Holly George-Warren

Holly George-Warren connects individual lives with changes in popular culture through her work as an American music writer, editor, biographer, and teacher. A Man Called Destruction traces Alex Chilton’s unpredictable career from his teenage success singing with the Box Tops through the influential recordings of Big Star, later experiments with punk and roots music, and a restless solo life. Penguin published the biography in 2014. George-Warren draws on extensive research to explain why an artist with uneven commercial fortunes became a central reference for later indie and alternative musicians. Her background includes eight years as editorial director of Rolling Stone Press, articles for publications including the New York Times and Rolling Stone, and books about Gene Autry, Janis Joplin, fashion, and music history. She has also taught at the State University of New York at New Paltz. In A Man Called Destruction, that combination of reporting and editorial experience helps her place detailed recording sessions, collaborators, labels, and performances within the larger evolution of American rock.