Stevie Nicks, Willie Nelson and More Discuss the Craft of Singing in New Book

A new book featuring some of music’s most influential artists spotlights the realities and challenges of being a vocalist. Set for release on September 5 via Permuted Press, The Singers Talk – The Greatest Singers of Our Time Discuss the One Thing They’re Never Asked About: Their Voices, includes more than 70 revealing conversations with musicians focused on their unique approaches to singing.

Author and musician Jason Thomas Gordon talked in-depth with artists from across genres and generations, including Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Stevie Nicks, Ozzy Osbourne, Mavis Staples, Joan Jett, Patty Griffin, The Who’s Roger Daltrey, The Cure’s Robert Smith, Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, and many more. 

Gordon also recruited an array of artists and music industry heavyweights to discuss the vocal talents of performers from the past. The Singers Talk includes intimate discussions with Clive Davis about Whitney Houston, Nile Rodgers on David Bowie, Tom Morello on Chris Cornell, Marky Ramone on Joey Ramone, Butch Vig on Kurt Cobain, Jimmy Iovine on Tom Petty, and Wendy Melvoin on Prince. 

Each interview and discussion reflects on each artist’s artistic methods and the strategies used to keep their voices strong and healthy. During his included interview, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke notes, “This is the most geeked out I’ve ever talked about my voice!”

[RELATED: Top 10 Thom Yorke Songs—from Solo Hits to Radiohead to The Smile]

“Singing is so much more than hitting the right note,” Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs explains in her conversation with Gordon. “It’s about connecting with the audience, connecting with something divine, connecting to your most primitive and deepest intuition, and to your nature as a human on this planet.” 

Royalties from book sales will go toward Gordon’s charitable fund, Music Gives to St. Jude Kids, which benefits children and families cared for by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Gordon’s grandfather, actor and singer Danny Thomas, founded the hospital in 1962.

(Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage)