Rock's Hidden History: Band Origins, Rebels & Before-Fame Stories

Every legend started somewhere ordinary. Before the arenas, the record deals, and the greatest-hits collections, these artists were baggage handlers, janitors, cotton pickers, and factory workers — just trying to get by.

Rock's Hidden History pulls together three collections of stories from rock, metal, R&B, and country history:

• Part One — The Stories Behind the Names: How Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Nirvana, and Arctic Monkeys got their names, straight from the source (a bad joke, an old vinyl record, a Buddhist term, and an uncle's cold-night comment).
• Part Two — Too Real for the Mainstream: Seven artists — Captain Beefheart, Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Tom Waits, and Lou Reed — whose raw, confrontational styles rewrote the rules of what popular music could be.
• Part Three — Before They Were Famous: The day jobs and detours of ten legends, including Freddie Mercury, Ozzy Osbourne, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, and Dolly Parton, before the fame ever started.

A fast, fact-packed read for anyone who loves music history, trivia nights, or just finding out what their favorite artists were doing before they were legends.

Instant digital download. Price: $9.99.