Music audiobooks

Dick Clark

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 31 minutes

Abridged: No

Dick Clark had taken over for a TV show that served as "filler” and showcased different musical acts. Young girls were invited to watch as the studio audience, but when they got bored they got up to dance and a camera man caught the moment. From that moment, American Bandstand was born.
For teenagers, American Bandstand served as a replacement... Read more

Tony Bennett

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 28 minutes

Abridged: No

Tony Bennett took his place at the forefront of pop music when he recorded “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in 1962. Despite being trained in art, Bennett made the decision to pursue a career in music that included a stint as a singing waiter.
Bennett spoke with Wink Martindale in August of 1972 about his accomplished career that included... Read more

John Denver

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 36 minutes

Abridged: No

John Denver dominated the 1970s with sold out concerts and chart-topping music. Wink Martindale spoke with Denver in Los Angeles in 1975 in the midst of this success. Denver recounts the road that began with him dropping out of college and moving to Los Angeles to find work as a singer.
Denver passionately describes his attachment to music beyond... Read more

The Beach Boys

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 30 minutes

Abridged: No

The Beach Boys started in the Wilsons' garage with members Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. Their first hit was in 1962 and was considered a "surf" song that had distinct vocal harmonies.
History will show the progression of the Beach Boys songs that permeated the culture of the day. The harmonies,... Read more

Rodgers and Hammerstein

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 30 minutes

Abridged: No

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II joined forces to create the most consistently successful partnership in the American theater. Included among the seemingly endless list of their work are legendary works such as Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The King & I, The Sound of Music and many more.
In the first part of this two-part series exploring... Read more

Neil Diamond

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 22 minutes

Abridged: No

The Coney Island section of Brooklyn, NY was the birthing ground for the man the rest of the world would eventually come to know as Neil Diamond. In this special Hall of Fame spotlight, host Wink Martindale takes a look at Diamond’s illustrious career, beginning with those early days in Coney Island, which Diamond tells Wink, was “the most... Read more

Glen Campbell

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 36 minutes

Abridged: No

Glen Campbell’s career extended throughout song and screen as he worked in television, film and as a songwriter and performer. He achieved moderate success early on as a country artist and made history in 1967 winning four Grammys in both the pop and country categories.
Campbell found crossover success with “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Southern... Read more

Ray Charles

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 42 minutes

Abridged: No

Ray Charles lived his life with no regrets, no matter the ups or the downs. After losing his sight at 7 years old, and his parents passing away while he was a teenager, he went on to experience phenomenal success as a singer, songwriter and musician.
Charles didn’t often agree to interviews, but in this rare and lengthy conversation he had with... Read more

Rosemary Clooney

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 39 minutes

Abridged: No

Rosemary Clooney grew up singing with her sister at family gatherings and in her senior year of high school they were hired to sing at the local radio station. She soared to fame in the 1950s with the novelty song “Come On-a My House” and continued to release a number of other pop and jazz hits.
In 1973, Clooney sat down with Wink Martindale to... Read more

Perry Como

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 29 minutes

Abridged: No

Perry Como’s career started with a dare. The teenage owner of a barbershop had done some singing locally, but when his friends dared him to get on stage and sing a few songs with Freddy Carlone, he was offered a job.
Following touring, recording and a brief return to the barber business, Como went on to host his own radio show and sign a... Read more

Rodgers and Hammerstein

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 25 minutes

Abridged: No

The second part of our Hall of Fame spotlight on Rodgers and Hammerstein details the phenomenal success Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had as partners after joining forces in 1943. Throughout their long career in theater, the pair helped to start the careers of many now famous singers, dancers and musicians.

Narrator Wink Martindale... Read more

Roberta Flack

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 29 minutes

Abridged: No

Roberta Flack gained national recognition with her song “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” from the movie Play Misty for Me. The singer, songwriter and musician performed a wide variety of music including jazz, classical, folk, soul, pop and R&B. She was the first to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in two consecutive... Read more

Wayne Newton

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 26 minutes

Abridged: No

An in-depth examination of the career of Wayne Newton featuring extensive interviews with Newton Read more

Andy Williams

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 40 minutes

Abridged: No

Andy Williams got his start doing anonymous voice tracks for movies in the 1940s. He got his start singing at teas with his brother, and then made a move to singing on radio in Des Moines, Iowa and Chicago. Finally, Williams found his way to New York where he started to really focus on his singing career.

Television played an instrumental... Read more

Frank Sinatra

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 31 minutes

Abridged: No

The third part of our Hall of Fame spotlight on Frank Sinatra’s legendary career with host Wink Martindale continues the story of the artist who remains an internationally known icon. We dig deeper into the songs and soundtrack of Frank’s career as told by friends and family, those who knew him best, including Nelson Riddle, Gordon McRae and a... Read more

Frank Sinatra

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 25 minutes

Abridged: No

From Joe DiMaggio to Humphrey Bogart and from John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra was close to legends. He inspired and worked with the greats of popular music for well over 50 years.

The first installment of our four part Hall of Fame spotlight on Frank Sinatra’s legendary career takes a look at the early years as he began to make a... Read more

Johnny Mathis

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 35 minutes

Abridged: No

It’s a testament to Johnny Mathis’ talent and legacy that in 1958, just two years after signing with Columbia Records, the label released Johnny’s Greatest Hits, the first album of its kind. It remained on the charts for the next 9 ½ years.
Wink Martindale sat down with Mathis for a conversation in 1971. He discusses the diverse audience his... Read more

Sammy Davis Jr.

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 32 minutes

Abridged: No

Sammy Davis Jr. was, quite literally, born into show business. As part of a well-known vaudeville family, he began performing when he was just four years old and never seemed to slow down. From stage to studio to screen the singer, dancer, musician and actor travelled all over the world entertaining millions.
Wink Martindale spoke with the... Read more

Music Business

By: Introbooks Team

Narrated by: Cyrus Nilo

Length: 40 minutes

Abridged: No

The music business is part of the entertainment industry, a segment Billion dollars worldwide, surpassing the automotive sector in sales, behind only the defense industry. Artists and small producers do not have specific knowledge and skills to undertake their own business or to manage their career. This study sought to address the main issues... Read more

History of Opera

By: Introbooks Team

Narrated by: Tracy Tupman

Length: 39 minutes

Abridged: No

Blending music, dance, visual arts and drama seamlessly to create one of the most interesting things that millions of audiences enjoy is what opera is all about. Its 400 year old history is rich with instances of rise and fall of opera.With its roots in the Renaissance period, opera gradually spread across the world and today it has become a... Read more

Delta Lady

By: Rita Coolidge & Michael Walker

Narrated by: Rita Coolidge

Length: 5 hours 24 minutes

Abridged: No

The two-time Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter bares her heart and soul in this intimate memoir, a story of music, stardom, love, family, heritage, and resilience.She inspired songs—Leon Russell wrote “A Song for You” and “Delta Lady” for her, Stephen Stills wrote “Cherokee.” She co-wrote songs—“Superstar” and the piano coda to “Layla,”... Read more

Kill 'Em and Leave

By: James McBride

Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman

Length: 8 hours 59 minutes

Abridged: No

“You won’t leave this hypnotic book without feeling that James Brown is still out there, howling.”—The Boston Globe
 
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Lord Bird, winner of the 2013 National Book Award for Fiction, Deacon King Kong, and Five-Carat Soul
 
Kill ’Em and Leave is more than a book about James Brown. Brown embodied... Read more

Music Theory

By: Introbooks Team

Narrated by: Megan Mateer

Length: 51 minutes

Abridged: No

Music is found in every identified culture that man has ever known, in past and in present. Every ancient tribe even the isolated ones have known to have music especially in their rituals and prayers. Music has always been a part of us since the ancient times. According to historians it has existence among us for the past 55,000 years. Initially... Read more

The Grand Tour

By: Rich Kienzle

Narrated by: John Pruden

Length: 8 hours 16 minutes

Abridged: No

In the vein of the classic Johnny Cash: The Life, this groundbreaking work explores the wild life and extraordinary musical career of “the definitive country singer of the last half century” (New York Times), who influenced, among others, Bob Dylan, Buck Owens, Emmylou Harris, John Fogerty, George Strait, Alan Jackson, and Garth Brooks.In a... Read more