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London Lives > Arts, Culture and Sport
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London Lives has been created in association with the National Portrait Gallery - check out the pictures where you see the National Portrait Gallery logo.
Bobby Moore - Jeff Powell
Robson Books, ISBN: 1861055110
Bobby Moore was the embodiment of all that was great about English football. Captain of West Ham United, whom he led to the 1964 FA Cup and the 1965 European Cup Winners' Cup, and Captain of England in their triumph in the World Cup in 1966; he was loved and respected throughout the world. In this definitive and authorised biography, award-winning sportswriter Jeff Powell - for many years a close friend and confidant to Moore and his family - has written a powerful and fitting tribute to this legendary man.
-- NewhamCharlie Watts - Alan Clayson
ISBN: 1860745814
"Charlie Watts lived in Brent and went to my school - there used to be a huge painting by him hanging in the corridor, his mum used to chat to mine in the co op - and he got me the Stones autographs!" - Charles Robert Watts, born 2nd June, 1941, occupation: drummer with the Rolling Stones for 40 years. In this work, Alan Clayson delves into the life of Charlie's rock history.
-- BrentDudley Moore: an intimate portrait - Rena Fruchter
Ebury Press, ISBN: 091897572
Dudley Moore (1935-2002) was brought up in Dagenham and attended Dagenham County High School. He studied music at the Guildhall before winning an organ scholarship to Magdalen College, Oxford. Dudley was a multi-talented performer whose career ranged from jazz and classical musician and composer to satiric comedian and Hollywood movie star. He wrote: "I'm grateful to my time in Dagenham. It was a very nourishing - certainly not easy - but very influential time. I had major experiences there which have affected me for my whole life ... I think for the best. I shall always remember, with affection, my roots".
-- Barking and Dagenham
Elton, Made in England - Judy Parkinson
Michael O'Mara, ISBN: 1854793144
An entertaining and authoritative account of the public and private life of the flamboyant musician and entertainer who used to live in Pinner
-- HarrowFour More Weeks: A Season in the Life of a County Cricketer - Mark Ramprakash
Vision Sports Publishing Ltd, ISBN: 1905326017
Outstanding sportsman Mark Ramprakash, who attended Gayton High School and Harrow Weald 6th Form College gives a fascinating insight into the game of cricket. Find out what goes on behind the scenes in the dressing room and how players are affected by the pressures of travel and the desire to get runs.
-- HarrowFrank Lampard - the biography - Douglas Thompson
Blake Publishing, ISBN: 1844541096
The story of Frank Lampard so far. A real insight into his career, how he was brought up and his lifestyle. The book also demonstrates how he has contributed significantly to Chelsea's first league title in more than fifty years. A must read for any aspiring young footballer!
-- Hammersmith and FulhamFreddie Mercury: The Definitive Biography - Lesley-Ann Jones
Coronet, ISBN: 0340672099
It might have been for a short period, but Freddie graced Hounslow during his teenage years. Treat yourself to a moment of nostalgia; re-live Freddie's life, and "Bohemian Rhapsody" will seem like yesterday!
-- HounslowFull time: the autobiography of a rugby legend - Jason Leonard
HarperCollins Willow, ISBN: 0007193920
Jason Leonard, the most capped rugby player of all time, was born at Barking in 1968 and attended Warren School. His rugby career began with Barking and then Saracens. He joined Harlequins in 1990, the year he was first capped for England. Playing for England a record 114 times, and 24 times for the British and Irish Lions, he retired from the international game following England's World Cup win in 2003. Jason was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Barking & Dagenham in 2004, saying: "This is a great honour for me. I have been lucky to collect a number of awards throughout my career. I will particularly cherish this one because of its significance to the Borough in which I grew up."
-- Barking and DagenhamGeorge Morland: His Life And Works - George C. Williamson
Kessinger Publishing Co., ISBN: 1417967889
Artist 1763 - 1804 George Morland's notorious love affair with some of Brent's pubs bought him trouble but left us with some of his best known paintings ( Len Snow - local historian)
-- BrentBBC Books, ISBN: 0563488743
Henry Cooper is most famously remembered for a night in which he nearly changed the course of boxing history. On July 19th 1963 he fought the up and coming Cassius Clay. Henry's famous left hook, "Enry's Hammer" dumped Clay on the canvas, raising "the biggest cheer in boxing history". Clay went on to defeat Cooper, when a right hand unzipped the skin above his left eye. Arguably Britain's greatest ever heavyweight fighter, Henry is much-loved by the British public as boxing's "gentle giant". Henry's career has been prodigious and he has fought and seen most of the true boxing greats. His story brings in the legendary names of boxing: Rocky Marciano, Floyd Patterson, Sonny Liston, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and, of course, Ali. If you love boxing, you'll love this book.
-- BrentVirago, ISBN: 1844080501
Harrow resident and well-known author and agony aunt Claire Rayner gives and honest and lively account of her difficult childhood and eventful and happier adult life
-- HarrowInside story - Greg Dyke
ISBN: 0007193645
Read Greg Dyke's own account of his rollercoatser experiences in broadcasting, from Hayes to White City via the South Bank and Camden Lock - a London life indeed
-- HillingdonJaney and me; growing up with my mother - Virginia Ironside
Perennial, ISBN: 1841157511
A revealing and painfully honest memoir. This is renowned writer and journalist Virginia Ironside's poignant view of her life growing up with fashion professor and media icon Janey Ironside. A startling portrait of a gifted woman in a time of extraordinary
-- Hammersmith and FulhamThe Kinks - Marten Neville
ISBN: 1860743870
This a biography of the enduring band whose leading members Ray and Dave Davies who were born in Muswell Hill. It covers their induction to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and the release of their album 'Songs we sung for Auntie'
-- HaringeyThe Legendary Joe Meek: the Telstar man - John Repsch
ISBN: 1901447200
Visit "Joe Meek's Out-of-this-world" - an exhibition at Finsbury Library, Islington from 15th February - 25th May 2007
-- IslingtonRobson Books, ISBN: 1861053592
A collection of humorous of autobiographical stories featuring tales from Maureen Lipman's private and professional life in television, film and the theatre
-- HaringeyPan, ISBN: 0330313851
Studios in Isleworth provided a filming location for Paul Robeson. Known worldwide for his singing and acting, he was also an accomplished athlete and scholar. As a committed socialist, he campaigned vehemently for racial equality. Dogged by illness in old age, he is still remembered for his portrayal of Othello, and his recording of "Ol Man River".
-- HounslowRock on Wood - Terry Rawlings
ISBN: 1900924803
And that is what is interesting about Rawlings biography of Ronnie. It includes, of course, the requisite stories of drug- indulgence and wild-living, but the overall tenor of the book is of a regular bloke making his way workmanlike through the slightly weird world of rock and roll from the samll faces to the Rolling Stones.
-- HillingdonSome luck - John Bird
Hamish hamilton, ISBN: 0241141583
A portrait of the founder of the Big Issue. Tense unpolished prose adds to the starkness of Bird's grim upbringing in the once slums of now trendy Notting Hill. Essential reading for anyone concerned with Britain's underclass, or for that matter, anyone interested in how an impossible venture was brought to triumphant success
-- Hammersmith and FulhamSpike: An Intimate Memoir - Norma Farnes
Perennial, ISBN: 1841157872
An outstanding memoir written by Spike Milligan's long-term manager which reveals the tortured individual behind the goonish faade. There are better books about Spike's contribution to comedy (Lewisham's annual comedy festival has been renamed Spikefest in homage to him), but no more accurate portrayal of the man himself
-- BrentStill suitable for miners: Billy Bragg: the official biography - Andrew Collins
Virgin, ISBN: 753506912
Billy Bragg was born at Barking Hospital in 1957. He grew up in Barking, which he has always considered his home. After attending Barking Abbey Comprehensive he had a variety of jobs. He is now a musician known for his blend of folk, punk-rock, and protest music. His music is a combination of poetry and political comment, with a dash of romance. The Times has described him as a "national treasure". In the two decades of his career, Billy has made an indelible mark on the conscience of British music, becoming perhaps "the most stalwart guardian of the radical dissenting tradition that stretches back over centuries of the country's political, cultural and social history". He recently appeared in a promotional film celebrating the diverse community of Barking and Dagenham.
-- Barking and DagenhamStrange fascination - the David Bowie story - David Buckley
Virgin, ISBN: 0075310022
Bowie's pioneering sexual experimentation, cracked actor showmanship and ability to embrace every musical genre from glam rock to drum'n'bass have made him into the biggest commercial success in rock history since the Beatles and the Stones.
-- BromleyThe Way We Wore: A Life in Threads - Robert Elms
Picador, ISBN: 033042033x
A guy we South Londoners don't admit to reading or listening to as he's from the wrong side of the river - and Danny Baker's life story has yet to be written. His partly autobiographical tale is of a man compelled to stay one step ahead of fashion. Is it a tale about capital trends and style or one man's insecurity and the dilemma of fearing you have the wrong haircut? A London life lived by many even in unfashionable Lewisham.
-- CamdenBloomsbury, ISBN: 0747570205
At times unbearably moving, this is the funny, sad, passionate story of Sheila Hancock's marriage to John Thaw.
-- Bexley