From the deep tones of the “King” of rock ’n’ roll, to the guitar solos of Jimi Hendrix, to the distinctive voice and poetic lyrics of Stevie Nicks, each of these rock stars upset the status quo, changing the genre forever. Highlighting 10 influential bands and artists from the last 75 years of rock ‘n’ roll, Rock Legends Who Changed the World is the perfect introduction to the sounds and styles that rocked the world.

Named one of the best music books of 2017 by The Wall Street Journal An elegy to the age of the Rock Star, featuring Chuck Berry, Elvis, Madonna, Bowie, Prince, and more, uncommon people whose lives were transformed by rock and who, in turn, shaped our culture Recklessness, thy name is rock. The age of the rock star, like the age of the cowboy, has passed. Like the cowboy, the idea of the rock star lives on in our imaginations. What did we see in them? Swagger. Recklessness. Sexual charisma. Damn-the-torpedoes self-belief. A certain way of carrying themselves. Good hair. Interesting shoes. Talent we wished we had. What did we want of them? To be larger than life but also like us. To live out their songs. To stay young forever. No wonder many didn’t stay the course. In Uncommon People, David Hepworth zeroes in on defining moments and turning points in the lives of forty rock stars from 1955 to 1995, taking us on a journey to burst a hundred myths and create a hundred more. As this tribe of uniquely motivated nobodies went about turning themselves into the ultimate somebodies, they also shaped us, our real lives and our fantasies. Uncommon People isn’t just their story. It’s ours as well.

To amend the "official" history of Rock, the author focuses on the fascinating history and powerful influence that certain innovative, albeit generally under-appreciated, musicians have had on successive generations of bands. 50 illustrations.

Music industry veterans Robbie Robertson, Jim Guerinot, Jared Levine and Sebastian Robertson invite younger readers to share the celebration of 27 musical legends. Carefully compiled like a great playlist, the line-up features originators, rebels and risk-takers across diverse genres. From Ray Charles to Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry to Bob Dylan, Robertson shares anecdotes about these artists and the influence they had on his own musical journey. Filled with personal stories of creativity and collaboration that will fascinate, enlighten and inspire music fans of all ages.

Part memoir, part tribute, and all great storytelling ... Music industry veterans Robbie Robertson, Jim Guerinot, Jared Levine, and Sebastian Robertson invite young readers to share with them in celebrating twenty-seven musical legends. Short profiles chronicle personal stories and achievements of extraordinarily talented artists whose innovations changed the landscape of music for generations to come. Carefully compiled like any great playlist, the line-up features originators, rebels, and risk-takers across diverse genres. From Ray Charles to Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry to Bob Dylan, Robertson shares anecdotes about these artists and the influence they had on his own musical journey. Always respectful of their reader, the writers never shy away from speaking about the difficult challenges these recording artists faced and the very human foibles that sometimes led to their tragic end. Most of all, it's the authors' passion and insights into these personal stories of creativity and collaboration -- and the power of music to shine a light on injustice and foster change -- that will fascinate, enlighten, and inspire music fans of all ages.

More than two hundred spectacular photographs, sensual, luminous, frenzied, true, from 1955 to the present, that catch and define the energy, intoxication, rebellion, and magic of rock and roll; the first book to explore the photographs and the photographers who captured rock’s message of freedom and personal reinvention—and to examine the effect of their pictures on the musicians, the fans, and the culture itself. The only music photographers whose names are well known are those who themselves have become celebrities. But many of the images that have shaped our consciousness and desire were made by photographers whose names are unfamiliar. Here are Elvis in 1956—not yet mythic but beautiful, tender, vulnerable, sexy, photographed by Alfred Wertheimer . . . Bob Dylan and his girlfriend on a snowy Greenwich Village street, by Don Hunstein . . . John Lennon in a sleeveless New York City T-shirt, by Bob Gruen . . . Jimi Hendrix, by Gered Mankowitz, a photograph that became a poster and was hung on the walls of millions of bedrooms and college dorms . . . For the first time, the work of these talented men and women is brought into the pantheon; we see the musicians they photographed and how the images gave rock and roll its visual identity. To bring together these images, Gail Buckland, acclaimed photographic editor, curator, and scholar, looked through the archives of one hundred photographers, selecting pictures not on the basis of the usual suspects, but on the power of the images themselves, often picking an image a photographer didn’t even remember he or she had taken. Buckland writes about the photographers, their influences, their relationships with their subjects, how they took the images, how they saw what they saw and captured what they captured: the spirit and essence of rock. A revelation of an art form whose iconic images changed the world as we knew it.

From the roots of rock in the 1950s to the music of such contemporary favorites as Coldplay and Green Day, this spectacular celebration of rock and roll traces the history and highlights of this most enduring and most controversial of music. From beatniks to punks, and from hippies to grunge rockers, rock has experienced and encouraged countless social and cultural transformations. It has recounted how the world was and how young people wanted it to be, helped several generations dream and live, and produced art and culture which have left an indelible mark on society. "The Legends of Rock "recounts the stories and the cities, instruments, fashions, and personalities that have made rock great. Organized chronologically, this comprehensive volume spotlights pioneers such as Elvis Presley, beloved storytellers like Bob Dylan, classic favorites including The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Who, punk rockers like Patti Smith and the Sex Pistols, grunge rockers including Nirvana and Pearl Jam, as well as perennial icons Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, and many more. Throughout the book, portraits and vibrant pictures of the performers in concert, as well as images of the greatest albums of all time, supplement the entertaining text. With its great photographs, irresistible factoids, and wealth of tidbits, this book will be irresistible to baby boomers and teens alike.