Rhino Reading Room: Maurice White, Shane Macgowan, and Davy Jones

It’s time to return to the Rhino Reading Room to remind you of three artists from the Rhino catalog who are all celebrating birthdays this month and have written memoirs. You don’t necessarily have to be a big fan of the complete trio of artists to keep reading, but if you enjoy getting immersed in the life stories of musicians, then you might just want to read about all of them!

Maurice White, My Life with Earth, Wind and Fire

From Amazon: 

“The late Grammy-winning founder of the legendary pop/R&B/soul/funk/disco group tells his story and charts the rise of his legendary band in this sincere memoir that captures the heart and soul of an artist whose groundbreaking sound continues to influence music today. With an introduction by Steve Harvey and a foreword by David Foster.

“With its dynamic horns, contrasting vocals, and vivid stage shows, Earth, Wind & Fire was one of the most popular acts of the late twentieth century—the band "that changed the sound of black pop" (Rolling Stone)—and its music continues to inspire modern artists including Usher, Jay-Z, Cee-Lo Green, and Outkast. At last, the band’s founder, Maurice White, shares the story of his success.

“White reflects on the great blessings music has brought to his life and the struggles he’s endured: his mother leaving him behind in Memphis when he was four; learning to play the drums with Booker T. Jones; moving to Chicago at eighteen and later Los Angeles after leaving the Ramsey Lewis Trio; forming EWF, only to have the original group fall apart; working with Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond; his diagnosis of Parkinson’s; and his final public performance with the group at the 2006 Grammy Awards. Through it all, White credits his faith for his amazing success and guidance in overcoming his many challenges.

“My Life with Earth Wind, and Fire is an intimate, moving, and beautiful memoir from a man whose creativity and determination carried him to great success, and whose faith enabled him to savor every moment.”

Shane Macgowan, A Drink with Shane Macgowan

From Amazon: 

“Best known as the cofounder of the Irish band The Pogues, Shane MacGowan has become a cult figure on the alternative-music scene. His achingly beautiful lyrics, as well as his legendary lifestyle of excess, have earned him an avid following that packs his shows and buys his albums. One of the most unusual memoirs to come along in quite a while, A Drink with Shane MacGowan is structured as a series of interviews between MacGowan and his wife, Clarke. The singer recounts his experiences growing up on a farm in Ireland, where his family began giving him two pints of Guinness a night at the tender age of five and his father took him to hang out with bookies and drunks at the local pub. He tells of moving to London and becoming part of the London club scene in the mid-1970s, just as punk was beginning to emerge, offering a firsthand portrait of a seminal time and place in music history. MacGowan also provides his own, strongly opinionated views on The Pogues' success and the reasons for his abrupt departure from the band. As he invites us into this fascinating world, MacGowan tells many hilarious stories and riffs on a wide range of subjects, from Irish history and politics to literature, film, religion, his own substance abuse, and much more. Sometimes maddening, sometimes charming, often brilliant, and always honest, A Drink with Shane MacGowan is an enjoyable romp with a truly unique personality.”

Davy Jones, They Made a Monkee Out of Me

From Amazon (and, yes, everything you see is just as it was written there, so you can definitely see that it’s a book with a very interesting tone): 

THE ONLY AUTHORIZED STORY OF THE MONKEES THE 60’S PHENOMENON THAT BECAME AN 80’S PHENOMALY*

“There are autobiographies… and there are ought-to-buy… ographies. This is definitely the best ography I personally can ever remember writing.” –David Jones– 

“Fascinating… controversial… hilarious…yet subtly poignant, somehow. As the authoritative account of the entire Monkees phenomenon–it is unparallelled. As the story of my daddy’s extraordinary life–I found it useful reading.” –Jessica Jones– (age 5) 

“I haven’t read it yet.” –Peter Tork– 

“I don’t want to talk about The Monkees.” –Mike Nesmith– 

“Hey, isn’t that errr…?” –Micky Dolenz–

CONTAINS OVER TWO MILLION PHOTOS! – (he’s lying–Ed.)

DOZENS of them NEVER BEFORE PRINTED IN ENGLISH –(that bit’s true.)