Working musicians

by Bruce Pollock

What it's like to make a living making music, from the people who know best: more than a hundred of the biggest names in rock, jazz and hip-hop.Life in the world of professional music requires incredible devotion but pays big rewards. Your body clock is skewed toward night-time; touring is an endless parade of sound checks, hotel rooms and road food; success for most is a long incremental climb. But you're doing what you love most in the whole world — and there's no substitute for the reception from a room full of people who love it too.Based on interviews with more than a hundred working musicians conducted over more than twenty years, this book covers every aspect of the music life: starting out, playing the first gig, making a record, living on the road, crafting the perfect set, writing great songs, and much more. Among the musicians who share their thoughts are: Harry Connick Jr., Gene Simmons, Tim Rice, Bruce Springsteen, Leo Kottke, Phil Everly, Jerry Garcia, Robbie Robertson, P