Last Night's a book about some of the ways in which music became popular, and artists earned fans. Many rock artists and groups depended a great deal on radio—and later, club—disc jockeys to promote their sound. This book describes how disc jockeys rose to play such an important role in the history of popular music.

Love, Janis is a detailed memoir written by Laura Joplin, Janis' sister. Full of intimate thoughts and observations about Janis, and stories about the singer's life growing up and coming of age in Port Arthur, Texas, this is an interesting read for anyone curious about this mysterious rock icon.

Marcus has collected a wealth of articles, interviews, rumors, jokes, tabloid headlines, novels, and song lyrics on Elvis Presley produced since his death. Marcus sifts through these sources to understand who Americans think Elvis was, or who Americans want Elvis to have been—a tougher task than you might think.

Marcus explores the music of several rock, funk, and blues artists including Robert Johnson, Elvis Presley, the Band, and Sly and the Family Stone. Along with detailed biographies of these artists, Marcus offers the stories behind the music.

Although we object to the title—it just isn't possible to write a "definitive history" of, really, anything—She Bop II is one of the better books available on women in music. O'Brien offers up fascinating stories about some of the most successful and most fascinating performers and musicians in the business, complete with tough-to-get interviews.

Robert Palmer—the historian, not the pop artist known for being "Addicted to Love"—tells the story of rock and roll as if it were a fiction novel. Drama, betrayal, sex, alcohol, drugs, and death—it's all in there. Palmer takes the reader on a journey through various moments in rock and roll history, stopping along the way to point out highlights, milestones, and some intimate stories beneath the music.