Kiki's Music Books to Check Out!

If you’re a music fan and enjoy reading, this is an ongoing “Christmas List” of books that will be published and released throughout 2021. I am adding to them constantly so come back and check out the list ever so often.

The first-ever biography of the late John Bonham. Beast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin, will be published on September 7th. The 384-page book was written by music journalist C.M. Kushins with the foreword by Dave Grohl.

Korn’s 1998 album Follow the Leader is the subject of a new book from author Laura Shenton titled Korn: Follow the Leader. It’ll be published on July 9th.

A new Led Zeppelin biography is on the way. Led Zeppelin: The Biography was written by Bob Spitz, who wrote The Beatles: The Biography, as well as books on Bob Dylan, Ronald Reagan, chef Julia Child, and the Woodstock festival. The description of the 688-page book on the Penguin Random House website reads in part as follows: “In Led Zeppelin, Bob Spitz takes their full measure, for good and sometimes for ill, separating the myth from the reality with the connoisseurship and storytelling flair that are his trademarks… Led Zeppelin gave no quarter, and neither has Bob Spitz. Led Zeppelin is the full and honest reckoning the band has long awaited, and richly deserves.” It will be published on November 9th.

An official, limited-edition book and multimedia set of Jim Morrison‘s collected writings will soon be published.

Created in collaboration with his family and estate, A Guide to the Labyrnth: The Collected Works of Jim Morrison draws from 28 of his personal notebooks and exclusive audio recordings.

It coincides with the 50th anniversary of L.A. Woman, his final album with The Doors, as well as his death at the age of 27 in July 1971.

Morrison was once quoted saying, “Real poetry doesn’t say anything, it just ticks off the possibilities. Opens all doors. You can walk through any one that suits you… And that’s why poetry appeals to me so much — because it’s so eternal.” To pre-order the book, go to Genesis-Publications.com. This is the second Morrison book announced for publication this year.

A collection of his poetry, lyrics and other writings have been gathered in The Collected Works of Jim Morrison: Poetry, Journals, Transcripts and Lyrics, also compiled with the cooperation of his estate, is close to 600 pages long. His sister Anne wrote the prologue.

Almost half the book contains previously unpublished material, including unrecorded lyrics, handwritten excerpts from 28 recently discovered notebooks, a movie treatment and 160 photos and drawings.

In the notebook he wrote his thoughts on his trial in Miami in 1970, for which he was found guilty of indecent exposure and open profanity, plus his final writings before his death in Paris in 1971.

Apparently Morrison was planning to put together a book as he handwrote a list titled “Plan for Book,” in which he laid out his thoughts for his poetry, lyrics, and other work.

HarperCollins will publish this book on June 8th

Add a Nazareth biography to previously announced albums by both the current group and its former lead singer Dan McCafferty as events marking the Scottish band’s 50th anniversary year. Loud ‘N’ Proud: Fifty Years of Nazareth by Martin Popoff will be released as a large-format hardback book on August 6th.

Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French has written a book, Twisted Business: Lessons From My Life In Rock ‘N’ Roll, which will be published on September 21st.

Here’s a list of some the best rock books published in 2020: