Hi, I'm Michael Lydon, a writer and musician who loves in New York's East VIllage. I've written many books, most on popular music, but also several on literature and philosophy. I also write songs, music and lyrics, and perform around NYC, often with my partner, pianist-composer Ellen Mandel.

My writing career started on newspapers in the 60s, then Newsweek. After helping found Rolling Stone, I went freelance, writing for the NY TImes, Atlantic Monthly, Village Voice, and other magazines. My went on the road with pop musicians--BB King, Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones--and wrote interview-profiles. In the 70s I began playing guitar, and Ellen and I moved to the Big Apple.

My best known book is Ray Charles: Man and Music, the definitive biography of the Genius. I've also published numerous essays through my own Patrick Press, including Writing and Life, and Real Writing, a study of great realists from Balzac to Solzhenitsyn.

I love writing, especially its musical qualities!