Mark Ribowsky

"The first major biography of Little Richard, a rollicking, nuanced celebration of the late singer/songwriter's life and his enormous influence on American music - gospel, soul, rock, and more"--Page [4] of cover. Little Richard blazed the trail for generations of musicians up to his death on May 9, 2020. The '50s defined his reign, and he extended elder statesmanship ever since. Ribowsky explores Little Richard's musicianship; his family life; his...

After he died in the backseat of a Cadillac at the age of twenty-nine, Hank Williams, a frail, flawed man who had become country music's most compelling and popular star, instantly morphed into its first tragic martyr. Having hit the heights in the postwar era with simple songs of heartache and star-crossed love, he would, with that outlaw swagger, become in death a template for the rock generation to follow. Presenting the first fully realized biography...

This intimate story of Lynyrd Skynyrd tells of how a band of lost souls and self-destructive misfits with uncertain artistic objectives clawed their way to the top of the rock 'n' roll world. Based on interviews with surviving band members, Whiskey Bottles and Brand-New Cars shares how lead singer and front man Ronnie Van Zant guided the band's hugely successful five-year run and, in the process, created not only a new country rock idiom, but a new...

"Spanning seven decades, the notorious loss of Super Bowl III, and an historic undefeated season with the Dolphins, Shula is the definitive biography of a coaching legend. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997, Don Shula remains the winningest coach of all time with 347 career victories and the only undefeated season in NFL history. But before he became the architect of the Dolphins dynasty, Shula was a hardworking kid selling fish on the banks of...

Everyone knows Yogi Berra, the American icon. He was the backbone of the New York Yankees through ten World Series Championships, managed the National League Champion New York Mets in 1973, and had an ingenious way with words that remains an indelible part of a lexicon. But no one knew him as his family did. It chronicles of his unshakeable bond with his father, as well as an intimate portrait of one of the great sports figures of the Twentieth Century....