Biography & Autobiography : Entertainment & Performing Arts

By the tender of age of five, Bernie Mac had found his calling:. making others laugh. Now this amazing comedian delves deep inside to share the poignant story of his childhood and the people who shaped him into the strong, self-reliant man and ruthlessly funny comedian he is today. When Bernie was just sixteen, he lost his mother to cancer. A tough but loving teacher, she showered the unwilling boy with life lessons and "Mac-isms" that would later carry him through many hardships and give him strength during his slow rise to stardom. Maybe You Never Cry Again recounts this ascent in hilarious detail, from eight-year-old Bernie's stand-up comedy performance at a church dinner to open mike nights in Chicago, the jobs he juggled to make ends meet and eventually, his success in entertaining huge audiences on stage, in film, and on television. Maybe You Never Cry Again is a powerful testament. to how a mother's love makes everything possible. more...

Price: $11.95

Alton Augustus Adams, Sr, was a musician, writer, hotelier, and the first black bandmaster of the United States Navy. Born in the Virgin Islands in 1889, Adams joined the US military in 1917. This memoir reveals him as an inspired activist who believed music could change the world, mitigate racism, and bring prosperity to his island home. more...

Price: $15.95

Merv Griffin will always be remembered as one of America's most beloved show business figures. With his trademark charm and business savvy, Merv built a life that defined success. From his start as a band singer, to his twenty-three years on television as host of the Emmy Award-winning Merv Griffin Show, and through his entrepreneurial years, Merv lived the American Dream. Perhaps his most enduring legacy, though, is his creation of the two most successful syndicated game shows in television history, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Merv: Making the Good Life Last is the quintessential Horatio Alger story of a young man born into modest circumstances who, through hard work, unshakable self-confidence, and an unfailingly positive attitude, dreams his way to the top. more...

Price: $11.99

Quincy Troupe's candid account of his friendship with Miles Davis is a revealing portrait of a great musician and an intimate study of a unique relationship. It is also an engrossing chronicle of the author's own development, both artistic and personal. more...

Price: $12.95

Through sleepless ramblings and observations from Newfoundland singer / songwriter Damhnait Doyle, these journals cover her travels from Afghanistan to Japan and all over Canada on tour both solo and with her Shaye bandmates, Kim Stockwood and Tara MacLean. Sharing insights into the highs and lows of juggling a band and a solo career, and whether she's talking about Advil or karma, bikes or Canadian troops in Kabul, Damhnait Doyle's style is engaging and uniquely personal. The title of this book was found on the door of a dressing room at the 2005 Canadian Songwriter's Hall of Fame event. The room housed Buffy Sainte-Marie, Loreena McKennitt, and many other notable female musicians, and Damhnait Doyle's initial reaction was '''Miscellaneous females' they are not.'' But upon reflection, she realized that, as writers, she and these other women were speaking for all women who do not have a public voice. more...

Price: $16.95