Cruel to Be Kind
The Life and Music of Nick Lowe
-
-
4.8 • 11 Ratings
-
-
- $14.99
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
The definitive biography of singer-songwriter Nick Lowe, best-known for "Cruel to Be Kind" and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding"
Described as "Britain's greatest living songwriter," Nick Lowe has made his mark as a pioneer of pub rock, power-pop, and punk rock and as a producer of Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, the Damned, and the Pretenders. He has been a pop star with his bands Brinsley Schwarz and Rockpile, a stepson-in-law to Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, and is the writer behind hits including "Cruel to Be Kind" and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding." In the past decades, however, he has distinguished himself as an artist who is equally acclaimed for the second act of his career as a tender yet sharp-tongued acoustic balladeer.
Biographer Will Birch, who in addition to being a music writer was a drummer and songwriter with The Records, has known Lowe for over forty years and melds Lowe's gift as a witty raconteur with his own authoritative analysis of Lowe's background and the cultural scenes he exemplifies. Lowe's parallel fame as one of the best interviews in the business will contribute to this first look into his life and work--and likely the closest thing fans will get to an autobiography by this notoriously charming cult figure.
This is not an authorized biography, but Lowe has given it his spiritual blessing and his management and label are fully on board. Cruel to Be Kind will be the colorful yet serious account of one of the world's most talented and admired musicians.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Musician and music writer Birch debuts with an admiring set of fan's notes, drawing on interviews with his friend, singer-songwriter Nick Lowe, as well as on interviews with Lowe's acquaintances and bandmates. Weaving Lowe's music with the threads of his life, Birch traces Lowe's story from his childhood in 1950s Surrey, England, where he listened to country, jazz, Elvis, and Lonnie Donegan. From there he takes readers to Lowe's gig with the band Brinsley Schwarz and their opening for Van Morrison at the Fillmore East in N.Y.C. in 1970; his marriage to country singer Carlene Carter in 1979, and his musical partnerships with Elvis Costello, Dave Edmunds, and Graham Parker. Lowe's biggest hit "Cruel to Be Kind" came in 1979, and he continued to develop into a songwriter's songwriter, whose songs have been recorded by Costello, Solomon Burke, Tom Petty, Diana Ross, and Rod Stewart. In leisurely, insightful prose, Birch ponders why Lowe is not better-known, and concludes that Lowe is simply not interested in any activity that involves self-promotion or "prostituting himself on chat shows and social media." With a no-frills writing style, Birch offers a solid biography for Lowe's devoted fans.
