band? How was Morrissey injured during the groups U.S. debut performance? What Smiths single paid homage to T. Rex?. John D. Luerssen (author of FAQ series titlesabout U2, Bruce Springsteen, and Nirvana) gathers the indispensable early facts, the legendary stories, and inimitable anecdotes that make this a must-own tome for all fans.

Ryan Reed: Fleetwood Mac FAQ

Offering a fresh perspective on one of the most prolific and well-loved catalogs of songs in the rock 'n' roll canon, Fleetwood Mac FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Iconic Rock Survivors digs deeper than your average music compendium and sidesteps the tediousness of most generalized band histories. Professional yet playful, the book's most unique feature is its structure: a hybrid of historical breakdowns, Q&As, music criticism, and best of lists chronicling the band's influence and legacy. No Fleetwood Mac book would be complete without addressing the sensationalism of Rumours or the mythic psychological breakdown of Peter Green. But Fleetwood Mac FAQ casts a wide net - avoiding monotony for longtime fans by presenting new criticism and reporting, and engaging with newcomers by addressing the most essential chapters in the band's story. Included are interviews with former Fleetwood Mac members (guitarists Rick Vito and Billy Burnette), producers (Ken Caillat, Richard Dashut, John Shanks, and Mike Vernon), studio crew members (Rich Feldman, Ray Lindsey, and Ken Perry), rock critics who've covered the group (Anthony DeCurtis), and others who've been privileged to join the band's inner circle. Sure, the book touches on the band's notorious drug use, romantic affairs, and brutal in-fighting - more importantly, it also sheds fascinating new light on the band's innovative, ever-evolving music.