Category Archives: Books

Rickie Lee Jones Won’t Run Out of Chances

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Bob Ruggiero

It’s common for musicians to feel that their work lets listeners into their minds, their souls, or their hearts. It’s less common that fans are invited into their actual homes. But that’s what many artists did — at least virtually … Continue reading →

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The Many Mugs of Stevie Van Zandt Come Together in Memoir

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Bob Ruggiero

When talking to the multi-hyphenate man Steven Van Zandt, it’s a challenge to pick which version of him to start off with.  The musician who’s the best bud of Bruce Springsteen and core member of the E Street Band, but … Continue reading →

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The Metal Magic of Ronnie James Dio Shines in Posthumous Autobiography

Posted on June 23, 2022 by Bob Ruggiero

Rainbow in the Dark: The AutobiographyBy Ronnie James Dio with Wendy Dio and Mick Wall264 pp.$28Permuted Press When Ronnie James Dio—announced in 2009 that he had stomach cancer, it certainly gave him an impetus to complete the autobiography that he’d … Continue reading →

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John Mellencamp’s Life of Roots, Rock, and Rebellion

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Bob Ruggiero

It’s telling about John Mellencamp that his nickname, “Little Bastard,” is not only a sobriquet that he revels in, but does his damnedest to live up to. His tough-as-nails/loud-as-a-motorcyle-engine persona and songs have helped define an image and put him … Continue reading →

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Classic Rock Titans and Friends: Harrison and Clapton

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Bob Ruggiero

All Things Must Pass Away: Harrison, Clapton, and Other Assorted Love Songs by Kenneth Womack and Jason Kruppa 304 pp., $28.99, Chicago Review Press One of rock and roll’s most enduring friendships was between George Harrison and Eric Clapton. From … Continue reading →

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Miles Copeland Remembers the Police, Go-Go’s, Bangles, & Timbuk 3 in Memoir

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Bob Ruggiero

Miles Copeland II was a longtime CIA operative in the Middle East and involved in all sorts of secretive spy missions from the 1940s through the ‘60s. And his son—Miles A. Copeland III—often had to use similarly delicate skills and … Continue reading →

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Mercy, Mercy She: A Groupie’s Wild Child Story

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Bob Ruggiero

In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, Mercy Fontenot was anything but a shrinking violet. In her alter ego as “Miss Mercy” – sporting distinctive raccoon eye makeup and dressed in layers of flowing gypsy clothes of lace, leopard prints, … Continue reading →

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Hair Metal Years Revealed in Massive Oral History

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Bob Ruggiero

Come with us, children, back to the magical, mystical land of the 1980’s. Where for a brief but shining span of time the hair was high, the riffs were righteous, the lead singers preening, the flashpots fiery, the colors popping, … Continue reading →

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Rob Halford of Judas Priest Confesses Everything. EVERYTHING.

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Bob Ruggiero

Confess: The Autobiography by Rob Halford 368 pp., $30, Hachette Books For much of the 1970’s and ‘80s, even as he was fronting Judas Priest, one of the most popular, loved, and revered heavy metal bands of all time, lead … Continue reading →

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Chris Hillman Looks Toward the Byrds, the Burritos, and Beyond

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Bob Ruggiero

Throughout his nearly 60-year career in music, he’s flown high as a Byrd and a Burrito Brother. He’s served as a Squirrel Barker and a Golden State Boy. He left the train depot in Manassas on his way out west … Continue reading →

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