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The Times Lives Behind the Music: Must-read music biographies of rock and pop’s greatest stars from Amy Winehouse to Elvis
Step into the tumultuous world of music stardom with this collection of obituaries from The Times. From the rock’n’roll pioneers of the 1950s, to the pop superstars of the 21st century, and lesser-known innovators with undeniable influence, this book brings to life the enduring spirits of music’s brightest stars.
Discover the untold stories behind the music, the triumphs, the tragedies and the unforgettable songs that have shaped our cultural landscape. With era-defining obituaries and behind-the-scenes photos from The Times archive, this collection is a captivating journey through the lives and legends of rock and pop’s most iconic figures.
Discover the untold stories behind the music, the triumphs, the tragedies and the unforgettable songs that have shaped our cultural landscape. With era-defining obituaries and behind-the-scenes photos from The Times archive, this collection is a captivating journey through the lives and legends of rock and pop’s most iconic figures.
- GenresMusic
412 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 26, 2024
12 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Nigel Farndale
16 books19 followersNigel Farndale was born in Ripon, North Yorkshire, in 1964. He is the author of six books, including The Blasphemer (shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award) and Haw-Haw: The Tragedy of William and Margaret Joyce (a biography shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize). His latest novel is The Road Between Us.
As a journalist he has interviewed a host of celebrities and public figures from Mick Jagger, Woody Allen, the Dalai Lama and Henry Kissinger to Elton John, Prince Charles, Hillary Clinton, Paul McCartney, George Best, and Stephen Hawking.
He writes for various newspapers and magazines, including The Observer, FT, Spectator and Country Life, and has won a British Press Award for his interviews in the Sunday Telegraph.
His appearances on Radio 4 have included Loose Ends, Broadcasting House and Between Ourselves, a programme in which he and Lynn Barber compared notes on the art of the celebrity interview.
Before becoming a writer, Farndale read philosophy for a Master’s degree at Durham University.
He is the son of a sheep and dairy farmer from Wensleydale, and worked as a farmer there himself for a few years. He now lives on the Hampshire-Sussex border with his wife Mary and their three children.
As a journalist he has interviewed a host of celebrities and public figures from Mick Jagger, Woody Allen, the Dalai Lama and Henry Kissinger to Elton John, Prince Charles, Hillary Clinton, Paul McCartney, George Best, and Stephen Hawking.
He writes for various newspapers and magazines, including The Observer, FT, Spectator and Country Life, and has won a British Press Award for his interviews in the Sunday Telegraph.
His appearances on Radio 4 have included Loose Ends, Broadcasting House and Between Ourselves, a programme in which he and Lynn Barber compared notes on the art of the celebrity interview.
Before becoming a writer, Farndale read philosophy for a Master’s degree at Durham University.
He is the son of a sheep and dairy farmer from Wensleydale, and worked as a farmer there himself for a few years. He now lives on the Hampshire-Sussex border with his wife Mary and their three children.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 5, 2025
Great collection of obituaries from the Times. Quality writing with unexpected insights into musicians you thought you knew. Well worth reading if you're a music fan.
April 11, 2025
Obituaries from The Times of major (and some not so major) musicians
Fascinating if you like that kind of thing - if you don’t, this really isn’t the book for you
The change in style from a slightly remote elder’s view of “recently deceased player of young people’s music” to a much warmer and more detailed summary of a musician’s achievement is a welcome finding
Fascinating if you like that kind of thing - if you don’t, this really isn’t the book for you
The change in style from a slightly remote elder’s view of “recently deceased player of young people’s music” to a much warmer and more detailed summary of a musician’s achievement is a welcome finding
September 26, 2024
Entertaining and informative, I enjoyed this, if enjoyed is an acceptable term to use about the demise of other people….. There was a good mix of the uber famous household names, whose lives I already knew a little about, to the lesser knowns I was fascinated to know more about, to the ones which I confess I hadn’t ever heard of. All interesting in their own right.
I do confess, I read this in bits sized chunks rather than all in one go, mostly because I was hard to forget that each story was leading up to the connecting factor that they were all dead. I did find myself mentally cheering the ones who made it to old age and lamenting those that left far too soon, in particular the members of the 27 club. I never knew quite the reach of membership of the aforementioned, so sad.
My only (slight) criticism was that sometimes the life story switched direction a few times within the individual tales, starting mid flow but then reverting back to their birth and childhood before jumping back to the death. My ordered mind felt a bit muddled with this, but it’s probably just me being daft. Overall a brilliant read.
I do confess, I read this in bits sized chunks rather than all in one go, mostly because I was hard to forget that each story was leading up to the connecting factor that they were all dead. I did find myself mentally cheering the ones who made it to old age and lamenting those that left far too soon, in particular the members of the 27 club. I never knew quite the reach of membership of the aforementioned, so sad.
My only (slight) criticism was that sometimes the life story switched direction a few times within the individual tales, starting mid flow but then reverting back to their birth and childhood before jumping back to the death. My ordered mind felt a bit muddled with this, but it’s probably just me being daft. Overall a brilliant read.
August 21, 2024
I have al been fascinated and captivated by the quality of the obituaries in The Times and this book is a godsend and gift for all music aficionados of the last 60 years.
They’re all here, those who lived long fulfilling lives or more often departed far too soon often from the influence of drink and drugs.
The writing is lush, sympathetic and expansive, the research boggling in its detail and comprehensiveness.
The ultimate dipper-in to for all music fans.
They’re all here, those who lived long fulfilling lives or more often departed far too soon often from the influence of drink and drugs.
The writing is lush, sympathetic and expansive, the research boggling in its detail and comprehensiveness.
The ultimate dipper-in to for all music fans.
September 14, 2024
There's some musicians missing (one is Tom Verlain) but there's so many name and info that it could be considered an enciclopedia of rock music
Well done, highly recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Well done, highly recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
October 1, 2025
Non-fiction is not usually my bag but I found this so interesting. The way that the media perceives different musicians too is insane, it really made me think about how differently their lives are lead.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews