The 100 Most Influential Musicians Of All Time

Welcome to a veritable feast for readers’ eyes, minds, and, by extension, ears. Filled with profiles of truly accomplished musicians across a broad spectrum of musical styles and genres, this volume includes such varied musical artists as Ludwig von Beethoven, Elvis Presley, and hip-hop artist Jay-Z.

Presents the lives of the world's most influential musicians, beginning with the composers of the early medieval period up to the most popular performers of the twenty-first century.

The initial volume in the Billboard Hitmakers Series focuses on the 100 most influential rock artists of all time, including the early singers, players, and bands that shaped the evolution of rock styles. Arranged alphabetically, these profiles offer an instructive overview of the artists who charted the course of modern pop culture.

VH1's 100 Greatest Albums television series sparked much debate about the accuracy of its list, but it was a great guide for any serious or casual music fan as to which albums should be staples in any record collection. As a book, the 100 Greatest Albums will be the perfect reference for building a substantive and thorough collection, as well as just being an entertaining read about some of the most important works ever created in music history. The book follows the order of the list, starting at 100 and working towards number one. Each album is discussed thoroughly across a two-page spread and each spread will include; an image of the album cover, the year of release, the record label, production and engineering credits, band members and instruments played, appropriate quote or quotes about the album from other artists, an essay that gives context to the album by examining its historical significance and detailing what makes the album unique by diving into the songs.

This one-of-a-kind reference investigates the music and the musicians that set the popular trends of the last half century in America. Many rock fans have, at one time or another, ranked their favorite artists in order of talent, charisma, and musical influence on the world as they see it. In this same spirit, author and music historian David V. Moskowitz expands on the concept of "top ten" lists to provide a lineup of the best 100 musical groups from the past 60 years. Since the chosen bands are based on the author's personal taste, this two-volume set provokes discussion of which performers are included and why, offering insights into the surprising influences behind them. From the Everly Brothers, to the Ramones, to Public Enemy, the work covers a wide variety of styles and genres, clearly illustrating the connections between them. Entries focus on the group's history, touring, membership, major releases, selected discography, bibliography, and influence. Contributions from leading scholars in popular music shed light on derivative artists and underscore the overall impact of the performers on the music industry.

The 100 Most Influential Women of All Time ranks the outstanding contributions of the most influential women of all time -- from social reformers, women's rights activists, scientists, educators, and politicians to rulers, religious leaders, artists, performers, and sports figures -- women who have inspired, inflamed, changed attitudes, and changed the world.The struggles and triumphs of these extraordinary women are revealed in an insightfully written, detailed compendium that reflects the full history of women. Here are just a few of the women profiled: Eleanor Roosevelt (1), Marie Curie (2), Harriet Tubman (9), the Virgin Mary (10), Jane Austen (13), Rosa Parks (17), Mother Teresa (33), Catherine the Great (46), Anne Frank (66), and Lucille Ball (100). The lives, the achievements, and the battles that the 100 have waged on behalf of women, society, and selfhood make compelling reading.The 100 Most Influential Women is provocative and sure to generate controversy, debate, and discussion as readers eagerly scrutinize the list and each woman's ranking.

Neil Young took on the music industry so that fans could hear his music—all music—the way it was meant to be heard. Today, most of the music we hear is com-pressed to a fraction of its original sound,while analog masterpieces are turning to dustin record company vaults. As these record-ings disappear, music fans aren't just losing acollection of notes. We're losing spaciousness,breadth of the sound field, and the ability tohear and feel a ping of a triangle or a pluckof a guitar string, each with its own reso-nance and harmonics that slowly trail off intosilence. The result is music that is robbed of its original quality—muddy and flat in sound compared to the rich, warm sound artists hear in the studio. It doesn't have to be this way, but the record and technology companies have incorrectly assumed that most listeners are satisfied with these low-quality tracks. Neil Young is challenging the assault on audio quality—and working to free music lovers from the flat and lifeless status quo. To Feel the Music is the true story of his questto bring high-quality audio back to musiclovers—the most important undertaking ofhis career. It's an unprecedented look insidethe successes and setbacks of creating thePono player, the fights and negotiationswith record companies to preserve master-pieces for the future, and Neil's unrelentingdetermination to make musical art availableto everyone. It's a story that shows how muchmore there is to music than meets the ear. Neil's efforts to bring quality audio to his fans garnered media attention when his Kickstarter campaign for his Pono player—a revolutionary music player that would combine the highest quality possible with the portability, simplicity and affordability modern listeners crave—became the third-most successful Kickstarter campaign in the website's history. It had raised more than $6M in pledges in 40 days. Encouraged by the enthusiastic response, Neil still had a long road ahead, and his Pono music player would not have the commercial success he'd imagined. But he remained committed to his mission, and faced with the rise of streaming services that used even lower quality audio, he was determined to rise to the challenge. An eye-opening read for all fans of Neil Young and all fans of great music, as well as readers interesting in going behind the scenes of product creation, To Feel the Music has an inspiring story at its heart: One determined artist with a groundbreaking vision and the absolute refusal to give up, despite setbacks, naysayers, and skeptics.