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Henry Carrigan

THE READING ROOM: Biography Charts Intensity and Influence of B.B. King

THE READING ROOM: Biography Charts Intensity and Influence of B.B. King

Even though the thrill of hearing the king of the blues live has been gone since B.B. King died in May 2015, author Daniel de Visé hopes to help us recall how King ascended to the throne of the blues world in his new biography, King of the Blues:

THE READING ROOM: Bobby Rush Memoir Recounts Building His ‘Folk Funk’ Sound

THE READING ROOM: Bobby Rush Memoir Recounts Building His ‘Folk Funk’ Sound

Reading Bobby Rush’s memoir I Ain’t Studdin’ Ya: My American Blues Story is a bit like watching him leave it all the stage at one of his shows. On stage, he works the crowd, rolling from one song into another with an effortlessness that comes from playing juke

Taylor Rae Showcases Wide Range on Debut ‘Mad Twenties’

Taylor Rae Showcases Wide Range on Debut ‘Mad Twenties’

Santa Cruz, California, native Taylor Rae’s debut album, Mad Twenties, unfolds cinematically, evolving dreamily as it traverses an emotional landscape littered with the shards of a broken relationship. Rae’s edgy vocals slide easily from tender to tough, from gentle whisper on folk ballads to soaring shouts on the

THE READING ROOM: Real Moments Outshine Rock Memories in Dave Grohl’s Memoir

THE READING ROOM: Real Moments Outshine Rock Memories in Dave Grohl’s Memoir

Very few rock memoirs feel like sitting in the room with an old friend who’s telling tales about growing up and discovering how deeply music is etched in his heart and dreams, but this is exactly how Dave Grohl’s new memoir The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music

THE READING ROOM: Determination and ‘A Little Faith’ Drive John Hiatt’s Life Story

THE READING ROOM: Determination and ‘A Little Faith’ Drive John Hiatt’s Life Story

John Hiatt has been working at the troubadour trade steadily for over 40 years — well, more if you count his boyhood bands — and he’s produced a catalog of gems that sparkle with wry insight, candor, and introspection. As it turns out, Hiatt set his sights very early on being

With ‘A Southern Gothic,’ Adia Victoria Tells Her Own Story of the South

With ‘A Southern Gothic,’ Adia Victoria Tells Her Own Story of the South

The phrase “Southern Gothic” brings to mind moss-draped drives to plantations, grotesque scenes peopled by mean-spirited men or by sideshow freaks, and haunted woods and houses with the skeletons of slavery filling the closets. In his novel Absalom, Absalom!, William Faulkner has one of his characters ask another to “Tell

THE READING ROOM: Fall Music Books to Look Forward To

THE READING ROOM: Fall Music Books to Look Forward To

As the doldrums of summer fade into the gentle zephyrs of autumn, it’s time to put aside the thrillers and mysteries of summer and pick up a few new music books that offer chances to dive deeply into the lives and music of artists. While fall is the busiest