Synopses & Reviews
What do Franz Liszt, Louis Armstrong, Woody Guthrie, and Elvis Presley have in common? Whats the story on the birth of the banjo, the electric guitar, and the Stradivarius violin? Why did disco happen? Who are the punk princesses? These are just a few of the questions answered in this lively book. Filled with facts, trivia, and stories about the worlds musicians, instruments, songs, and more, this endlessly diverting "plunge" dips into the history of Motown, muzak, and marching bands; tells the secret stories behind the hits; explores legendary venues like the Grand Ole Opry, the Apollo, and the Fillmore; spots the rarely sighted two-hit wonders”; describes the origins of karaoke, rap music, and the cha cha cha. In short, it includes all the music news thats fit to print is here in a variety of formats longer entries for extended sojourns and brief tidbits for shorter stays.
Synopsis
This collection of slap shots, high sticks, and toothless grins offers fans everything they love about hockey: its colorful history, legendary players, and enough hard-hitting trivia to occupy even the most avid stat head. The latest title in the new Uncle John's series dedicated to the wide (and weird ) world of sports, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Shoots and Scores shares the origins of the Coolest Game on Earth, the greatest teams in hockey history, the best (and worst) hockey movies of all time, the Incredible Exploding Zamboni (and those who lived to tell the tale), a rap sheet of hockey arrests, goalies' superstitions (Patrick Roy's conversations with goal posts; Glenn Hall's pre-game gastric cleansing), and much, much more.
Synopsis
From boogie-woogie to Beethoven, from Prince to Pavarotti, from the bards of Broadway to the rebels of rock 'n' roll-it's all here. Uncle John has created this harmonious collection of tuneful tales for music lovers everywhere.
Uncle John has proven once again that he is in tune with our legion of loyal readers. This 516-page musical masterpiece dedicated to all things noteworthy ranges from silly one-hit wonders to culture-changing musical milestones. You'll get a glimpse into the future of music and go back to the days when prehistoric man first started communicating in song. So plug in your amp, turn the dial up to 11, and have a blast reading about...
* The origins of nearly every genre and style of music--including rock, country, jazz, the blues, rhythm-and-blues, hip hop, punk, folk, polka, opera, muzak, disco, and even marching bands
* Musical legends, from "outsiders" like the Shaggs and the Carter family, to giants like the Beatles, Elvis, and Weird Al Yankovic
* The stories of legendary music venues like the Grand Ole Opry, the Apollo, and the Fillmore
* How a computer glitch led to Right Said Fred's 1991 hit "I'm Too Sexy"
* Why waltzing was considered as scandalous in its early days as rock was in its early days
* The birth of the banjo, the electric guitar, karaoke, and the Stradivarius violin
* How John Williams struck a universal chord with his score for 'Star Wars'
* Go underground to play the world's largest natural musical instrument
* What happened at Woodstock and other weird concert mishaps
And much, much more