Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

10 Great Musical Biographies That Tell the Stories Behind Your Favorite Artists

29/09/2023

You might know all the songs and albums of your favorite musicians, but do you know the experiences and inspirations behind their work? Luckily, you can find out by listening to some great musical biographies on Spotify.

With picks that include memoirs from legendary stars including Dave Grohl, Billie Eilish, Gucci Mane, and Dolly Parton, you can discover all the wisdom these greats have to share.

The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music Written and narrated by Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl's autobiography, The Storyteller, sheds light on what it's like to be a kid from Springfield, Virginia, who goes on to live out his craziest dreams as a musician. The rock icon reflects on everything from hitting the road with Scream at 18, to his time in Nirvana and the Foo Fighters. He remembers jamming with Iggy Pop and dancing with AC/DC and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. He tells stories about drumming for Tom Petty and meeting Paul McCartney at Royal Albert Hall. Grohl even recounts unexpected moments like bedtime stories with Joan Jett to a chance meeting with Little Richard.

The Sporty One: My Life as a Spice Girl Written and narrated by Melanie Chisholm

After five women answered a newspaper ad, the Spice Girls were born. They recorded their first single, Wannabe, and nearly overnight, Melanie Melanie C Chisholm went from small-town girl to Sporty Spice.

The Sporty One follows the meteoric rise of Melanie C and The Spice Girls, from the incredible highs of playing at Wembley, conquering the BRITs, and closing the 2012 Olympics, to the difficult lows. For the first time ever, Melanie C talks about the pressures of fame, the shaming and bullying she experienced, the struggles she has had with her body image and mental health, and the difficulty of finding herself when the whole world knew her name.

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics Written by Dolly Parton, Robert K. Oermann Narrated by Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton, Songteller goes beyond the glitz, glamor, and rhinestones to the warmth, heart, and soul of a treasured pop culture icon. In this autobiography, 10-time Grammy Award-winning artist Dolly Parton weaves her words with music and memories to give listeners the stories behind her most cherished songs.

How close did Parton come to singing I Will Always Love You as a duet with Elvis Presley? How did she become an actress? And exactly who was Jolene ? This one-of-a-kind audio experience answers the most burning questions that Parton's fans have.

The Autobiography of Gucci Mane Written by Gucci Mane and Neil Martinez-Belkin Narrated by Guy Lockard

For the first time, hip-hop legend Gucci Mane tells the story of his rise, fall, and redemption in The Autobiography of Gucci Mane. With a string of influential mixtapes and street anthems that pioneered the sound of trap music in the 2000s, the rap icon inspired and mentored a new generation of artists and producers including Migos, Young Thug, Nicki Minaj, Zaytoven, Mike WiLL Made-It, and Metro Boomin.

Taking listeners back to his roots in Alabama, the streets of East Atlanta, and the studio where he found his voice, Gucci Mane reflects on his successes while also confronting his dark past, which included drug addiction, murder charges, and a prison sentence.

But Gucci Mane has changed, and in this music bio, he provides an intimate glimpse into his radical transformation following his 2016 prison release-one that saw the rapper emerge sober, smiling, focused, and positive. This is one of music's great comeback stories.

Born to Run Written and narrated by Bruce Springsteen

In 2009, Bruce Springsteen performed at the Super Bowl halftime show. The experience was so exhilarating that he decided to write about it, which then inspired him to tell the story of his entire life.

Vividly recounting his relentless drive to become a musician, his early days as a bar band king in New Jersey, and the rise of The E Street Band, Springsteen fills the pages of Born to Run with humor, originality, and disarming candor. For the first time, the superstar rocker shares the personal struggles that inspired his best work, and shows us why the song Born to Run reveals more than we previously realized. This isn't just a legendary rock star's memoir. This is a book for anyone who has ever wanted to be baptized in the holy river of rock and roll.

Billie Eilish: In Her Own Words Written by Billie Eilish Narrated By Billie Eilish, Maggie Baird, Patrick O'Connell

In this special audiobook companion piece, global pop phenomenon Billie Eilish walks fans through the personal highlights and special moments of her life and career, both on and off the stage.

Billie Eilish: In Her Own Words is full of exclusive and unique content, including memories shared by her parents. Capturing the essence of Billie inside and out, listeners get personal glimpses into her childhood, her life on tour, and more, making this audio edition essential for any fan.

It's a Long Story: My Life Written by Willie Nelson and David Ritz Narrated by Christopher Ryan Grant

It's a Long Story is the complete, unvarnished story of Willie Nelson s life. Told in his distinct voice and leaving no moment or experience unturned, the country legend takes listeners on a ride from Texas and Nashville to Hawaii and his legendary tour bus.

Nelson shines a light on all aspects of his life, including his drive to write music, the women in his life, his biggest collaborations, his lowest lows, and his highest highs-from his bankruptcy to the founding of Farm Aid.

Talking to My Angels Written and narrated by Melissa Etheridge

Following the success of her first memoir, award-winning rocker and trailblazing LGBTQIA+ icon Melissa Etheridge returns to take stock of her life in the years that have followed.

Talking to My Angels is a profoundly honest lo
LINK: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2023-09-29/musical-biographies-audiobooks...
See more stories from spotify

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

13/04/2026

Harvey Arnold Represents the Best of Broadcast Engineering

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/04/2026

Ross Video and HighField AI to Deliver AI-Assisted Graphics Creation

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/04/2026

Disguise to Showcase Cutting-Edge Experience Tech for Bro...

Explore new Disguise plugins, including Sony's VP integration; Listen to panels across partner booths at Sony and B&H Disguise, the company powering everyt...

13/04/2026

TAG Video Systems Joins MXL Interoperability Initiative t...

TAG Video Systems, the leading IP-native Realtime Media Platform, has announced its participation in the Media Exchange Layer (MXL) interop initiative. TAG has ...

13/04/2026

Chaos Launches Free V-Ray for Blender Community Edition a...

Today, Chaos launched V-Ray for Blender Community Edition at BCON Austin 2026, making its production-proven 3D renderer free for all Blender users. The same Aca...

13/04/2026

LTN Appoints Mark Romano as Vice President Multichannel P...

Additions strengthen LTN's leadership as broadcasters scale satellite-to-IP transition LTN today announced the appointments of Mark Romano as Vice Presiden...

13/04/2026

NUGEN Audio Updates Halo Vision With New Precision Analys...

LEEDS, UK, APRIL 13, 2026 NUGEN Audio releases Halo Vision v1.2, a significant update to its real time, customizable audio analysis suite for 3D, surround and...

13/04/2026

Atomos to Acquire Flanders Scientific

Atomos today announced the acquisition of Flanders Scientific (FSI), one of the most respected names in professional reference monitoring. This strategic move r...

13/04/2026

How Mei Semones Built Her Sound from J-Pop, Jazz, and Bilingual Songwriting

How Mei Semones Built Her Sound from J-Pop, Jazz, and Bilingual Songwriting The indie-pop artist combines agile guitar lines, rhythmic shifts, and lyrics that...

13/04/2026

Cue the Change: Jonathon Heyward Is Making Classical Music More Relatable

Cue the Change: Jonathon Heyward Is Making Classical Music More Relatable Nicknamed the Converse Conductor, the Boston Conservatory alum holds top conductin...

13/04/2026

Heat Wave: Inside Miamis Sizzling, Boundary-Blurring Latin Music Scene

Heat Wave: Inside Miamis Sizzling, Boundary-Blurring Latin Music Scene In a city shaped by migration and exchange, Berklee alumni are helping drive a Latin mu...

13/04/2026

TikToK, Major Ad Groups Back Influencer Certification Program

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/04/2026

DHD Marks 30th Anniversary with Brand Relaunch

DHD audio, developer and manufacturer of digital audio systems for professional broadcast, has launched a comprehensive brand update to mark its 30th anniversar...

13/04/2026

Stegawave Debuts Real-Time Forensic Watermarking to Tackl...

Stegawave, an Irish technology company specialising in forensic watermarking for video content, today announced the launch of its anti-piracy platform for live ...

13/04/2026

Synamedia PowerVu cuts broadcast distribution costs by up...

New version of Quortex PowerVu delivers a standards-based approach to satellite-to-IP transitions, eliminating the need for baseband workflows and complex infra...

13/04/2026

Studio Berlin Invests in Cinematic Live Production with G...

Grass Valley LDX camera systems enable leading German production company to support broadcast and cinematic live production within a single environment. Grass ...

13/04/2026

Techex and MediaKind partner to bring resilient IP transp...

London, UK, 13 April 2026 Techex and MediaKind today announced a partnership to integrate Techexs IP transport and orchestration technology, tx edge, directly...

13/04/2026

Transforming modern education environments with Lightware...

In today's hybrid education environments, there is no one-size-fits-all' AV solution. Lightware's extensive AV portfolio addresses this challenge, ...

13/04/2026

Mediaproxy adds AI toolset to LogServer for brand and adv...

Mediaproxy, the global standard for software-based IP compliance monitoring and multiviewing solutions, has developed a new suite of AI-powered tools designed t...

13/04/2026

Freelance Video Cameraman - Los Angeles

Freelance Video Cameraman - Los Angeles Brie Clayton April 13, 2026 0 Comments Freelance Video Cameraman April 8, 2026COW Jobs: Director Needed for ...

13/04/2026

Atomos to Acquire Flanders Scientific

Atomos to Acquire Flanders Scientific Brie Clayton April 13, 2026 0 Comments Strengthening commitment to precision monitoring, from camera to delivery...

13/04/2026

Digital Anarchy Announces ShotNotes, A Notepad and Task Tracking Panel for Premiere Pro

Digital Anarchy Announces ShotNotes, A Notepad and Task Tracking Panel for Premi...

13/04/2026

NAB 2026 Live Demo at HP Booth Highlights JALI Powered Interactive AI Character Experience

NAB 2026 Live Demo at HP Booth Highlights JALI Powered Interactive AI Character ...

13/04/2026

Manifold Introduces AT300 Multiviewer Support at NAB 2026

Manifold Introduces AT300 Multiviewer Support at NAB 2026 Brie Clayton April 13, 2026 0 Comments and adds HDR-SDR conversion to the recently announced...

13/04/2026

RT Radio 1 unveils new audio identity

RT Radio 1 has today launched a significant step in its ongoing strategic evolution. Following the launch of its brand-new schedule late last year, RT Radio 1...

13/04/2026

The Late Late Show offers a once-in-a-lifetime prize to the winner of next week's Opening Act compet

The Late Late Show Opening Act, the search for Ireland's newest country musi...

13/04/2026

RT appoints new Chief Financial Officer

RT has today announced the appointment of Annemarie Britz to the position of Chief Financial Officer, RT following a public competition. Annemarie Britz is c...

12/04/2026

Areal unveil the SR1

Headphone system designed for immersive monitoring With the demand for immersive audio showing no signs of slowing down, lots of companies are turning their...

12/04/2026

Beeble expands AI production workflow ahead of NAB 2026 with background remover

Beeble expands AI production workflow ahead of NAB 2026 with background remover Brie Clayton April 11, 2026 0 Comments Ahead of its upcoming participa...

12/04/2026

Like and Transcribe

Like and Transcribe Mei Semones BM '22 blends languages and techniques to create her singular style. April 10, 2026 By Bryan Parys Mei Semones BM '...

12/04/2026

Cue the Change

Cue the Change Nicknamed the Converse Conductor, Jonathon Heyward BM '14 is making classical music more relatable. April 10, 2026 By Sarah Godcher Murp...

12/04/2026

Heat Wave

Heat Wave Inside Miamis sizzling, boundary-blurring Latin music scene. April 13, 2026 By Ricardo Herrera Bandrich Image by Stella Levi Down there: Thats ...

11/04/2026

Infrasonic launch Infrasonic Berlin

Engineer collective welcome Freddy Knop Infrasonic, an award-winning collective of audio engineers operating out of Nashville and Los Angeles with credits r...

11/04/2026

L3Harris' Red Wolf and SKY RAIDER II INTERNATIONAL Showcase Adaptability for Evolving Missions

Combining launched effects with a proven mission aircraft, Red Wolf and SKY RAI...

11/04/2026

Accelerating Production of National Security Space Assets with Additive Manufacturing

3D printed RL10 rocket engine combustion chambers shown in the manufacturing are...

11/04/2026

Sachtler Highlights Comprehensive Camera Support Solutions at NAB 2026

Sachtler Highlights Comprehensive Camera Support Solutions at NAB 2026 Brie Clayton April 11, 2026 0 Comments Sachtler showcases advanced camera suppo...

11/04/2026

Sohonet Launches Media Fabric: A Unified Managed Infrastructure Suite for Film, Television and Post-Production

Sohonet Launches Media Fabric: A Unified Managed Infrastructure Suite for Film, ...

11/04/2026

AJA Unveils BRIDGE LIVE IP with SMPTE ST 2110 I/O

AJA Unveils BRIDGE LIVE IP with SMPTE ST 2110 I/O Brie Clayton April 11, 2026 0 Comments New IP video solution streamlines modern productions, providi...

11/04/2026

InSync Unveils Advanced Video Processing and Frame Rate Conversion Solutions at NAB 2026

InSync Unveils Advanced Video Processing and Frame Rate Conversion Solutions at ...

11/04/2026

Amagi Launches Newspulse: An Agentic AI Platform That Autonomously Turns Live Newscasts into Multi-Format Digital Content

Amagi Launches Newspulse: An Agentic AI Platform That Autonomously Turns Live Ne...

11/04/2026

Federal Judge Extends Nexstar/Tegna TRO, Softens Some Provisions

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/04/2026

Sling TV Launches $19.99 a Month Sling Essentials with ESPN

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/04/2026

NAB Show Launches Content Creator VIP Program

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/04/2026

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for April Open Meeting

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...