20 Music Memoirs & Biographies to Gift This Holiday Season—Or Just Keep For Yourself

As a ravenous reader of books, I can never get enough of them, both for myself to read and to give other people. One of the big delights of my life is taking note of books that I think will be perfect gifts for my friends and family. Especially nonfiction books by people they admire. I love surprising my brother-in-law with a new book about a band he loves, or giving my husband the latest rock memoirs by his favorite musicians. And it seems like there are more incredible music memoirs every year! Is there a celebrity left who hasn’t written a memoir?? (Spoiler: Tom Waits. But there’s always next year.)

One of the great things about rock n’ roll memoirs is that they not only discuss the music you love, but they also conjure up memories of the times and places you heard that music. Like a familiar scent, music can transport you back to some very important times in your life. which is what makes it such a wonderful universal experience. And the lives of the people who create those experiences are often so fascinating. Here are 20 fantastic music memoirs and biographies to share with the people you care about—or to buy for yourself.

Liberty Hardy is a Book Riot senior contributing editor, co-host of All the Books, and above all else, a ravenous reader. She resides in Maine with her cats, Millay, Farrokh, and Zevon, who hate to read.