100 books like The Sound of the City

By Charlie Gillett,

Here are 100 books that The Sound of the City fans have personally recommended if you like The Sound of the City. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Deep Blues: A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta

Willy Bearden Author Of Mississippi Hippie: A Life in 49 Pieces

From my list on Southern culture.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since childhood, I have been fascinated by the culture and stories of my place, the Mississippi Delta. I began my education in the beauty shop, where my mother “fixed” hair six days a week. I continued my education in the pool hall when I was 13 or 14, listening to the braggarts and fools who pontificated about every subject under the sun. I escaped to Memphis in the late 60s and became a hippie, drinking in the experience of Memphis’ electric streets. These experiences informed my thinking and helped me become a writer and filmmaker.

Willy's book list on Southern culture

Willy Bearden Why did Willy love this book?

The story of American music is laid out in a fascinating series of stories by musicologist and former New York Times music critic Robert Palmer. Palmer used interviews with Muddy Waters and many other bluesmen to explain how this music traveled from Africa to the American South and then up to Chicago, Detroit, and other northern cities.

It is an in-depth look at the stories and myths of the South and the people who made their escape from the brutal cotton fields and racial segregation of the times. This book is a must for anyone wanting to know the beginnings and significance of American music.

By Robert Palmer,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Deep Blues as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Blues is the cornerstone of American popular music, the bedrock of rock and roll. In this extraordinary musical and social history, Robert Palmer traces the odyssey of the blues from its rural beginnings, to the steamy bars of Chicago's South Side, to international popularity, recognition, and imitation. Palmer tells the story of the blues through the lives of its greatest practitioners: Robert Johnson, who sang of being pursued by the hounds of hell; Muddy Waters, who electrified Delta blues and gave the music its rock beat; Robert Lockwood and Sonny Boy Williamson, who launched the King Biscuit Time radio show…


Book cover of The Praxis System Guitar Compendium: Technique / Improvisation / Musicianship / Theory Volume 1

Keith Wyatt Author Of Blues Rhythm Guitar: Master Class Series [With CD]

From my list on blues and playing the blues guitar.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a professional guitarist and music teacher specializing in American roots music. For more than 35 years I taught, wrote curriculum, and oversaw programs at Los Angeles' Musicians Institute (formerly Guitar Institute of Technology) while creating and directing instructional videos, writing method books, and publishing magazine articles and columns. Since 1996 I have been recording and touring as the guitarist for American music icons the Blasters. In 2014, I developed the online School of Electric Blues Guitar at Artistworks, where I interact every day with students from around the world.

Keith's book list on blues and playing the blues guitar

Keith Wyatt Why did Keith love this book?

Howard was a top Los Angeles session guitarist (one of the fabled Wrecking Crew), jazz stylist, and brilliant visionary who combined his skills to create the Guitar Institute of Technology, an innovative, intensive program that trained thousands of professionals and transformed guitar education.

The Guitar Compendium is the result of Howard’s decades of research into learning theory and information flow applied to the guitar. It’s not a standard guitar method (and not designed for raw beginners), but rather a collection of practical, thought-provoking solutions to the universal challenges of learning and playing the instrument, from developing technique to breaking through creative roadblocks. If you’re an aspiring, curious, and perhaps frustrated guitarist, The Praxis System is a unique source of wisdom and inspiration from one of the greatest.

By Howard Roberts, Garry Hagberg,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Praxis System Guitar Compendium as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This is the first instructional book of its kind, taking a strikingly new and refreshing approach to learning guitar, carefully designed to guarantee efficient practice with rewarding results. Whether your playing falls under one of the more traditional styles, or whether you're a composer and arranger or exploring new musical regions and establishing your own musical direction or personal fusion of musical ideas and influences, The Praxis System has what you need. The name of the system (Praxis" comes from the Greek word meaning "practice" and "to do") accurately reflects its general orientation. Play it first, getting sound and satisfaction…


Book cover of Honkers and Shouters: The Golden Years of Rhythm and Blues

Keith Wyatt Author Of Blues Rhythm Guitar: Master Class Series [With CD]

From my list on blues and playing the blues guitar.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a professional guitarist and music teacher specializing in American roots music. For more than 35 years I taught, wrote curriculum, and oversaw programs at Los Angeles' Musicians Institute (formerly Guitar Institute of Technology) while creating and directing instructional videos, writing method books, and publishing magazine articles and columns. Since 1996 I have been recording and touring as the guitarist for American music icons the Blasters. In 2014, I developed the online School of Electric Blues Guitar at Artistworks, where I interact every day with students from around the world.

Keith's book list on blues and playing the blues guitar

Keith Wyatt Why did Keith love this book?

Completing a trifecta with Deep Blues and Sound of the City, Honkers and Shouters is a definitive examination of the evolution of rural blues into urban rhythm-and-blues, the “big beat” that made African-American-based popular music into one of America’s greatest, and most lucrative, cultural exports. 

Shaw, a former music executive, focuses on how the music found its way from the artists to the ears and wallets of the consumers. It was a tough, exploitative business that provided a way for entrepreneurs excluded from more traditional careers by race or ethnicity to find their fortune, if often at the expense of the artists themselves. The rough saga of lives in the music business makes us appreciate the magical results even more. Listen while you read.

By Arnold Shaw,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Honkers and Shouters as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

[From front flap] What did rhythm and blues have that gave it its impact and appeal? Who were the people who made it happen - the artists, producers, and audience - black and white alike - who dug its earthy realism and driving, dynamic sound? Here, for the first time, is the spectacular, foot-tapping, hand-clapping story...


Book cover of Rollin' and Tumblin' - The Postwar Blues Guitarists

Keith Wyatt Author Of Blues Rhythm Guitar: Master Class Series [With CD]

From my list on blues and playing the blues guitar.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a professional guitarist and music teacher specializing in American roots music. For more than 35 years I taught, wrote curriculum, and oversaw programs at Los Angeles' Musicians Institute (formerly Guitar Institute of Technology) while creating and directing instructional videos, writing method books, and publishing magazine articles and columns. Since 1996 I have been recording and touring as the guitarist for American music icons the Blasters. In 2014, I developed the online School of Electric Blues Guitar at Artistworks, where I interact every day with students from around the world.

Keith's book list on blues and playing the blues guitar

Keith Wyatt Why did Keith love this book?

Who’s your daddy? If you play electric guitar, the answer is “T-Bone Walker.” If your response to that name is “Who?” then it’s time to meet your musical ancestor. Over a period of just two decades, T-Bone, along with the “Three Kings” (BB, Albert, and Freddie), Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and others created and developed the fundamental techniques and styles of electric guitar that underpin blues and rock to this day.

Obrecht is one of the best writers on the subject, compiling biographies, historical research, interviews, and conversations into a fascinating and very readable history of the musicians, the music, and the instrument.

By Jas Obrecht,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Rollin' and Tumblin' - The Postwar Blues Guitarists as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This is the most comprehensive and insightful study ever published on the pioneers of electric blues guitar – including the great Chicago, Mississippi Delta, Louisiana, Texas and West Coast bluesmen. Rollin' and Tumblin' offers extensive interviews with some of the world's most famous blues guitarists, and poignant profiles of historical blues figures. Following a sweeping portrait of blues guitar history, the book features such players as T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins and many more.


Book cover of The Complete Blues & Ragtime Guitar Player

Jamie Akers Author Of Christmas Carols for Guitar

From my list on to help you be great at guitar.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been playing the guitar since I was ten years old. From then until now it has been my life’s focus, my friend and delight, my consolation, companion, and frustration. While I am reconciled to never being the world’s most famous guitarist, I still have a career, make a living, and, hopefully, contribute positively to the Universe. I have recorded albums of previously unheard music, performed throughout the world, and edited and published books for guitar. In spite of decades of study and practice, I find my enthusiasm undimmed and enjoy nothing more than sharing my expertise and guiding those less experienced to discover the delights of playing music.

Jamie's book list on to help you be great at guitar

Jamie Akers Why did Jamie love this book?

When I started playing guitar, all I wanted to do was play the blues. Why a working-class Scottish boy would be so entranced by music so culturally and geographically remote is curious even to me but this book gave me a way in, a key to unlock the skills required to emulate the sounds of the blues greats I loved to hear. As an autodidact, clear explanations, technical advice, and background information were essential to my development and I still use this book with students to this day. 

By Russ Shipton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Complete Blues & Ragtime Guitar Player as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

(Music Sales America). Covers the whole spectrum of this exciting area of guitar playing. Careful grading enables beginners to progress through this course playing well-known songs, as well as learning the technical aspects. Songs: A Basic Blues * 'a' Simple Blues * 'a' Twelve Bar * Alice's Restaurant * Bounce Blues * Candyman * Candyman Blues * Cocaine Blues * Come Back Baby * Deep River Blues * The Entertainer * Extension Blues * First Time Blues * Gee Rag * Good Morning Blues * Half-way Rag * Harmony Blues * Hesitation Blues * Horizon Rag * How Long How…


Book cover of Hand Made, Hand Played The Art and Craft Of Contemporary Guitars

Richard Mark French Author Of Acoustic Guitar Design

From my list on people interested in guitars and guitar making.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been making guitars for about 30 years now and love it. I’m mostly self-taught and there were some pretty rough instruments early on, but I got better with every one. I’ve lost track of how many I’ve made and my favorite is always the next one. I learned my craft from people who took the time to write about it. I’ve now written dozens of articles and three books on guitars. As a professor, I run a guitar-making lab and teach classes on stringed instrument design and manufacture. I hope to do my part to help new builders the way others have helped me.

Richard's book list on people interested in guitars and guitar making

Richard Mark French Why did Richard love this book?

We’re probably in a golden age of guitar making. The internet has made information on how to make guitars, once rare indeed, free to anyone who wants to learn. New builders need to see what the very top luthiers (makers of stringed instruments) are building. This book is full of beautiful pictures – more pictures than words – that show the highest levels of design and construction. When I want to dream about how my next guitar might look, I go here.

By Robert Shaw,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hand Made, Hand Played The Art and Craft Of Contemporary Guitars as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Feast your eyes on more than 300 of today's most creative, imaginative and gorgeous hand-made guitars - all illustrated in full colour and featuring information about the innovative artisans who created them. Meet guitar-making legends, such as C.F. Martin, Les Paul and Leo Fender, who revolutionised the instrument's design. Discover why the past 25 years have seen an explosion of craftspeople who build guitars by hand, employing an attention to detail factories can't afford and using higher quality materials and more technical skill than in any previous era. Explore the various guitar styles used in a range of musical traditions,…


Book cover of Melting the Blues

Jill McCroskey Coupe Author Of Beginning with Cannonballs

From my list on interracial friendship.

Why am I passionate about this?

Having grown up in segregated Knoxville, TN, I've often wondered what having a black friend as a child would have been like. My MFA thesis, in the 1980s, was a novella about just such a friendship. A small group of my (white) MFA classmates insisted that I could not, should not write about black characters. Although I believed them to be mistaken, I put my thesis away and haven’t looked at it since. About ten years ago, I decided to try again. I took an early draft of a new novel to a workshop with John Dufresne, who encouraged me to continue. The result was Beginning with Cannonballs, which received positive reviews and won the 2021 IPPY Silver Medal for Multicultural Fiction. 

Jill's book list on interracial friendship

Jill McCroskey Coupe Why did Jill love this book?

I was struck by the beautiful writing in this novel and the way the author, a woman, convincingly depicts male friendship. Augustus Lee Rivers, a black farmer in Arkansas, is happiest when playing his guitar; he has dreams of making it big in Chicago. David Duncan, an enthusiastic fan of Hummin’ Gusty’s music, comes from a wealthy white family. What can happen to a black man’s dreams in rural Arkansas in the 1950s? Trust me, you’ll keep reading to find out. 

By Tracy Chiles McGhee,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Melting the Blues as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Independent Publisher Book Awards Bronze Medal for Regional Fiction  (2017)    Set in Arkansas in 1957,  the complexities of identity, yearnings for love and acceptance, and racial tension are all unmasked in the riveting literary drama, Melting the Blues, by debut author Tracy Chiles McGhee. Augustus Lee Rivers, a farmer and bluesman, has two obsessions:  his relationship with the Duncan family and his desire to leave small town Chinaberry to become a musician in Chicago. When his plans are prevented by a devastating betrayal, Augustus is driven into the belly of the blues where he must reckon with his past if…


Book cover of The Saltwater Heir

Ashley Weiss Author Of Cupid's Compass

From my list on to be emotionally tortured by fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an avid reader since childhood, I’ve always hunted for books that deliver the most epic emotional experiences. Stories that you can’t put down even when your eyelids ache for sleep or the page is blurred with tears. The ones where fiction becomes reality and the room around you disappears with every page. Cupid’s Compass was inspired by these all-consuming novels and I expect my future works will follow the same mission: to evoke laughter, tears, and the ever-expansive qualities of humanity.

Ashley's book list on to be emotionally tortured by fiction

Ashley Weiss Why did Ashley love this book?

With ever-increasing stakes, The Saltwater Heir is by far the best self-published fantasy book I’ve ever read.

The story follows a lost princess, war-torn kingdoms, and a love interest fated to die. It has the perfect balance of banter and sass, slow-burn romance, hilariously relatable sibling dynamics, and gut-wrenching plot twists to keep you on the edge of your seat. I laughed a lot; I sobbed even more.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy having their hearts captured in an emotional vise of stress, hope, and heartbreak.

By Cassidy Clarke,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Saltwater Heir as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Princess Soren of Nyx is no stranger to loss after a decade-long war with the neighboring kingdom of Atlas. But with her best friend slowly succumbing to a cruel Atlas poison, she hatches a reckless plan: kidnap the enemy prince from the battlefield and use his life to barter for the antidote.


But when that prince calls her by a different name...the name of his sister, whose death began the war ten years ago...everything changes.


Stolen away to Atlas, trapped behind enemy lines, Soren must navigate a kingdom she knows nothing about, surrounded by a family she doesn't remember, and…


Book cover of On These Black Sands

Catherine Downen Author Of Ending In Cadence

From my list on fantasy told from multiple perspectives.

Why am I passionate about this?

Storytelling has been a passion of mine since fifth grade. I’ve always loved the way authors can put you inside of a world and introduce you to a cast of characters who feel as real as the people around you. The characters you meet inside these books become a part of you, and the best way to connect a reader to these charming and brave characters is to let them tell their story. Tell it from all of their perspectives and let the reader come to know and love each of them. Why read a book and only love one character when you could find an entire found family within those pages?

Catherine's book list on fantasy told from multiple perspectives

Catherine Downen Why did Catherine love this book?

Pirates! I absolutely love a good pirate book, and this one by Vanessa delivered. We follow the story of Declan, a broody and mysterious captain, and Aoife, an heir who flees her kingdom. This book fulfilled all my enemies to lovers wants and told a very engaging story with a plot full of twists that kept you turning the page. Not to mention the world building was fantastic! It’s a new release and I’ve already pre-ordered the sequel. The best part of this book was supporting Vanessa Rasanen who is also an indie author. 

By Vanessa Rasanen,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked On These Black Sands as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

He doesn't mind killing people... he just prefers to do it on his own terms.

But the pirates have no say in who they kill on this island.

The council orders. The pirates obey.

This arrangement has kept Declan from setting foot on these shores for years...until a bit of bad luck forces him to return.

But it may prove a lucrative stop, if the rebel's information is true.

Find the dagger. Escape this life.

But only if this damn stowaway doesn't ruin everything first.

=======
This high seas tale of deceit, legends, and love delivers a deliciously gray hero,…


Book cover of The Bean Eaters;

Robert Pinsky Author Of The Sounds of Poetry: a Brief Guide

From my list on that were composed by ear.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a poet, my main gift is related to my first ambition, to be a musician. I like to talk, I like to listen, I like the sounds of words and I like to hear (for example) what Emily Dickinson and William Butler Yeats have to say.

Robert's book list on that were composed by ear

Robert Pinsky Why did Robert love this book?

When Brooks says “ballade” or “blues” she speaks with the authority of one who can hear—can allude to music without needing to copy it.

Composing the sounds before the record-keeping act of merely writing the words. She doesn’t need the added music of actual song: she embodies the music in the sentence-sounds. (And the harmonies and discords and rhythms of speech.)

By Gwendolyn Brooks,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Bean Eaters; as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been…


Book cover of Deep Blues: A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta
Book cover of The Praxis System Guitar Compendium: Technique / Improvisation / Musicianship / Theory Volume 1
Book cover of Honkers and Shouters: The Golden Years of Rhythm and Blues

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the blues, rock and roll, and guitar?

The Blues 48 books
Rock And Roll 79 books
Guitar 34 books