Musician memoirs Archives

Dream More

by Dolly Parton

When Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg from the By The Book podcast recommended this on episode 121 of What Should I Read Next, I couldn't download it fast enough. This book is an expanded commencement speech Dolly gave at The University of Tennessee at Knoxville about getting more out of life—work, relationships, all of it. There's nobody quite like Dolly Parton—good gracious, I had no idea just how much the woman has accomplished—and I LOVED hearing her tell stories about her life. I grinned like a fool the whole time I was listening. Short and sweet, and highly recommended—and please, do the audio version!

Crying in H Mart: A Memoir

by Michelle Zauner

Indie rockstar Michelle Zauner delivers a heartfelt, poetic memoir about losing her mother and searching for her identity. “Ever since my mother died, I cry in H Mart.” So begins Zauner’s poignant story. After her mother received a grim cancer diagnosis, Zauner realized her mother’s death would also mean losing her only tie to her Korean heritage, so she sought to shore up stories while she still has time. Whether she writes about the intricacies of preparing traditional Korean dishes or a hurtful misunderstanding, she explores moments from her tumultuous mother-daughter relationship with tenderness and love, often returning to the idea that our experiences of home, family and culture are viscerally rooted in what we taste, see and hear. An honest, lyrical, and life-affirming memoir about grief, growing up, and making amends. I can’t say enough good things about Michelle Zauner’s tender memoir about love, loss, and her Korean heritage. Achingly poignant in the author’s own voice: I was grateful to hear every nuance of emotion, as well as her fluid voicing of the Korean phrases I would trip over in print. Simply beautiful.

Broken Horses: A Memoir

by Brandi Carlile

I've long enjoyed Brandi Carlile's music but knew nothing about her personal life (unless the simple fact that she's one of The Highwomen counts). I was on the fence about trying this one, but I'm so glad I did: the audio was superb. Each chapter flows beautifully into a song—or more often, two. Because Carlile draws heavily from her life experience when writing lyrics, this format works beautifully: her stories leave you hungry to hear the music, which often captures the experience she just wrote about in prose. After talking to numerous friends and fellow readers, I'd be inclined to pass this up in print, but the audio version was exceptional. So you know what to expect: the last 90 minutes of the audiobook consists of all those songs together, as a bonus chapter.

The Woman in Me

by Britney Spears

I was aware of the broad outlines of the pop star’s story but had no idea how much I didn't know until I listened to her memoir. Covering her childhood, first forays into stardom, romantic relationships, and the unfortunate events that led to her conservatorship, this turned out to be a compelling and heartbreaking read. I’m glad Britney is finally free to tell her story on her own terms. Michelle Williams's narration, as expected, was superb.

The Meaning of Mariah Carey

by Mariah Carey

This is on my TBR; I’ve heard praise that this is Mariah Carey at her most vulnerable: she opens up about her unstable childhood, abusive marriage, and her experiences as a biracial woman, in addition to dishing about her relationships since leaving Tommy Mottola. She also provides behind-the-scenes on her songwriting process and how she pursued and guided her career over the years. Mariah is an icon for a reason. Word on the street is Mariah sings on the audiobook, in addition to narrating, so I might opt for that format.

Coal Miner’s Daughter

by Loretta Lynn

This memoir was such a smash, it was adapted into an Oscar-winning film. It’s no wonder when the details of Loretta Lynn’s life sound straight out of fiction. And yet it’s all too true: an impoverished childhood in eastern Kentucky, a tumultuous marriage at thirteen, her first child a year later, a grandmother by twenty-nine. If that’s not enough, she signed her first record contract when she was 28, had sixteen #1 singles, and went on to become the CMA’s first female Entertainer of the Year. Lynn shares it all in this raw book.

Every Good Boy Does Fine: A Love Story, in Music Lessons

by Jeremy Denk

Renowned classical pianist and MacArthur “Genius” Denk combines memoir and music theory, making for a fascinating read. He details his childhood as a prodigy in New Jersey, which was upended when the family moved to New Mexico and he had to find a new piano teacher. At sixteen, he left for Oberlin College and navigated the cruelties and kindnesses of music teachers there. Denk shares the pieces and composers who most impacted him and opines on the benefits of practice and the way melody, harmony, and rhythm function. Music touches every part of his life and, as readers, we are reminded of the ways music functions in our lives as well.

High School

by Sara Quin, Tegan Quin

Twin sisters and musicians Tegan and Sara take us back to their 1990s high school experience in Calgary. Tegan and Sara alternate chapters sharing about school pressures, their parents’ divorce, friendship, romance, drugs and alcohol, and their respective queer awakenings. It’s a great glimpse into who they eventually became and what shaped their career. Even if you’re not familiar with their music, the 90s nostalgia factor is real.

Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc.

by Jeff Tweedy

I’ve enjoyed several Tweedy art-and-craft books but am still looking forward to this Wilco-focused memoir. Tweedy is revered for his talent as a songwriter for the band so it’s no surprise to hear his memoir is equally self-assured and insightful. He opens up about his childhood in Illinois, how the St. Louis music scene launched his career, and his artistic process and collaborators.

Just Kids

by Patti Smith

This National Book Award winner offers a snapshot of the 1960s and 70s punk rock scene in New York City and the Chelsea Hotel. Singer-songwriter and poet Smith focuses on her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, fulfilling a promise she made to him. Many people describe this as a lyrical memoir; I haven’t read it yet but hope to remedy that soon: Will says he thinks I’ll like it.

Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove

by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson

Questlove combines memoir with a meditation about the state of hip hop and music criticism. It is at once an education about his life and about where he believes music is going. The drummer, producer, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon bandleader, and producer shares about his 1970s West Philly childhood and what led to co-founding the Roots. Unquestionably a tastemaker, Questlove’s life and stories are an ode to Black art and hip hop.

Born to Run

by Bruce Springsteen

I just finished this audiobook, which I picked up because I kept hearing from other not-rabid fans that this was a great example of a memoir done right. I was a little surprised at the heavy focus on a few personal relationships ... and then I did a little research, and discovered one stipulation of his ten million (!!!) advance was that he dish on the details. I admire his career, but I'm not a devoted fan, and that made the narrative a little slow in places. However, I would have read this just for his insights into music as art: how it's made, what makes it work, that indefinable thing all great musicians have—I could listen to those segments over and over again, and probably will.

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