Böcker av Martin Kielty

People get bored by history books full of kings and battles. And it's the same for rock'n'roll history books full of nothing more than stars and hits. Yes, you'll find plenty of names you know in this lightning-fast rollercoaster ride down Memory Lane. Members of Del Amitri, Nazareth, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, the Bay City Rollers, Primal Scream, the Beatstalkers, the Soup Dragons, the Vaselines, the Clyde Valley Stompers and Gene Vincent's band are amongst the speakers. But you'll also meet people - REAL¿people - who made less well-known¿but still important contributions to the Scottish rock and pop scene over its first 50 years. Big Noise From a Wee Country is packed with dozens of first-hand accounts of just some of the moments which shaped our nation's recent musical history. From dreams to disasters it's a quick-start guide to who did what and when. Martin Kielty is a Glasgow-based writer, journalist, musician and manager. This is his eighth book.

When Alex Harvey died in 1982 he left behind a legacy and a passion which survives to this day - truly cult status. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band were the biggest-grossing mid-70s live act in the UK; they released eight critically-acclaimed albums in their five years together; and they inspired many of the top names in pop entertainment over the last 30 years. SAHB Story covers the members' early years and provides a blow-by-blow account of the years 1972-77, illustrated with personal anecdotes and unseen photographs. The revised edition completes the story to date with the reunion that began in 2002 featuring Billy Rankin, leading to acclaimed tours and festival shows with 'Mad' Max Maxwell at the helm. Joe Elliott of Dep Leppard, a long-time fan, has contributed a passionate and heartfelt foreword. This is the only authorised biography of the band, written with the cooperation of Zal Cleminson, Chris Glen, Hugh McKenna and Ted McKenna.

It started in the early 1960s in a Glasgow school, moved to a secret makeshift bedroom in a factory and ended with a stolen van on a London street in 1968. But between those events lay hundreds of concerts, gang warfare, fan hysteria including a riot involving 7000 people, work with David Bowie - and a single that was a hit but went unrecognised. This is the story of The Beatstalkers - Scotland's number one beat group. Dave Lennox, Alan Mair, Ronnie Smith, Eddie Campbell and Jeff Allen were national heroes by their teenage years. They lived and played through Glasgow's No Mean City era and gathered the bruises to show for it. They pioneered an approach to music that set them on the road to fame and fortune. MARTIN KIELTY is author of 17 books, with three in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Permanent Collection. He's a magazine journalist, TV and radio presenter, former band manager and drummer.

Scotsman Chris Glen found fame in 1972 when his band Tear Gas united with an established Glaswegian rock star to become The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. He went on to work with Michael Schenker, Ian Gillan, John Martyn and many others - and made a point of living every experience open to the bona fide rock star over the past five decades. This is Chris Glen's story in his own words. Co-written with author, rock journalist, musician and former colleague Martin Kielty. Foreword by Eric Singer of Kiss.

A legend of the Glasgow Apollo, written by Martin Kielty - author of acclaimed documentary book Apollo Memories... Monday, May 1, 1978... AC/DC just left town with a live album on tape. Thin Lizzy, David Bowie, UFO and Black Sabbath are on their way. Logie Paterson, singer with local heroes Fox Ache, looks forward to a show by his favourite band, Night Garden. There's a lot on his mind, and not just the World Cup campaign. He's thinking of quitting his group, and rumours abound that Night Garden have gone punk (at least, that's what the NME says). But worse, far worse: the Glasgow Apollo is about to close - and that means Logie will never get the chance to play there. This is the story of one night in 126 Renfield Street, among the Glasgow choir, in front of the sloping stage, under the bouncing balcony... surrounded by the infamous Apollo bouncers. Illustrations by Jim MacNee.

Are Ye Dancin'? - The first-ever inside story of how Scotland's ballrooms and dance halls remained a central part of Scottish culture throughout the 20th Century. Told by the people who made it happen, the agents, managers and promoters. Eddie Tobin is the author.