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

12/12/2025

BitFire, Appear Form Strategic Partnership Integrating IP-Based Solutions

HUDSON, Mass. BitFire and Appear have struck a strategic partnership aimed at offering broadcasters, sports leagues and streaming platforms a faster, more flexi...

12/12/2025

TV Tech, TVBEurope to Explore MXLs Impact on Media Production

The broadcast industry is evolving faster than ever. #IPWorkflows #remoteproduction, and next-gen audio systems are reshaping how teams design, deliver, and sca...

12/12/2025

Wrapbook Acquires TV and Film Production Scheduling Platform Cinapse

LOS ANGELES The payroll and production accounting platform Wrapbook has announced the acquisition of Cinapse, a modern scheduling platform for film and televisi...

12/12/2025

Ross Video Expands South Asian Operations

DEHLI Ross Video has announced that it is expanding and restructuring its commercial and technical teams in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation...

12/12/2025

Rise AV Launches Asia Pacific Council and Mentoring Program

LONDON Following the success of its UK launch in January 2025, Rise AV, the global not-for-profit initiative dedicated to supporting and advancing women in the ...

12/12/2025

Tubi To Introduce Matter Casting For Fire TV

SAN FRANCISCO Ad-supported streaming service Tubi next week will launch Matter Casting, a new casting standard that will enable seamless mobile-to-TV viewing di...

12/12/2025

HPA Announces Tech Retreat Highlights

LOS ANGELES The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today said futurist Robert Tercek, creative technologist Jessie Hughes from Leonardo.AI and Emmy-winnin...

12/12/2025

December 11, 2025

Scripps Research team pioneers an efficient way to stereoselectively add fluorine to drug-like molecules A new method uses a novel catalyst and inexpensive fluo...

11/12/2025

AI for Sustainability: Lessons from Sarajevo

Thomson and the Center for News, Technology and Innovation (CNTI) convened a two-day workshop in Sarajevo bringing together more than 35 journalists, editors, p...

11/12/2025

ESPN's Aims for Spectacular With Heisman Trophy Show

ESPN's Aims for Spectacular With Heisman Trophy ShowEvent firsts include 1080p HDR production airing on both national broadcast and cableBy Dan Daley, Audio...

11/12/2025

SVG Students To Watch: Frankie Patton, University of Colorado

SVG Students To Watch: Frankie Patton, University of ColoradoThe 2025 grad is hitting the ground running as a PA on national broadcastsBy Brandon Costa, Directo...

11/12/2025

SVG Summit 2025 Technology Exhibits Preview, Part 3

SVG Summit 2025 Technology Exhibits Preview, Part 3By SVG Staff Thursday, December 11, 2025 - 7:24 am Print This Story | Subscribe Story Highlights The 2...

11/12/2025

SVG Sit-Down: What Makes Gen Z, X, and Y Fans Tick? Dave Gavant of WSC Sports Goes Inside the 2025 Fan Engagement Survey

SVG Sit-Down: What Makes Gen Z, X, and Y Fans Tick? Dave Gavant of WSC Sports Go...

11/12/2025

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: 5G, MXL, Spectrum Loss, and Outerspace on Tap for Tuesday Tech Talks'

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: 5G, MXL, Spectrum Loss, and Outerspace on Tap for Tues...

11/12/2025

2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: David Levy, Turner Titan and Master of All Sports-Media Trades

2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: David Levy, Turner Titan and Master of Al...

11/12/2025

SVG Launches Follow the Money' Podcast: Go Inside the Sports Media Biz with Sam McCleery and John Kosner

SVG Launches Follow the Money' Podcast: Go Inside the Sports Media Biz with...

11/12/2025

A Deep Dive Inside Game Creek Video's Bird and Magic Mobile Units, Home to Amazon's NBA on Prime Video'

A Deep Dive Inside Game Creek Video's Bird and Magic Mobile Units, Home to A...

11/12/2025

How Sound Effects for Monsters Funday Football' Emulated the Sonic Soul of Monsters, Inc.'

How Sound Effects for Monsters Funday Football' Emulated the Sonic Soul of ...

11/12/2025

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: CSP Mobile Productions' Len Chase on Upgrading Truck Fleet to 1080p, HDR, and ST 2110

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: CSP Mobile Productions' Len Chase on Upgrading Tr...

11/12/2025

Spotify and The Game Awards Debut Gaming-Inspired Spotify Singles From Labrinth, Evanescence x GUNSHIP, and Bilmuri

Having the right song soundtrack your moves can make all the difference when gam...

11/12/2025

Celebrate Taylor Swift's Record-Breaking Year and New Docuseries with Exclusive Playlist Cover Art Stickers

It's been a big year for Taylor Swift. Her highly anticipated album The Life...

11/12/2025

L3Harris Ramps Up Production of Next-Gen Missile Tracking Satellites at Expanded Florida Facility

New satellites for the SDA Tranche 1 Tracking program in production at L3Harris&...

11/12/2025

L3Harris Delivers First Meadowlands Production Unit to US Space Force

The Meadowlands system, a compact and mobile version of the CCS, uses ground-based radio frequency units to disrupt satellite communications....

11/12/2025

L3Harris Demonstrates Interoperable Network to Unify Department of War and U.S. Government Agencies

The L3Harris demonstration united tactical communications devices, counter-UAS c...

11/12/2025

2025: L3Harris Year in Review

Throughout 2025, L3Harris delivered innovative solutions to U.S. and allied warfighters across every domain. With an unrelenting commitment to excellence, our...

11/12/2025

Nielsen reveals exclusive new data and insights in annual Tops of Sports report

A Majority of the World's Population (51%) Identify As Soccer Fans The 2025 MLB postseason notched 58.2 billion viewing minutes, up +24% from the prior y...

11/12/2025

Zixi Names Roi Sasson Vice President, Engineering

WALTHAM, Mass. Video-over-IP software provider Zixi said Roi Sasson has joined the company as vice president, engineering....

11/12/2025

LG Ad Solutions Expands Local CTV Data Coverage

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. In a move that highlights the growing competition between broadcasters and CTV platforms for local advertising, LG Ad Solutions has announ...

11/12/2025

Boston Conservatory Earns Several Best of Accolades in 2025

Boston Conservatory Earns Several Best of Accolades in 2025 Highlights include a faculty Grammy win, a seventh consecutive year on Playbill's list of co...

11/12/2025

Lawo, SMPTE To Conduct ST 2110 Practical Lab

RASTATT, Germany Lawo and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) have partnered to launch the SMPTE ST 2110 Practical Lab, an immersive ...

11/12/2025

Comcast's Xfinity Revamps National Video Plans

PHILADELPHIA Comcasts Xfinity operating brand has announced the launch of new national video plans with all-in pricing that the operator said will provide custo...

11/12/2025

Analyst: Pay TV Video Subs Rise for First Time Since 2017

After eight years of declines, MoffettNathansons new Cord Cutting Monitor for Q3 2025 shows that pay TV subscribers to linear TV packages rose by 303,000, the f...

11/12/2025

Happy Holidays from Berklee

Happy Holidays from Berklee Enjoy this years holiday student-performance video. December 10, 2025 By Office of the President Dear Berklee community, As w...

11/12/2025

As AI Grows More Complex, Model Builders Rely on NVIDIA

Unveiling what it describes as the most capable model series yet for professional knowledge work, OpenAI launched GPT-5.2 today. The model was trained and deplo...

11/12/2025

VEON's Banglalink Receives Regulatory Approval to Launch Digital Payment Services to Advance Financial Inclusion in Bangladesh

11 Dec 2025 VEON's Banglalink Receives Regulatory Approval to Launch Digita...

11/12/2025

Sky Arts paints a picture of Britains beauty as Landscape Artist of the Year returns on 14 January

Thursday 11 December 2025 Sky Arts paints a picture of Britain's beauty as ...

11/12/2025

Meet the Most Relatable Hero This Holiday: Main Trailer and Poster Unveiled for Cashero'

Back to All News Meet the Most Relatable Hero This Holiday: Main Trailer and Po...

11/12/2025

'High Tides': Netflix Shares Release Date Final Season

Back to All News High Tides: Netflix Shares Release Date Final Season Credit: Netflix / Thomas Nolf Entertainment 11 December 2025 GlobalNetherlandsBelgium...

11/12/2025

Made in Texas: How Netflix House Dallas Is Leaving a Lasting Footprint

Back to All News Made in Texas: How Netflix House Dallas Is Leaving a Lasting Footprint From left to right: America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerl...

11/12/2025

The Second Part of 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' Will Arrive in August 2026

Back to All News The Second Part of One Hundred Years of Solitude Will Arrive i...

11/12/2025

Website launch for pianist Georgina

It's not every day we're asked to create a website for a classical musician! So, we were delighted to help pianist Georgina Duncan as she embarks on he...

11/12/2025

2026 HPA Tech Retreat Brings Together Visionaries to Navigate Media's Next Chapter

The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today announced additional programm...

11/12/2025

Shane Lowry, Oti Mabuse and Brendan Fraser among the guests on this week's Late Late Show Christmas Special!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Irish golfing hero Shane Lowry...

11/12/2025

The RT Sport Sportsperson of the Year Nominees 2025 Revealed

RT Sport Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier ti...

11/12/2025

Ride Into Adventure With Capcom's Monster Hunter Stories' Series in the Cloud

Hunters, saddle up - adventure awaits in the cloud. Journey into the world of M...

11/12/2025

Fair City star Stephanie Kelly revealed as fifth contestant for Dancing with the Stars 2026

Sash is ready to samba as Fair City star Stephanie Kelly is revealed as the late...

10/12/2025

Sound-Alike Commercials Are Part of Sports' Soundtrack

Sound-Alike Commercials Are Part of Sports' Soundtrack Johnny Cash for Coca-Cola is the latest in a long litany of sonic approximationsBy Dan Daley, Audio ...

10/12/2025

Immersive Sound Is Logical Next Step for Sports Venues

Immersive Sound Is Logical Next Step for Sports VenuesSound-systems suppliers are sanguine, but the market has its challengesBy Dan Daley, Audio Editor Wednes...

10/12/2025

The Romans Built Arenas for Immersive Sound 2,000 Years Ago

The Romans Built Arenas for Immersive Sound 2,000 Years AgoThe historic Arena of Nimes in France is still in use todayBy Dan Daley, Audio Editor Wednesday, De...