The Greatest Music Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from Music History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy [Hardcover]

Full of tasty morsels. A delightful book to arm one for the next dull cocktail party.” —Chicago Tribune

Rick Beyer, author of the highly successful History Channel series The Greatest Stories Never Told returns with new historic tales from the world of music—ennobling, entrancing and inevitably surprising stories of soaring genius, tantalizing scandal, nefarious intrigue, and, above all, unbridled passion for music. Perfect for fans ofThe Mental Floss History of the United Statesor Bill Bryson’sMade in America, Beyer’sGreatest Music Stories Never Toldis “history like you've never read it before. (The Tennessean)

Did you know about:

• The ballet that sparked a riot?
• The rock star who became an astrophysicist?
• The song that saved Wheaties?
• The man killed by his own conducting?
• The controversy behind "Mary Had a Little Lamb"?

Prepare to be astonished, bewildered, and stupefied by the tantalizing tidbits of music history collected here: amazing stories about jazz, classical, country, rock 'n' roll, hip-hop, show tunes, composers, band names, song lyrics, instruments, technology, controversies, and more.

Learn how the FBI spent years trying to decode the lyrics of one rock song. Discover how Watergate provided the inspiration forA Chorus Line. Find out how one megahit was born in a history class, while another was dashed off in a fit of anger at actor Robert De Niro. Meet the monk behind solfège, the aviation pioneer who created Muzak, and the prisoner who literally sang himself out of jail. Then there's the most important person in rock 'n' roll history—chances are you've never heard of him!

Continuing the successful Greatest Stories Never Told series, Rick Beyer has delivered another classic volume for history and music buffs alike.

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