The definitive and fascinating biography of the musical trailblazer who wrote the classic Blue Suede Shoes and was the influence behind countless other legendary hits, a rock and roll legend in his own right, and the original rockabilly cat--Carl Perkins.

He was the King of Rockabilly, and one of rock and roll's true pioneers. A groundbreaking guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Carl Perkins inspired countless musicians in country, rock, and pop music. His influence is enormous. As Paul McCartney said, If there were no Carl Perkins, there would be no Beatles. One Beatle was such a fan that he gave himself the stage name Carl Harrison. Now acclaimed music writer Jeff Apter recounts Carl Perkins's remarkable life story--the triumphs, tragedies, and career highlights that include some of the most pivotal moments in music history.

Born in Tennessee to poor sharecroppers, Carl grew up listening to gospel and country music, learned blues guitar from a fellow field hand, and started writing songs at age fourteen. He plied his trade in rough and rowdy honky-tonks, performing with his brothers before beginning his recording career at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis. It was there that Carl became a member of the fabled Million Dollar Quartet, alongside Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1955, he wrote and recorded Blue Suede Shoes, the first record by a Sun artist to sell over a million copies. But then a fateful car crash stalled his career, one of many tragedies in Carl's life.

Over the following decades, Presley, Cash, and countless other artists, from the Beatles, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan to Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, performed and recorded his songs and became Carl's friends, collaborators, and champions. Rich with insider detail and background into Carl's private battles, humanitarian work, and personal inspirations, this is a fascinating, in-depth look at Mr. Blue Suede Shoes and his one-of-a-kind legacy.

It was Bono who said that Jeff Buckley was a pure drop in an ocean of noise. During his 30 years, Jeff Scott Buckley lived many lives: suburban loner, music school misfit, and rock and roll gypsy. His real life was only revealed after his tragic death 10 years ago, when he was found in the Mississippi river just hours before he was due to start rehearsals for the follow-up album to Grace., In this startling new bio, Jeff Buckley's friends, peers, enemies, lovers, collaborators, and others all speak of the Jeff Buckley they knew - or, in some cases, thought they knew. The contents of his many personal letters are revealed for the first time. His struggle with writer's block is explored, as are his battles with the concept of stardom, his desire for escape, and his attempts to deal with the unavoidable legacy of his equally gifted father, Tim Buckley. Even 10 years after his death, Buckley is still influential - Radiohead and Coldplay readily confess to the debt they owe him.

Never Enough is the definitive biography of classic post-punk survivors The Cure. Author Jeff Apter traces their roots from middle-class Crawley, Sussex, documenting in detail their gradual rise to fame. On the way he reveals how their first major album, Pornography, almost ended the band's career before it began.

Apter also documents the full story of Goth-pop poster boy Robert Smith's defection to Siouxsie & The Banshees during the Eighties, his wild experimentation with drugs and the eventual reluctant return to The Cure. Finally there is the ultimate account of The Cure's unlikely attainment of superstardom not only on both sides of the Atlantic, but all over the world.

Compiled from dozens of interviews, including exclusive (and frank) discussions with co-founders Lol Tolhurst and Michael Dempsey and various current and former members of the Cure, Never Enough casts new light on the career of this enigmatic band and their mercurial leader Robert Smith.

Including many photographs and a comprehensive discography.

The first biography of guitar legend Angus Young, who has kept AC/DC at the top of the rock pile.

Angus Young, the co-founder and the last surviving original member of AC/DC, has for more than 40 years been the face, sound and sometimes the exposed backside of the trailblazing rock band. In his trademark schoolboy outfit, guitar in hand, Angus has given his signature sound to songs such as 'A Long Way to the Top', 'Highway to Hell' and 'Back in Black', helping AC/DC become the biggest rock band on the planet.

High Voltage is the first biography to focus exclusively on Angus. It tells of his remarkable rise from working-class Glasgow and Sydney to the biggest stages in the world. The youngest of eight kids, Angus always seemed destined for a life in music, and it was his passion and determination that saw AC/DC become hard rock's greatest act.

Over the years, Angus has endured the devastating death of iconic vocalist Bon Scott, the forced retirement of his brother in arms, Malcolm Young, and more recently the loss from the band of singer Brian Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd. Yet somehow the little guitar maestro has kept AC/DC not just on the rails, but at the top of the rock pile.

Across five decades and counting, New Zealand-born singer/songwriter and Crowded House founder Neil Finn has become one of the best-loved figures in popular music, crafting enough hits along the way--'Weather With You', 'Locked Out', 'I Got You', 'Fall At Your Feet', 'It's Only Natural', and of course 'Don't Dream It's Over'--to forge his very own one-man Great Antipodean Songbook.

One fateful day in April 1977, teenage Neil received a transcontinental phone call that would change his life. It was his older brother, Tim, calling from London, England, with a simple question: 'Do you want to join the band?' That band, the art-rock combo Split Enz, would provide the launchpad for a career that has taken in widespread international success with Crowded House, as a solo artist, back with Tim in The Finn Brothers, and as a touring member of Fleetwood Mac.

There have been bumps along the road, including repeated clashes with Tim and the tragic death of original Crowded House drummer Paul Hester, but taken as a whole, Finn's story is one of the most inspiring musical sagas of modern times. Australian author and journalist Jeff Apter has observed Neil's career from close quarters since the late 70s, from frantic early Enz gigs to private listening parties to huge reunion shows and numerous points in between, giving him the perfect perspective to write this intimate, even-handed biography.

In the first and only definitive biography of country music star Keith Urban, insider Jeff Apter chronicles how a skinny, shy high school dropout with an outrageous mullet went from humble origins in Australia to conquering Nashville and global stardom--plus his struggles with addiction, marriage to Nicole Kidman, turns on American Idol, and more.

Four Grammys. Twenty US Number Ones. A Hollywood marriage. Who wouldn't want to be Keith Urban?

Keith Urban came from humble origins. His father worked at the local landfill and Keith was a high school dropout. But Keith had a plan: conquer Nashville. It's my destiny, he said. And Keith was hell-bent on scaling that musical Everest. Whatever it took.

It didn't come easy. Keith served his apprenticeship in the beer barns of Australia, and his early trips to America were disastrous. But he never gave up, settling in Nashville in the 1990s and forming The Ranch. When the band fell apart, so did Keith, ending up in rehab (not for the last time). But Keith did eventually reach the top, through a combination of talent, charisma, sex appeal, dogged perseverance--and skin thick enough for a rhino. And along the way he married Nicole Kidman.

As Keith has said, All those detours, the really dark ones, got me to where I am now. I would not want to change one leaf on any tree in the whole journey.

Keith Urban is the definitive biography of an international superstar.

Angus Young, the founder and the last original member of AC/DC still in the band, has for more than forty years been the face, sound, and sometimes the exposed backside of the trailblazing rock band. In his trademark schoolboy outfit, guitar in hand, Angus has applied his signature style to songs such as A Long Way to the Top, Highway to Hell, and Back in Black, helping AC/DC become the biggest rock group on the planet.
High Voltage tells of his remarkable rise from working-class Glasgow and Sydney to the biggest stages in the world. The youngest of eight kids, Angus always seemed destined for a life in music, and it was his passion and determination that saw AC/DC become hard rock's greatest act. Over the years, Angus has endured the devastating deaths of iconic vocalist Bon Scott and his brother in arms Malcolm Young as well as the band's loss of singer Brian Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd. Yet the little guitar maestro's unique flair for performance and unstoppable drive to succeed has kept AC/DC not just on the rails, but at the top of the rock pile.

• Features exclusive photographs by Philip Morris

Teenage punk, self-taught musician, bandleader, session man, smoker, drinker, multi-millionaire, David Grohl has achieved a rare feat, a rock 'n' roll double crown having been a member of two hugely successful and influential bands - Nirvana and The Foo Fighters.

Loaded with candid interviews and hard truths about Grohl's life in music, this is the first comprehensive biography of an icon whose career charts rock and roll's rise and fall over the past two decades.

Detailing his drumming and touring with Queens of the Stone Age and Nine Inch Nails and his battle over Nirvana's legacy with Courtney Love, this is a no-holds-barred account of a career and life at the very top. Grohl's powerhouse drumming, anthemic riffing and melodic brilliance have proved both thrilling and enduring, and he remains one of rock's most respected figures.

John Farnham is the quintessential Aussie legend. As a teenager he gave up an apprenticeship to chase his musical dreams, hitting the big time with 'Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)'. A family man at heart, and the most loyal of friends, John was sometimes uncomfortable with the spotlight and for many years struggled to take his career to the heights that those close to him, including Molly Meldrum and Glenn Wheatley, felt it could reach.

He finally hit his stride with 1986's Whispering Jack and the breakaway success of 'You're the Voice', which became the anthem of a generation. John lived it up - holidaying with the Skases and dining at the Lodge with Bob Hawke - but always came back down to earth. And the King of Pop would also become king of the comeback, showing longevity rare in the music industry.

Thanks to the support of those close to John, author and music industry insider Jeff Apter provides a rare glimpse inside Farnsie's world. Insightful, entertaining and deeply personal, Playing to Win is the definitive John Farnham story.

Jeff Apter is the author of more than 20 books, many dealing with the world of music. He has written biographies of Keith Urban, the Finn brothers, Johnny O'Keefe, Jeff Buckley and the Bee Gees. As ghostwriter, he has worked with Kasey Chambers, AC/DC's Mark Evans and Richard Clapton. He was also the creative consultant for the Helpmann Award-nominated live production A State of Grace: The Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley and spent four years on staff at Rolling Stone Australia.

To fans and critics alike, the years 1973 to 1980 - the Bon Scott era - are the most significant of AC/DC's five-decade career. In a prolific and frequently brilliant run, they recorded six studio albums, established a diehard fanbase that stretched from Australia to the UK, Europe to North America, toured relentlessly, and created no small amount of controversy and chaos.

At one low point in Australia, the band's records were banned, their shows were cancelled, and they were hounded by police - all because Angus Young dared bare his spotty backside at a press conference. In the midst of the mayhem, however, they were building a body of work that remains unmatched in hard rock. Many of AC/DC's classic songs were cut during this time - Dirty Deeds, Rock and Roll Damnation, High Voltage, If You Want Blood (You Got It), Whole Lotta Rosie, Long Way to the Top, Let there be Rock, and more - and it says plenty that these fan favourites are still staples of the band's current live sets today.

Illustrated throughout with rare photographs from the era, this book documents all the key events of this frenetic time, beginning with the band's very first shows in the bloodhouses of suburban Sydney - even before the name AC/DC had been dreamed up by Margaret Young, Malcolm and Angus's big sister - and culminating with 1979's Highway to Hell, the album that paved the way for the mammoth success of Back in Black and all that was to follow, and the untimely death of Bon Scott, both an end and a new beginning for the band.

No Doubt, the eclectic Orange County band, was formed in 1986 by Eric Stefani and John Spence who soon recruited Eric's younger sister Gwen as co-vocalist. With the addition of Tony Kanal on bass, No Doubt launched a 25-year career that would fuse ska, grunge, alt.rock and shades of several other musical genres into a unique mix. The 1987 suicide of John Spence resulted in the battlefield promotion of Gwen Stefani to lead vocalist, a shift that would prove a launch pad for her future solo career and media celebrity status. Through it all No Doubt went from strength to strength and in 1995, following the departure of Eric Stefani, finally found mainstream success when their third album, Tragic Kingdom, enjoyed over 15 million sales worldwide. Since then this ska-loving band from Southern California has flourished. Despite a frequently shifting line-up and the potential distraction of Gwen Stefani's parallel solo career, No Doubt have stayed true to their original mission to be musical and visual innovators. This is their fascinating story.

George Young wasn't so much on the charts for the best part of three decades: he and his musical partner Harry Vanda were the charts.

George's journey began with the trailblazing Easybeats and continued, alongside Harry, as producer/songwriter for hire with John Paul Young, The Angels, Rose Tattoo, Cheetah, Ted Mulry, Stevie Wright and, most crucially, AC/DC. George and Harry also struck gold with Flash and the Pan, almost by accident.

George Young helped create such classics as 'Friday on My Mind', 'Sorry', 'Love is in the Air', 'Evie', 'Yesterday's Hero', 'Down Among the Dead Men', 'Hey, St. Peter', 'Bad Boy for Love', 'Jailbreak' and 'It's a Long Way to the Top'. In 2001, APRA voted 'Friday on My Mind' the best and most significant Australian song of the past 75 years.

In this long-overdue book, the first to focus exclusively on the life and work of George Young, writer Jeff Apter explores George's long and fruitful association with Harry; his rare ability to maintain a stable married life with his wife Sandra; and his handshake deal with Ted Albert that helped create a music empire. The book also reveals such little-known events as the accident that almost killed off 'Hey, St. Peter' before its release, and the tragedy that bonded George and Harry for life.

The life, death and rock'n'roll rollercoaster career of AC/DC frontman Bon Scott.

Bon Scott was once asked if he was AC or DC. 'Neither, ' he grinned, 'I'm the lightning flash in the middle.' And that's how he lived his life.

No one had the same skill with lyrics as Bon, who called his words 'toilet poetry', his 'dirty ditties'. He could also vividly depict life on the road, best heard in the AC/DC classics 'Long Way to the Top' and 'Highway to Hell'.

When Bon appeared on Countdown in March 1975, the impression he left was indelible. The ugliest schoolgirl to ever grace the small screen, Bon was a mess of tattoos and pigtails, wearing an awkwardly short skirt, all the while puffing on a ciggie. His bandmates, not just the audience, were in hysterics. The video quickly became part of Oz rock folklore.

Bon was always the joker in the AC/DC pack. He'd happily pose for a photograph with a joint dangling from his lips or be interviewed in cut-off shorts with a banana provocatively stuffed into his waistband. Anything to elicit a laugh. The off-stage stories surrounding Bon are legendary. After spending a lively couple of days with Bon, Ol' 55 singer Jim Manzie said, 'My rock-and-roll education was pretty much complete.'

Bad Boy Boogie is the first biography to focus on Bon's remarkable gifts as a lyricist, frontman and rascal. In short, the real Bon Scott.

Teen idol. King of Pop. Voice of the common man. Australian of the Year. Friend. Icon. Superstar.

John Farnham is the quintessential Aussie legend. As a teenager he gave up an apprenticeship to chase his musical dreams, hitting the big time with 'Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)'. A family man at heart, and the most loyal of friends, John was sometimes uncomfortable with the spotlight and for many years struggled to take his career to the heights that those close to him, including Molly Meldrum and Glenn Wheatley, felt it could reach.

He finally hit his stride with 1986's Whispering Jack and the breakaway success of 'You're the Voice', which became the anthem of a generation. John lived it up - holidaying with the Skases and dining at the Lodge with Bob Hawke - but always came back down to earth. And the King of Pop would also become king of the comeback, showing longevity rare in the music industry.

Thanks to the support of those close to John, author and music industry insider Jeff Apter provides a rare glimpse inside Farnsie's world. Insightful, entertaining and deeply personal, Playing to Win is the definitive John Farnham story.

How did Keith Urban go from Australian smalltown singer to Nashville superstar? The Grammy Award winner's astonishing trajectory is meticulously told in this biography of the modern country legend every fan should have on their bookshelf.

Keith Urban came from humble origins. His father worked at the local landfill and Keith was a high school dropout. But Keith had a plan: conquer Nashville. It's my destiny, he said. And Keith was hell-bent on scaling that musical Everest. Whatever it took.

It didn't come easy. Keith served his apprenticeship in the beer barns of Australia, and his early trips to America were disastrous. But he never gave up, settling in Nashville in the 1990s and forming The Ranch. When the band fell apart, so did Keith, ending up in rehab (not for the last time). But Keith did eventually reach the top, through a combination of talent, charisma, sex appeal, dogged perseverance--and skin thick enough for a rhino. And along the way he married Nicole Kidman.

As Keith has said, All those detours, the really dark ones, got me to where I am now. I would not want to change one leaf on any tree in the whole journey.

Keith Urban is the definitive biography of an international superstar.

He had it all: the heroin chic thing before it was chic, the scars, the swagger, an incredible stage presence. After bursting on to the Australian music scene in 1975, Dragon fast developed a reputation for both hard rocking and hard living. As the highly visible and charismatic lead singer, Marc Hunter was the voice behind such timeless hits as 'April Sun in Cuba', 'Are You Old Enough?' and 'Rain'. Yet Hunter was also a maverick whose destructive genius and serious heroin addiction led to a turbulent relationship with his bandmates, including older brother Todd. And it contributed to his early death at just 44. Originally published in 2011, this intimate portrait was written with full co-operation from Marc's mother Voi and his brother and former bandmate Todd, as well as contributions from many high-profile Australian music personalities such as James Reyne, John Paul Young, Kate Fitzpatrick, Richard Clapton, Don Walker, Kevin Borich, Tommy Emmanuel and Robert Forster.