“Leading Men in Music” by Jene Roswell

Leading Men in Music: Insights Into 25 Men that have Influenced the Music Industry Since the 1970s (Leading Legends in Music)

Jene Roswell
Independently Published (2021)
ISBN: 9798792871083
Reviewed by Amy Lignor for Reader Views (01/22)

I have to share! When I was just a girl, my mother was completely in love with Elvis. The one thing she wanted to do more than anything else in life was to walk through the doors of Graceland. Although Mom went to heaven last year, I have a picture on my mantel of her and my daughter smiling wide from a decade ago, when I moved her out of the frozen tundra of the East Coast and down south. We stopped at Graceland, and I’ve never seen Mom that happy. I got to do that; and I will always be grateful her dream came true.

Yes…Mr. Presley is one of these glorious 25 leading men who not only transformed the music industry during their lifetimes, but they became some of the most unique individuals in American culture. Each had their own backstory. Whether it be Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash – you name it, these guys will cause a spark inside all minds out there. Whether or not you’re a lover of one or many of these men (I personally love Andrew Lloyd Webber, who put some of the greatest and most memorable musicals on stages across the globe), you will love this book.

It is true that there are hundreds of biographies written about this unique list, but this is definitely one that covers all these highly influential men in one book. The careers, the work some did to go from a “poor country home” to an award-winning artist of mammoth proportions—it’s incredibly informative, and so entertaining, you will want this as your chosen “coffee table” book, which in my house was held in high esteem.

Not only artists are covered. You also can read about the influencers who came in producer form, the ones who found incredible talent, and be able to better understand the development of their personalities and see their start in the music business. In addition, this reference guide answers a variety of musical questions that those up-and-coming “stars” want to learn more about. Not only did I, as a reader, get to enjoy their star/celebrity qualities, but this delved much further into their lives, such as the charitable giving and generosity they showed organizations as well as their ever-increasing fan base throughout the decades, what they had that makes them still in the limelight to this day, and so much more.

I was fascinated to learn the facts and career of Andrea Bocelli, all the way across the spectrum to the ‘grit’ of Bob Dylan, and the stylings of singer-songwriter Chuck Berry, who literally introduced the world to what became their favorite form of music; hence, why he’s still and always will be remembered as the “Father of Rock N’ Roll.” You’ll even learn a fact about what “big music name” actually worked as a grave digger during his early years.

Jene Roswell did a wonderful job of putting this together; it’s a reference book as well as an encyclopedia of cool, memorable information about some of the coolest, most memorable men in the world of music. In addition, following on January 6th, “Leading Women in Music: Insights into 25 Women Who Have Influenced the Music Industry since the 1970s. (Leading Legends in Music” was also released. My advice? Get this one immediately. 5-Stars!