@ajroach42 Biographies are tricky, and what makes or breaks them isn't the subject — it's the author. I read a bio of the ideal subject (one of my favorite musicians, eccentrics, and wits, Vivian Stanshall) called "Ginger Geezer", and it was so bloody dull my wrists practically slit themselves. On the other hand there's a magnificent bio of Tiny Tim by Harry Stein that would be hard to outdo because Stein was working directly with Tiny and his associates, and was a fascinating writer to boot. Both were ideal subjects — tricky, elusive, colorful personalities — and yet one plods while the other sings.

Unfortunately it's hard to tell the good writers from the bad before you read them. Just pick some people you want to learn more about and the good biographies will be obvious in hindsight.