Hungry for Heaven: Rock 'N' Roll & the Search for Redemption

by Steve Turner

Drawing on extensive research and on his interviews with artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Van Morrison, and Bono, Steve Turner argues that the best rock n' roll is best understood as a search for redemption.

Genres: Music, Religion, Theology

240 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1995

About the author

Steve Turner is an English music journalist, biographer and poet, who grew up in Northamptonshire, England. His first published article was in the Beatles Monthly in 1969. His career as a journalist began as features editor of Beat Instrumental where he interviewed many of the prominent rock musicians of the 1970s. He subsequently freelanced for music papers including NME, Melody Maker and Rolling Stone.

During the 1980s he wrote extensively for British newspapers and magazines on a range of subjects as well as producing his study of the relationship between rock music and religion, Hungry For Heaven, and co-authoring U2: Rattle & Hum, the book of the film. In the 1990s he began devoting himself to full-length books, the first being a best selling biography of British music star Cliff Richard, Cliff Richard: The Biography, in 1993, which stayed in the Sunday Times bestseller list for six weeks. At the same time he has written a number of poetry books for both adults and children. The first of his books for children, The Day I Fell Down The Toilet, has now sold over 120,000 copies, and total sales for his children's poetry collection now exceeds 200,000.

His published poetry books for adults are Tonight We Will Fake Love, Nice and Nasty, Up To Date, The King of Twist and Poems. His published poetry collections for children are The Day I Fell Down The Toilet, Dad, You're Not Funny, The Moon Has Got His Pants On, I Was Only Asking and Don't Take Your Elephant To School.

He now combines his book writing and journalism with poetry readings, lecture tours of America and Europe and consultancies. He lives in London.
Hungry for Heaven: Rock and Roll and the Search for Redemption(1988)
Van Morrison: Too Late to Stop Now (1993) Van Morrison
Cliff Richard: The Biography (1993) Cliff Richard
A Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song (1994; updated in 1999 and 2005)
Jack Kerouac: Angelheaded Hipster (1996)
Trouble Man: The Life and Death of Marvin Gaye (1998)
Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts (2001)
The Man Called Cash: The Life, Love and Faith of an American Legend (2004) Johnny Cash
Amazing Grace: John Newton, Slavery and the World's Most Enduring Song (2005)
The Gospel According to the Beatles (2006)
An Illustrated History of Gospel(2010)
The Band That Played On (2011)

Reviews

[David Holl · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the relatively short history of Rock 'n' Roll and pop music, redemption is really an underlying current. Steve Turner with his extensive background, history, and connections does a great job revealing the lives and beliefs of those behind the music we've known. I would highly recommend this book.

[Bob Wolniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

By now, the book is somewhat out of date, but a great snapshot of spiritual roots behind many popular music forms from around 1950 to 1990. The author summarizes that many rock musicians regardless of era tend to be lured by mind altering drugs, pantheism and a desire for a greater social consciousness. The interviews, spotlights on various artists and genres, and the author's own long history with the medium makes this a quick but fascinating read. As a companion piece, if you grew up with the Beatles music, see his Hard Day's Write as well.

[Garrett Cash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Turner does an incredible job of tracing the history off religious thought in popular rock music from around the late 40's to the early 90's. So while it is unfortunately 20 years outdated, it does have a lot of great information and astute insight that you don't want to miss out on as spiritually inquisitive fan of rock n roll music. The trends of religious thought in the music become much clearer after reading, whether it's the numerous forms of consciousness expanding drugs to pantheism or to varying degrees of Christianity, all the bases get covered.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned a few things.