Download or read book Last Chance Texaco written by Rickie Lee Jones and published by Grove Press. This book was released on 2021-04-06 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A candid and colorful memoir by the singer, songwriter, and “Duchess of Coolsville” (Time). This troubadour life is only for the fiercest hearts, only for those vessels that can be broken to smithereens and still keep beating out the rhythm for a new song . . . Last Chance Texaco is the first-ever no-holds-barred account of the life of two-time Grammy Award-winner and Rickie Lee Jones in her own words (Hilton Als). It is a tale of desperate chances and impossible triumphs, an adventure story of a girl who beat the odds and grew up to become one of the most legendary artists of her time, turning adversity and hopelessness into timeless music. With candor and lyricism, she takes us on a singular journey through her nomadic childhood, her years as a teenage runaway, her legendary love affair with Tom Waits, and ultimately her longevity as the hardest working woman in rock and roll. Rickie Lee’s stories are rich with the infamous characters of her early songs—“Chuck E’s in Love,” “Weasel and the White Boys Cool,” “Danny’s All-Star Joint,” and “Easy Money”—but long before her notoriety in show business, there was a vaudevillian cast of hitchhikers, bank robbers, jail breaks, drug mules, and a pimp with a heart of gold, and tales of her fabled ancestors. This intimate memoir by one of the most trailblazing and tenacious women in music is filled with never-before-told stories of the girl in the raspberry beret, whose songs defied categorization and inspired American pop culture for decades. “A striking, distinctive self-portrait.” —The New York Times “Terrific . . . Jones is as fearless in prose as she is on stage.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune “Men leave, fame fizzles, family breaks your heart . . . but Jones knows a good story and how to tell it.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “[The] premiere song-stylist and songwriter of her generation.” —Hilton Als, Pulitzer Prize–winner and author of White Girls

Download or read book Tomorrow is a Chance to Start Over written by Hilary Grist and published by La Montagne secrète. This book was released on 2021-10-01T00:00:00-04:00 with total page 47 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A bedtime tale about two siblings, Ira and Isabelle, who live in a little red house by the sea, and decide one night to escape the sound of the city’s beeping cars. They sail off to a faraway land where they learn from a newly made friend, a robin with a soft voice, that dreams really can come true.

Download or read book The Shepherd s Song written by Betsy Duffey and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-03-11 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Follow the incredible journey of one piece of paper—a copy of Psalm 23—as it travels around the world, linking lives and hearts with its simple but beautiful message. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures… Shortly before a tragic car accident, Kate McConnell wrote down the powerful words of Psalm 23 on a piece of paper for her wayward son. Just before she loses consciousness, Kate wonders if she’s done enough with her life and prays,“Please, let my life count.” Unbeknownst to Kate, her handwritten copy of Psalm 23 soon begins a remarkable journey around the world. From a lonely dry cleaning employee to a soldier wounded in Iraq, to a young Kurdish girl fleeing her country, to a Kenyan runner in the Rome Invitational Marathon, this humble message forever changes the lives of twelve very different people. Eventually, Kate’s paper makes it back to its starting place, and she discovers the unexpected ways that God changes lives, even through the smallest gestures. With beautiful prose evocative of master storyteller Andy Andrews’s The Butterfly Effect, this “intriguing…[and] inspiring read” (RT Book Reviews) will touch your heart and remind you of the ways God works through us to reach beyond what we can imagine.

Download or read book Song for Chance written by John Van Kirk and published by Red Hen Press. This book was released on 2013-08-01 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A passionate, elegiac tale about the excesses of sex, drugs, and rock and roll over a tortured musician’s lifetime” by the O. Henry Award–winning author (Publishers Weekly). Keyboard man Jack Voss spends his evenings in the relative sanctuary of the clubs, playing jazz standards on the piano and occasionally singing some of the songs that made him famous. But when his life of comparative comfort and solitude is rocked by a devastating personal loss, Voss is led back to The Enchanted Pond, the 1974 rock opera that catapulted his band, Vossimilitude, into the stratosphere. The story of an ill-fated love triangle based on the tense relations between Voss, his childhood girlfriend, and Vossimilitude’s dangerous and charismatic bassist, Voss’s masterpiece set him on a path to this day of reckoning. To endure, he must confront the tragic consequences of his self-absorption on the only firm ground left him: the piano. With the sure, unsentimental narrative command of writers like Richard Russo and Jonathan Franzen, John Van Kirk has brought to life in Song for Chance not just a fallen rock god, but—with the help of liner notes, bonus tracks, and the complete Voss discography—the whole sex, drugs, and rock and roll era with an immediacy so recognizable that it feels like yesterday. “Van Kirk raises compelling if age-old questions about the tension between art and life, and about our responsibilities to those we love.” —The New York Times “A generously rendered account of a soul’s journey through an unexpected life . . . The cadenced rhythms of Song for Chance will stay with you long after you’ve finished the book.” —Richard Currey, author of Lost Highway

Download or read book The Brooklyn Follies written by Paul Auster and published by Henry Holt and Company. This book was released on 2007-04-01 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the bestselling author of Oracle Night and The Book of Illusions, an exhilarating, whirlwind tale of one man's accidental redemption Nathan Glass has come to Brooklyn to die. Divorced, estranged from his only daughter, the retired life insurance salesman seeks only solitude and anonymity. Then Nathan finds his long-lost nephew, Tom Wood, working in a local bookstore—a far cry from the brilliant academic career he'd begun when Nathan saw him last. Tom's boss is the charismatic Harry Brightman, whom fate has also brought to the "ancient kingdom of Brooklyn, New York." Through Tom and Harry, Nathan's world gradually broadens to include a new set of acquaintances—not to mention a stray relative or two—and leads him to a reckoning with his past. Among the many twists in the delicious plot are a scam involving a forgery of the first page of The Scarlet Letter, a disturbing revelation that takes place in a sperm bank, and an impossible, utopian dream of a rural refuge. Meanwhile, the wry and acerbic Nathan has undertaken something he calls The Book of Human Folly, in which he proposes "to set down in the simplest, clearest language possible an account of every blunder, every pratfall, every embarrassment, every idiocy, every foible, and every inane act I had committed during my long and checkered career as a man." But life takes over instead, and Nathan's despair is swept away as he finds himself more and more implicated in the joys and sorrows of others. The Brooklyn Follies is Paul Auster's warmest, most exuberant novel, a moving and unforgettable hymn to the glories and mysteries of ordinary human life.

Download or read book Your Song Changed My Life written by Bob Boilen and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2016-04-12 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the beloved host and creator of NPR’s All Songs Considered and Tiny Desk Concerts comes an essential oral history of modern music, told in the voices of iconic and up-and-coming musicians, including Dave Grohl, Jimmy Page, Michael Stipe, Carrie Brownstein, Smokey Robinson, and Jeff Tweedy, among others—published in association with NPR Music. Is there a unforgettable song that changed your life? NPR’s renowned music authority Bob Boilen posed this question to some of today’s best-loved musical legends and rising stars. In Your Song Changed My Life, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), St. Vincent, Jónsi (Sigur Rós), Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Cat Power, David Byrne (Talking Heads), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Jenny Lewis, Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia, Sleater-Kinney), Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Colin Meloy (The Decemberists), Trey Anastasio (Phish), Jackson Browne, Valerie June, Philip Glass, James Blake, and other artists reflect on pivotal moments that inspired their work. For Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, it was discovering his sister’s 45 of The Byrds’ “Turn, Turn, Turn.” A young St. Vincent’s life changed the day a box of CDs literally fell off a delivery truck in front of her house. Cat Stevens was transformed when he heard John Lennon cover “Twist and Shout.” These are the momentous yet unmarked events that have shaped these and many other musical talents, and ultimately the sound of modern music. A diverse collection of personal experiences, both ordinary and extraordinary, Your Song Changed My Life illustrates the ways in which music is revived, restored, and revolutionized. It is also a testament to the power of music in our lives, and an inspiration for future artists and music lovers. Amazing contributors include: Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney, Portlandia, Wild Flag), Smokey Robinson, David Byrne (Talking Heads), St. Vincent, Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), James Blake, Colin Meloy (The Decemberists), Trey Anastasio (Phish), Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Sturgill Simpson, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Cat Power, Jackson Browne, Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), Philip Glass, Jónsi (Sigur Rós), Hozier, Regina Carter, Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes, and others), Courtney Barnett, Chris Thile (Nickel Creek, Punch Brothers), Leon Bridges, Sharon Van Etten, and many more.

Download or read book A Song for a New Day written by Sarah Pinsker and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2019-09-10 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WINNER OF THE NEBULA AWARD After a global pandemic makes public gatherings illegal and concerts impossible, except for those willing to break the law for the love of music—and for one chance at human connection. In the Before, when the government didn't prohibit large public gatherings, Luce Cannon was on top of the world. One of her songs had just taken off and she was on her way to becoming a star. Now, in the After, terror attacks and deadly viruses have led the government to ban concerts, and Luce's connection to the world--her music, her purpose—is closed off forever. She does what she has to do: she performs in illegal concerts to a small but passionate community, always evading the law. Rosemary Laws barely remembers the Before times. She spends her days in Hoodspace, helping customers order all of their goods online for drone delivery—no physical contact with humans needed. By lucky chance, she finds a new job and a new calling: discover amazing musicians and bring their concerts to everyone via virtual reality. The only catch is that she'll have to do something she's never done before and go out in public. Find the illegal concerts and bring musicians into the limelight they deserve. But when she sees how the world could actually be, that won’t be enough.

Download or read book Any Way the Wind Blows written by Rainbow Rowell and published by Wednesday Books. This book was released on 2021-07-06 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell's epic fantasy, the Simon Snow trilogy, concludes with Any Way the Wind Blows. In Carry On, Simon Snow and his friends realized that everything they thought they understood about the world might be wrong. And in Wayward Son, they wondered whether everything they understood about themselves might be wrong. Now, Simon and Baz and Penelope and Agatha must decide how to move forward. For Simon, that means choosing whether he still wants to be part of the World of Mages — and if he doesn't, what does that mean for his relationship with Baz? Meanwhile Baz is bouncing between two family crises and not finding any time to talk to anyone about his newfound vampire knowledge. Penelope would love to help, but she's smuggled an American Normal into London, and now she isn't sure what to do with him. And Agatha? Well, Agatha Wellbelove has had enough. Any Way the Wind Blows takes the gang back to England, back to Watford, and back to their families for their longest and most emotionally wrenching adventure yet. This book is a finale. It tells secrets and answers questions and lays ghosts to rest. The Simon Snow Trilogy was conceived as a book about Chosen One stories; Any Way the Wind Blows is an ending about endings—about catharsis and closure, and how we choose to move on from the traumas and triumphs that try to define us.

Download or read book Humble Kind written by Tim McGraw and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2016-05-24 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What if practical inspiration could be as simple as an eye-opening, heartfelt song? From Grammy-winning star performer, husband, and father, Tim McGraw, comes a beautiful keepsake book, inspired by his uplifting hit, "Humble and Kind." Humble and Kind is the keepsake hardcover volume that combines the emotional power of Tim McGraw's uplifting #1 single and video "Humble and Kind" to elegant line illustrations in a gift book for all seasons. Inspired by McGraw's own life experience as his eldest child embarked on her college career, every parent and graduate can relate to Humble and Kind; with tender clarity, the words reinforce lessons for mindful, compassionate living. The song's pure poetry not only propelled the single up the charts, but its accompanying video-gorgeously produced with images courtesy of Oprah Winfrey's documentary "Belief" -has been viewed by tens of millions since its release, and inspired a community movement at stayhumbleandkind.com. Featuring an introduction from McGraw and an epilogue by the songwriter Lori McKenna, Humble and Kind is a deeply affecting call to action, and the perfect memento for millions of graduates, parents, and children across the continent.

Download or read book Give Bees a Chance written by Bethany Barton and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2019-07-02 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author-illustrator of Children's Choice Book Award Winner I'm Trying to Love Spiders: a plea to please give bees a chance! Not sure whether to high-five bees or run away from them? Well, maybe you shouldn't high-five them, but you definitely don't have to run away from them. Give Bees a Chance is for anyone who doesn't quite appreciate how extra special and important bees are to the world, and even to humankind! Besides making yummy honey, they help plants grow fruits and vegetables. And most bees wouldn't hurt a fly (unless it was in self-defense!). Bethany Barton's interactive cartoon-style illustrations and hilarious narrator mean this book is full of facts and fun. With bees officially on the endangered animals list, it's more important now than ever to get on board with our flying, honey-making friends!

Download or read book God Bless America written by Sheryl Kaskowitz and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-07-10 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "God Bless America" is a song most Americans know well. It is taught in American schools and regularly performed at sporting events. After the attacks on September 11th, it was sung on the steps of the Capitol, at spontaneous memorial sites, and during the seventh inning stretch at baseball games, becoming even more deeply embedded in America's collective consciousness. In God Bless America, Sheryl Kaskowitz tells the fascinating story behind America's other national anthem. It begins with the song's composition by Irving Berlin in 1918 and first performance by Kate Smith in 1938, revealing an early struggle for control between composer and performer as well as the hidden economics behind the song's royalties. Kaskowitz shows how the early popularity of "God Bless America" reflected the anxiety of the pre-war period and sparked a surprising anti-Semitic and xenophobic backlash. She follows the song's rightward ideological trajectory from early associations with religious and ethnic tolerance to increasing uses as an anthem for the Christian Right, and considers the song's popularity directly after the September 11th attacks. The book concludes with a portrait of the song's post-9/11 function within professional baseball, illuminating the power of the song - and of communal singing itself - as a vehicle for both commemoration and coercion. A companion website offers streaming audio of recordings referenced in the book, links to videos of relevant performances, appendices of information, and an opportunity for readers to participate in the author's survey. Based on extensive archival research and fieldwork, God Bless America sheds new light on cultural tensions within the U.S., past and present, and offers a historical chronicle that is full of surprises and that will both edify and delight readers from all walks of life.

Download or read book Behind the Beat written by Darrelyn Gunzburg and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Cold Courage band has two great gigs lined up but their new drummer is drinking his way through rehearsals (7 men, 6 women aged 14-20).

Download or read book Church Boy written by Kirk Franklin and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 1998-09-29 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When he fell from a darkened stage in November 1996, Kirk Franklin could easily have been killed. That ten-foot plunge might have ended the career of one of America's most exciting young prodigies. But thanks to his dramatic recovery, the fall added not only a new dimension to his story but it brought Kirk Franklin to the attention of millions who otherwise might never have heard the name. Today Kirk Franklin is bigger than ever. His recordings have topped the charts, selling more copies in less time than any gospel musician in history. He has won every award gospel music has to offer but his own success is the last thing on his mind. This is the story of a young man from the poor side of town. He was taunted and teased as a child, but his faith and his remarkable musical talent helped him overcome the odds. In these pages Kirk Franklin reveals the real source of his strength. "What motivates me," he says, "is the knowledge that God has redeemed me from the pain and the hurts and the sin of my past and given me a new joy I can't even explain. It's not just for show," he says. "It's the truth, and that's what I want to express."

Download or read book Chance the Rapper written by Tom Head and published by Enslow Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2019-07-15 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, better known as Chance the Rapper, grew up in West Chatham, a middle-class neighborhood in Chicago's South Side. His parents raised him to believe in himself and encouraged him to work hard. Now he is a popular and successful musician who challenged the music industry by foregoing the traditional record deal and releasing his own mixtapes through the internet for free. Simple text and vivid photographs will pull readers into Chance's rise to fame in the music world and budding acting career. Through sidebars and direct quotations, students will get to know the more personal side of the humble and devoted family man and education activist.

Download or read book Elizabeth s Song written by Michael Wenberg and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-07-19 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Historical-fiction based on the young life of Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten, the noted African American folksinger, who wrote the famous song "Freight Train" when she was just eleven years old. Elizabeth's Song is the true-life story of Elizabeth (Libba) Cotten, the noted African American folksinger, guitarist, and songwriter. Against all odds, young Elizabeth teaches herself to play guitar left-handed on a borrowed instrument. Eventually, she earns enough money to buy a guitar of her very own, and is then inspired to write her first song--the folk classic "Freight Train," written when she was eleven years old. Elizabeth's unique style of playing guitar (upside down and backwards), from which the term "cotten picking" is derived, has influenced countless other artists. Elizabeth's story is one that will inspire people of all ages.

Download or read book Super Fake Love Song written by David Yoon and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-07-13 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the New York Times bestselling author of Frankly in Love comes a young adult romantic comedy about identity and acceptance. Perfect for fans of John Green and To All the Boys I've Love Before and now in paperback! When Sunny Dae--self-proclaimed total nerd--meets Cirrus Soh, he can't believe how cool and confident she is. So when Cirrus mistakes Sunny's older brother Gray's bedroom--with its electric guitars and rock posters--for Sunny's own, he sort of, kind of, accidentally winds up telling her he's the front man of a rock band. Before he knows it, Sunny is knee-deep in the lie: He ropes his best friends into his scheme, begging them to form a fake band with him, and starts wearing Gray's rock-and-roll castoffs. But no way can he trick this amazing girl into thinking he's cool, right? Just when Sunny is about to come clean, Cirrus asks to see them play sometime. Gulp. Now there's only one thing to do: Fake it till you make it.

Download or read book A Chinaman s Chance written by Liping Zhu and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Writers and historians have traditionally portrayed Chinese immigrants in the nineteenth-century American West as victims. For them, the American frontier was a place that offered no more than a "Chinaman's chance". By examining the early history of the Boise Basin, Idaho, Liping Zhu challenges the stereotypical image of the Chinese pioneers. Looking at various aspects of their experience, he takes an entirely new approach to the study of this ethnic minority. Between 1863 and 1910, a large number of Chinese immigrants resided in Idaho's Boise Basin, searching for gold. As in many Rocky Mountain mining camps, they comprised a majority of the population. Unlike settlers in many other boom-and-bust western mining towns, the Chinese in the Boise Basin managed to stay there for more than half a century. Like other pioneers, the Chinese immigrants in this unique Rocky Mountain mining region had equal access to the pursuit of happiness. Their basic material needs were guaranteed, and many individuals were able to accumulate a considerable amount of wealth and climb up the economic ladder. The Chinese equality was also seen in frontier justice. To settle the disputes, they frequently challenged white opponents in the various courts as well as in gun battles. Thus, the Chinese played all the stereotypical frontier roles - victors, victims, and villains. Despite occasional conflicts and personal rivalries, race relations between the Chinese and Euroamericans were relativeiy good; cultural accommodation, not confrontation, was the predominant theme. The Idaho Chinese actually received opportunities far beyond what has been assumed.