Inspired by true events, Music City Madness tells the story of Nashville singer-songwriter Leland Presley, whose quest for superstardom is hindered by unforeseen tragedy and a passionate romance with his voice coach, Grammy Award winning singer Melissa Hamilton. As the poignant novel unfolds, Leland evokes a range of emotions through a dozen songs written and performed by himself—each timely composition more powerful, and relevant, than the one before, until a vulnerable Leland must confront a life-altering decision to follow his dream or follow his heart. OTHER TITLES by Jason Melby: Enemy Among Us (Espionage thriller) A Dangerous Affair (Romantic thriller) Without A Trace... (Suspense novel) The Gauntlet 4Cs of a Meaningful and Lasting Romance
In its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends.
Studies of opera, film, television, and literature have demonstrated how constructions of madness may be referenced in order to stigmatise but also liberate protagonists in ways that reinforce or challenge contemporaneous notions of normality. But to date very little research has been conducted on how madness is represented in popular music. In an effort to redress this imbalance, Nicola Spelman identifies links between the anti-psychiatry movement and representations of madness in popular music of the 1960s and 1970s, analysing the various ways in which ideas critical of institutional psychiatry are embodied both verbally and musically in specific songs by David Bowie, Lou Reed, Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, The Beatles, and Elton John. She concentrates on meanings that may be made at the point of reception as a consequence of ideas about madness that were circulating at the time. These ideas are then linked to contemporary conventions of musical expression in order to illustrate certain interpretative possibilities. Supporting evidence comes from popular musicological analysis - incorporating discourse analysis and social semiotics - and investigation of socio-historical context. The uniqueness of the period in question is demonstrated by means of a more generalised overview of songs drawn from a variety of styles and eras that engage with the topic of madness in diverse and often conflicting ways. The conclusions drawn reveal the extent to which anti-psychiatric ideas filtered through into popular culture, offering insights into popular music's ability to question general suppositions about madness alongside its potential to bring issues of men's madness into the public arena as an often neglected topic for discussion.
A group of college age people are going through a Haunted Woods where there is one way in and only one way out. They find themselves trapped inside with a homicidal maniac and deadly traps at every turn. The best chance of survival is to make it through.
How Nashville Became Music City, U.S.A. was first published in 2006 and quickly became the go-to reference for those seeking to understand the Nashville music industry, or write about it. Now, Michael Kosser, prolific songwriter and author, returns with an updated and expanded edition, bringing the history of Music Row up to the present, since so much has changed over the last fifteen years. This new edition of How Nashville Became Music City, U.S.A. details the history of the Nashville song and recording industry from the founding of its first serious commercial music publishing company in 1942 to the present. Kosser tells the history of Music Row primarily through the voices of those who made and continue to make that history, including record executives, producers, singers, publishers, songwriters, studio musicians, studio engineers, record promoters, and others responsible for the music and the business, including the ambitious music executives who struggle to find an audience who will buy country records instead of just listening to them on the radio. The result is a book with insight far beyond the usual media stories, with plenty of emotion, humor, and historical accuracy. Kosser traces the growth and cultural changes of Nashville and the adventurous souls who fly to it to be a part of the music. He follows the changes from its hillbilly roots through its “Nashville Sound” quasi-pop days, from the outlaws, the new traditionalists, and the mega-sellers to the recent bro country and the rise of mini-trends. This edition also bears witness to the huge influence of Music Row on pop, folk, rock, and other American music genres.
The comprehensive college guide is written by students who know firsthand what makes or breaks the undergraduate experience. This work goes past admissions requirements to get to the stuff that matters most to students: dorm life, sports, dating, and, of course, food.
Black Power Music! Protest Songs, Message Music, and the Black Power Movement critically explores the soundtracks of the Black Power Movement as forms of "movement music." That is to say, much of classic Motown, soul, and funk music often mirrored and served as mouthpieces for the views and values, as well as the aspirations and frustrations, of the Black Power Movement. Black Power Music! is also about the intense interconnections between Black popular culture and Black political culture, both before and after the Black Power Movement, and the ways in which the Black Power Movement in many senses symbolizes the culmination of centuries of African American politics creatively combined with, and ingeniously conveyed through, African American music. Consequently, the term "Black Power music" can be seen as a code word for African American protest songs and message music between 1965 and 1975. "Black Power music" is a new concept that captures and conveys the fact that the majority of the messages in Black popular music between 1965 and 1975 seem to have been missed by most people who were not actively involved in, or in some significant way associated with, the Black Power Movement.
The Insider's Guide to the Colleges has been, for 38 years, the most relied-upon resource for high school students looking for honest reports on colleges from their fellow students. Having interviewed hundreds of their peers on more than 330 campuses and by getting the inside scoop on everything from the nightlife and professors to the newest dorms and wildest student organizations, the reporters at the Yale Daily News have created the most candid college guide available. In addition to the well-rounded profiles, this edition has been updated to include: * Essential statistics for every school, from acceptance rates to popular majors * A "College Finder" to help students zero in on the perfect school * FYI sections with student opinions and outrageous off-the-cuff advice The Insider's Guide to the Colleges cuts through the college brochures to uncover the things that matter most to students, and by staying on top of trends, it gives both students and parents the straightforward information they need to choose the school that's right for them.
?Free will, Mike. That's one thing I can never change. The one gift I gave mankind that separates them from all other creatures. I could never make you love or believe in me. You did that on your own. If you hadn?t, I wouldn't be sitting here today. Mike, I made you. I knew how you would be. The only thing I wasn't sure of was whether or not we would spend eternity together.? In two weeks, Mike will turn seventy-five. He's been married to his true love, Emma, for almost fifty of those years. He's not perfect. He's made plenty of mistakes. The one thing about Mike that is beyond reproach is his devotion. He's always been a true Southern Baptist and believer in a loving God. For his big birthday, God has something special planned for Mike and Emma. It's time they went on a road trip of sorts as God Himself throws the party. Through a series of flashbacks, Mike witnesses his life all over again.
The Straight-Talking Student's Guide to the Best Colleges For more than thirty-five years, The Insider's Guide to the Colleges has been the favorite resource of high school students across the country because it is the only comprehensive college reference written and researched by students for students. In interviews with hundreds of peers on campuses from New York to Hawaii and Florida to Alaska, our writers have gotten the inside scoop on every school on topics ranging from professors and campus life to dorms and student activities. This thirty-sixth edition has been completely revised and updated to stay on top of campus trends and attitudes. Each school profile in The Insider's Guide cuts through the veneer of brochures and common stereotypes to reveal colleges as they're seen through the eyes of their students. This comprehensive guide includes: - Revealing profiles of more than 330 top schools in the United States and Canada - Essential statistics for every school, from acceptance rates to the most popular majors - An insider's packing list detailing what every college student really needs to bring - A college quiz that helps students find the type of school that is right for them - FYI sections with candid student opinions and outrageous advice
