What are the best musician biographies to read?

Our curated musician biographies selection highlights highly rated biography titles — a strong starting point for readers who value quality over quantity.

How often is this list updated?

We review these musician biographies recommendations regularly and add promising new titles as they emerge.

Where can I buy these books?

Each entry links directly to an Amazon search so you can order the title quickly and easily.

Musician Biographies

Looking for musician biographies? This curated list brings together the standout biography titles readers keep returning to, so you can skip the noise and find your next read faster.

British Musical Biography

by James Duff Brown, Stephen Samuel Stratton

1897

Check price on Amazon →

The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture

by Janet Sturman

2019

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Music and Culture presents key concepts in the study of music in its cultural context and provides an introduction to the discipline of ethnomusicology, its methods, concerns, and its contributions to knowledge and …

Check price on Amazon →

The Dictionary of British Musicians

by Frederick James Crowest

1895

Check price on Amazon →

A Concise History of Music from the Commencement of the Christian Era to the Present Time

by Henry George Bonavia Hunt

1899

Check price on Amazon →

Complete Encyclopaedia of Music, Elementary, Technical, Historical, Biographical, Vocal and Instrumental

by John William Moore

1875

Check price on Amazon →

Ode to Hip-Hop

by Kiana Fitzgerald

2023

Celebrate the music that has shaped the culture and given us some of the greatest hits of all time with this vibrantly illustrated anthology, featuring 50 of the most lauded, controversial, and iconic hip-hop albums! From underground roots …

€11.99 list price

Check price on Amazon →

The History of Music

by Emil Naumann

1898

Check price on Amazon →

12 Musicians Who Changed the Wrold

by Jamie Kallio

2020

From Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, to Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan, civil rights activist Nina Simone, and rapper Tupac Shakur, this book profiles 12 famous musicians from around the world. Each chapter includes attention-grabbing pho…

Check price on Amazon →

Encyclopedia of Life Writing

by Margaretta Jolly

2013

First published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.…

Check price on Amazon →

History of Music, from the Christian Era to the Present Time

by Frédéric Louis Ritter

1876

Check price on Amazon →

Popular Music Culture

by Roy Shuker

2022

Now in its fifth edition, this popular A–Z student reference book provides a comprehensive survey of key ideas and concepts in popular music culture, examining the social and cultural aspects of popular music. Fully revised with extended co…

€40.44 list price

Check price on Amazon →

The history of music tr. by F. Praeger, ed. by sir F.A.G. Ouseley

by Emil Naumann

1882

Check price on Amazon →

Whatever you pick from this biography list, you're in good company. Bookmark this page — we refresh these musician biographies recommendations as new standout titles appear.

Musician Biographies

More recommendations