From Cradle to Stage

Stories from the Mothers Who Raised Rock Stars

By: Virginia Grohl

Narrated by: Virginia Grohl

Written by Virginia Grohl, the mother of Dave Grohl—former Nirvana drummer and current frontman for the Foo Fighters—From Cradle to Stage shares stories and exclusive photos featuring mothers of rock icons, the icons themselves, and their Behind the Music-style relationships

While the Grohl family had always been musical-the family sang together on long car trips, harmonizing to Motown and David Bowie-Virginia never expected her son to become a musician, let alone a rock star. But when she saw him perform in front of thousands of screaming fans for the first time, she knew that rock stardom was meant to be for her son. And as Virginia 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? Did they worry about their children's livelihood and wellbeing in an industry fraught with drugs and other dangers? Did they encourage their children's passions despite the odds against success, or attempt to dissuade them from their grandiose dreams? Do they remind their kids to pack a warm coat when they go on tour?

Virginia decided to seek out other rock star mothers to ask these questions, and so began a two-year odyssey in which she interviewed such women as Verna Griffin, Dr. Dre's mother; Marianne Stipe, Michael Stipe of REM's mother; Janis Winehouse, Amy Winehouse's mother; Patsy Noah, Adam Levine's mother; Donna Haim, mother of the Haim sisters; Hester Diamond, Mike D of The Beastie Boys' mother.

With exclusive family photographs and a foreword by Dave Grohl, From Cradle to Stage will appeal to mothers and rock fans everywhere.

Critic reviews

"In From Cradle to Stage, Grohl proves that the most interesting thing about rock moms is not their children - it's a culmination of the decisions they've made as mothers: the sacrifices, boundless support and trust that granted their children the freedom to pursue their dreams."—LA Weekly

"From Cradle to Stage finds Grohl interviewing the mothers of 18 music stars, shedding light on what it's like to raise a creative child who becomes a star, as well as sharing elements of their own stories."—New York Post

Fun & interesting

Great parenting advise for every parent! Fun stories & I love her voice. Such a mom♥️

Wonderful book for parents

This is a fantastic book for parents with kids that don’t “fall in line” or fit into the cooperative box in school. It makes me question my own parenting methods. Am I standing in their way? I hope not. I found the book to be lovely.

loved it!

A great idea for a book! Loved the stories and insights.Felt like I was sitting with a friend.

Love!

To hear about a person’s journey told from the perspective of the mothers?? Amazing. So thoughtful and deferential to the parental journey for some of the coolest musicians of our time.

So interesting to get the behind the scenes view of artists and their Mom’s stories!

Loved hearing these stories and finding out little rid bits of info I didn’t know previously. So interesting to hear backstories!

If you love music, you will love it. But you don’t have to love music to enjoy it.