Reading Woodstock
Day One Performers: Friday, August 15, 1969
Ravi Shankar
DB 51182 Raga mala: the autobiography of Ravi Shankar by Ravi Shankar
Memoirs of the classical sitar player from India who became popular in the U.S. in the 1960s. Recalls important events and people who influenced him or vice versa. Discusses his professional growth and details from his private life, and explains the history and principles of Indian music. 1997.
Joan Baez
DB 52658 Positively 4th street: the lives and times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Farin~a, and Richard Farin~a by David Hajdu
Based on hundreds of interviews, Hajdu’s work scrutinizes the interpersonal relationships of Joan and Mimi Baez, Bob Dylan, and Richard Farin~a and shows how the four emerged from the Greenwich Village coffeehouse folk music scene to become influential pop singers of the 1960s. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2001.
Day Two Performers: Saturday, August 16, 1969
Santana
DB 93923 When angels sing: the story of rock legend Carlos Santana by Michael Mahin
Chronicles the life and accomplishments of rock legend Carlos Santana, who created a unique sound that fused American blues, rock, and jazz traditions with the sound of Latin American and African music. For grades K-3. 2018.
DB 80029 The universal tone: bringing my story to light by Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana’s memoir traces his journey from his earliest days, playing the strip bars in Tijuana while barely in his teens, to the establishment of his signature guitar sound. Discusses his roles as husband, father, and musician, as well as his lifelong dedication to a spiritual path. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2014.
Grateful Dead
DB 60265 Searching for the sound: my life with the Grateful Dead by Phil Lesh.
Bassist for the Grateful Dead who joined the band in 1965 details the evolution of the group led by Jerry Garcia. Describes the concert tours, fanatic Dead Head fans, and the financial and drug problems that plagued the musicians. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2005
DB 83811 This is all a dream we dreamed: an oral history of the Grateful Dead by Blair Jackson, David Gans.
Two authorities on the seminal folk rock band the Grateful Dead collaborate on this oral history of the group. Interviews with band members, fellow musicians, and fans weave together their story, from their roots in the San Francisco area to the fiftieth anniversary concert in 2015. Strong language and descrtiptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. 2015.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
DB 82841 Fortunate son: my life, my music by John Fogerty.
Singer-songwriter recounts his personal story, from his youth to the height of his success with the band Creedence Clearwater Revival and beyond. Includes stories of some of his famous songs, as well as his personal struggles with alcohol and depression. Strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2015.
Janis Joplin
DB 36139 Love, Janis by Laura Joplin.
Laura Joplin was a graduate student in 1970 when her famous rock and roll star sister Janis died of a drug overdose. Known for such 1960s songs as "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Get It While You Can," Janis was both a booze-swilling, raspy-voiced, wild dresser and, as her letters home reveal, a friendly young woman who was serious about her music and thrilled and amazed by her increasing popularity.
DB 73764 Janis Joplin: rise up singing by Ann Angel
Biography of Janis Joplin (1943-1970) chronicles her successful music career and provides insight into her personal life and emotional vulnerabilities. Discusses Joplin’s drug and alcohol addictions and death of an overdose at age twenty-seven. For junior and senior high and older readers. YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction. 2010.
Day Three Performers: Sunday, August 17, 1969
The Who
DB 75661 Who I am: a memoir by Pete Townshend.
Guitarist and songwriter (born 1945) chronicles the development of his interest in music, his early bands, and his work with The Who. Includes reminiscences of musicians and industry professionals Townshend collaborated with in the 1960s and 1970s. Strong language and descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2012.
DB 92722 Thanks a lot Mr. Kibblewhite: my story by Roger Daltrey.
Memoir of Roger Daltrey, the lead singer of the Who. Born in London in 1944, Daltrey began assembling the band while working at a factory in 1961. He shares stories of his life and bandmates, and takes a creative journey through the music they made. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2018.
The Band
DB 86613 Testimony by Robbie Robertson.
Guitarist and songwriter for the musical group The Band reflects on his life and career. Drawn to storytelling from his early years, he recounts his many musical collaborations, up through The Band’s final performance at the 1976 concert known as "The Last Waltz."Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2016.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
DB 94484 CSNY: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young by Peter Doggett
A rock journalist examines one of the first supergroups in music, formed by four artists whose first major appearance was at Woodstock in 1969: David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young. Chronicles the ups and downs of the group in their short but influential time together. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.
Jimi Hendrix
DB 75941 Hendrix on Hendrix: interviews and encounters with Jimi Hendrix edited by Steven Roby.
Presents fifty-seven interviews with Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) from news articles and radio transcripts, conducted from December 1966 to just before his death in September 1970. Also includes court testimony excerpts. Hendrix discusses his musical influences, the social issues of the day, and his drug use. 2012.
DB 34847 Jimi Hendrix, electric gypsy by Harry Shapiro and Caesar Glebbeek
Historical biography and reference work by an author of books about musicians and the founder and curator of the Hendrix Information Center in England. The authors chronicle the abbreviated life of this legendary electric guitar player and his rock band The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The emphasis is on Hendrix’s artistry rather than on the destructive elements in his life. Some strong language.
DB 62315 Room full of mirrors: a biography of Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Cross.
The author uses primary sources to depict the life of guitarist Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970). Describes his poverty-stricken childhood in Seattle, years on the "Chitlin’ Circuit," emergence on England’s music scene, success at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, and death at age twenty-seven. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. 2005.
"3 Days of Peace & Music"
WOODSTOCK
DBC03858 The road to Woodstock by Michael Lang with Holly George-Warren.
The rock impresario who masterminded the 1969 rock festival on a farm in upstate New York recalls his crucial role in the three days of peace, love, and music that forever defined a generation
DB 35543 Woodstock: the summer of our lives by Jack Curry
A USA Today entertainment editor reconstructs the "three days of fun and music" that the Woodstock Festival of 1969 symbolizes. To write personal life stories of people involved in Woodstock, Curry interviewed a cross section of the more than half a million persons who experienced the conditions, felt the exhilaration, heard the rock music, and claimed their lives were forever changed. Strong language