From Cradle to Stage: My Son the Rock Star and the Remarkable Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Music's Greatest

Virginia Grohl, mother of Dave Grohl, had not seen any of it coming. Not the arenas of screaming fans, not Nirvana or the Foo Fighters, not the induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and certainly not her son, Dave, performing with Sir Paul McCartney at The White House. Theirs had always been a life full of music - the Grohl family sang together on long car trips, harmonising to Motown and David Bowie - yet Virginia never expected her son to become a musician. But when she saw Nirvana play for the first time to crazed applause from thousands of screaming fans, she knew nothing would ever be the same. She was the mother of a rock star.

And as she watched her son's star rise, she often wondered about the other mothers who raised sons and daughters who became rock stars. Were they as surprised as she was about their children's fame? She often wondered about the mystical force that urges some of us to listen, to play, to surround ourselves with music. She wanted to talk about it with the other mothers whose sons and daughters were sharing stages with Dave, and she decided to seek them out wherever they were. So began a two-year odyssey talking with women from all over the world including Verna Griffin, Dr Dre's mother; Carolyn Williams, Pharell William's mother; Janis Winehouse, Amy Winehouse's mother, Patsy Noah, Adam Levine's mother; Donna Haim, mother to the Haim sisters; and Hester Diamond, mother of Mike D of The Beastie Boys, to name just a few.

From Cradle to Stage will appeal to mothers everywhere, but particularly to those with children who march (or play) to the beat of their own drum. It's also for those children who have their mothers to thank for so much in their lives. For music lovers and rock fans, it's the ultimate backstage pass for anyone who has wondered what it's like to be on the inside... looking out at a packed arena.

Featuring a foreword by Dave Grohl and exclusive family photographs, interviews are interwoven with the Grohl family story, resulting in a very intimate portrait of what makes a rock star.

By:   Virginia Hanlon Grohl
Imprint:   Coronet
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 129mm,  Spine: 15mm
Weight:   170g
ISBN:   9781473639584
ISBN 10:   1473639581
Pages:   240
Publication Date:   May 2018
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Virginia Hanlon Grohl, the mother of Grammy-winning rock star Dave Grohl, retired from a thirty-year teaching career, then jumped on tour buses and planes to travel to rock shows throughout the U.S. and Europe with her son and the Foo Fighters. Her next tour, travelling to meet the mothers of other stars, provided the profiles for her first book, From Cradle to Stage. She's now enjoying a quieter time in her Sherman Oaks, California home being constantly amazed by the gourmet meals her daughter and son entertain her with (a far cry from their PB & J days) and the wondrous, every-changing beauty of her three granddaughters.

Insightful * Daily Telegraph Music Books of the Year *