James Brown, the godfather of soul

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Cathay Che

Madonna has called Deborah Harry "the coolest chick in the universe", Andy Warhol named her "my favorite pop star", and Shirley Manson of Garbage said that without her "we'd still be in a state of arrested development in terms of women's forays in the music world". Authorized biographer Cathay Che sums her up as "a '50s bad girl, a '60s freethinker, a '70s punk, an '80s pop star, and a '90s postmodern artist". From her first hit, "In the Flesh", with Blondie in 1976 to the chart-topper "Maria" for their 1999 reunion album, No Exit; from her movies with John Waters and David Cronenberg to hanging out at CGBG, Studio 54, and Warhol's Factory, Che follows Deborah Harry across the worlds of punk, rock, rap, art, film, and fashion.

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John Meyer

A companion of Judy Garland's last months recalls the vulnerable but wisecracking singer and her life in those last days in a poignant, candid, and loving account of a remarkably talented and ravaged woman.

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[by] Alfred Brendel

Alfred Brendel reflects on Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt, and Busoni, composers whose works figured prominently into his own repertoire as a pianist.

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Carol Ann Muller & Sathima Bea Benjamin

The life story of the outstanding jazz vocalist Sathima Bea Benjamin sheds light on South African jazz history, women in jazz, and American music as a transnational art form.