MICHAEL LYDON

There are only a few legendary singers who have developed mass audiences while pursuing their own artistic visions: Sinatra is one; Ella Fitzgerald another. Ray Charles undoubtedly belongs in this pantheon of major musical stars. "Ray Charles: Man and Music" begins with Charles's impoverished childhood in Greenville, Florida, where tragedy struck early when the young Charles went blind at age 6 and was orphaned at age 14. Driven by his enormous talent and determination, Charles landed work playing some of the toughest juke joints in the state, fought heroin addiction, and finally landed a recording contract with Atlantic Records. Unlike other R&B singers, Charles took control of his career from its earliest days, moving on from his gospel-soul stylings of the mid-'50s to break through musical barriers, recording two country albums in the late '50s (at a time when the black presence in country music was barely felt), pure jazz, and then the powerful pop hits of the '60s. Famed music journalist Michael Lydon - a founding editor of "Rolling Stone" - is uniquely qualified to document Charles's career, having interviewed Charles and followed the star's performances since the 1960s. Originally published in 1995, and universally hailed as the definitive biography, this new edition brings Charles's life up to date, covering the last 7 years of his life. It coincides with the release of a made-for-TV movie starring Jamie Fox as Charles, currently in production by Taylor Hackford. Charles has also issued a new CD recently and remains active as a touring artist throughout the world.

So you want to write songs? Join the club! Everyone dreams of being a successful songwriter. In every city and town, down the block in every neighborhood, someone is taking a guitar in hand and dreaming of a career as a songwriter. While many will not become world famous (or even locally well-known) through their songwriting, there's no reason why they-and you-can't enjoy writing their own songs. For creative challenges, life-long learning, and just plain fun, nothing beats writing (and singing and playing) your own songs. Assuming no musical knowledge, Songwriting Success breaks down the craft of melody and lyric writing into easily digested lessons that anyone can follow. This book shows the beginning songwriter how to integrate the craft's many skills into a seamless artistic and commercial whole. Lydon also has recorded a special CD taking the budding songwriter who can't read music (or prefers to learn by listening) step-by-step through the writing of a song-from initial ideathrough crafting melodic hooks and catchy choruses to creating a final "demo" version for marketing the song. This invaluable learning aid sets apart Songwriting Success from the competing titles that don't feature an audio component. Also includes 25 musical examples.