Peter Guralnick - Sweet Soul Music

Peter Guralnick is a writer of some of the finest books on American popular music - it will come as no surprise that he has more than one entry in this section.
Anything he writes is worthy of consideration (including his homage to Elvis, "Last Train To Memphis").

"Sweet Soul Music" is elegantly written, displaying a real passion for the music on every page. It is also about the business of music as well as the music itself and it offers fascinating insights into the creation of Atlantic, Stax and the development of the highly influential Muscle Shoals Sound.

It is also painstakingly researched and it was apparently five years in preparation - the research paid dividends and the end product offers a richly detailed history and numerous first person accounts from the people who made it happen. Music and the written word rarely gel as well as this but then writing rarely gets this good! As Elvis Costello says in his own recommendation "Buy this book! In years to come it will seem like a bargain compared with all the wonderful records which you will have to buy after reading the vivid accounts of Sweet Soul Music" 

(Excellent archive photos as well!!)