Laura Nyro was a beloved and pioneering singer-songwriter of the 1960s and 1970s, whose songs were covered with great success by the Fifth Dimension; Blood, Sweat & Tears; Three Dog Night; and Barbra Streisand. This first biography from Michele Kort, Soul Picnic, uncovers previously never revealed details, including a love affair with Jackson Browne, and her relationship with painter Maria Desiderio. Unappreciated in her time, Nyro's legacy is currently experiencing a revival. With her groundbreakingly honest and passionate lyrics, her unusual and innovative rhythms and melody, Nyro's influence is still felt by singers and songwriters today.

This comprehensive guide is a must-have for the legions of fans of the beloved and perennially popular music known as soul and rhythm & blues. The latest in the definitive All Music Guide series, the All Music Guide to Soul offers nearly 8 500 entertaining and informative reviews that lead readers to the best recordings by more than 1 500 artists and help them find new music to explore. Informative biographies, essays and “music maps” trace R&B's growth from its roots in blues and gospel through its flowering in Memphis and Motown, to its many branches today. Complete discographies note bootlegs, important out-of-print albums, and import-only releases. “Extremely valuable and exhaustive.” – The Christian Science Monitor

This four-volume work provides provocative critical analyses of 160 of the best popular music albums of the past 50 years, from the well-known and mainstream to the quirky and offbeat. The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential, and Important Creations contains critical analysis essays on 160 significant pop music albums from 1960 to 2010. The selected albums represent the pop, rock, soul, R&B, hip hop, country, and alternative genres, including artists such as 2Pac, Carole King, James Brown, The Beatles, and Willie Nelson. Each volume contains brief sidebars with biographical information about key performers and producers, as well as descriptions of particular music industry topics pertaining to the development of the album over this 50-year period. Due to its examination of a broad time frame and wide range of musical styles, and its depth of analysis that goes beyond that in other books about essential albums of the past and present, this collection will appeal strongly to music fans of all tastes and interests.

(Book). This entertaining book presents the U.S. and U.K. Top 20 charts side by side, month by month showing how rock and pop developed on each side of the Atlantic. Fully updated, it lists the hits from 1954 through 2003. Alongside every song listing, readers will find important facts such as the artist's name and nationality, current and previous month's chart position, record label, weeks on the chart, and simultaneous position on the other side of the pond. Includes an alphabetical listing of song titles with artists, and an alphabetical listing of artists with song titles and chart-entry dates, enabling easy cross-referencing to help you track down any Top 20 record since 1954.

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Return Of A Dead Pimp", centers around the story's central character, Jay Priest, a pimp who ends up winning the 1976 "International Player's Ball". After emerging victorious, Jay takes his pimping talents overseas, opening up a chain of brothels, aptly called, "Jack Off In The Box". Hating to see a black entrepreneur become a billionaire, the government decides to kill Jay's older brother, back home in Michigan, by having him get electrocuted at the automotive plant where he works.

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