
Jeff Apter

I'm the author of more than 25 books. My work includes biographies of musicians
the Finn brothers, Johnny O’Keefe,
Marc Hunter, the Bee Gees, ‘Shirley’ Strachan, Daniel Johns, Angus Young and Keith Urban. I've also ghostwritten with musicians, including ARIA Hall of Famers Kasey Chambers and Richard Clapton, sportsmen, diplomats and soldiers of fortune. Most recently, I helped soccer star Tim Cahill update his memoir, Legacy.
My new biography of Jon English, Behind Dark Eyes, is published on 19 March. Stay tuned for more details.
Friday On My Mind: The Life of George Young, the third part of my 'accidental trilogy' on the Young brothers, was published in 2020. Renowned music writer and historian Glenn A Baker called the book 'compelling'. 'One hopes the Acca-Dacca community will . . . reward Apter's tome with the sales it merits,' he wrote. The book has also been very well reviewed in the Canberra Weekly, the Daily Telegraph and the Sydney Morning Herald and was the Book of the Month at ABC Adelaide. I spoke with Stuart Coupe at Dirt Music and launched the book at an event at Warners Bay with John Paul Young.
Malcolm Young: The Man Who Made AC/DC, which was also published by Allen & Unwin, has been selling strongly since its release in August 2019. There's a terrific story about the man and my book here, while you can read an extract from the book here.
The Book of Daniel: From Silverchair to Dreams has become a bestseller since its release in November 2018. It can be ordered at Booktopia. The book has been well received; ABC Illawarra said it was a 'cracking read', while Rod Quinn of ABC Overnights described it as a 'great story, well told'. You can read more at the Daily Telegraph, Who magazine, the Daily Mail and TheMusic website. I also spoke with Zan Rowe at Double J. A new edition of the book was published in early December 2019.
A second edition of my bestselling 2017 biography of Angus Young, entitled High Voltage, is also out now, along with editions in Finnish, Hungarian, Bulgarian and Czech languages. while a new version of my Jeff Buckley bio, A Pure Drop, has been published. You can read about the book at The Guardian and news.com.au. My recent collaboration with American photographer Merri Cyr, 25 Years of Grace, is out now in the US and soon in Oz.
I was the dramaturge for the Helpmann Award-nominated 2015 live production, A State of Grace: The Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley. I also spent four years on staff at Oz Rolling Stone. Over the years I've had the good fortune to interview such greats as Aretha Franklin, Robbie Robertson, the Rolling Stones, Helen Reddy, Mick Rock and Patti Smith. This work can be found at the Rock's Back Pages website.
Here's a gallery of images charting where I've been and who I've met. Life's never dull, that's for sure.
Author pic credit: Sylvia Liber
Read Morethe Finn brothers, Johnny O’Keefe,
Marc Hunter, the Bee Gees, ‘Shirley’ Strachan, Daniel Johns, Angus Young and Keith Urban. I've also ghostwritten with musicians, including ARIA Hall of Famers Kasey Chambers and Richard Clapton, sportsmen, diplomats and soldiers of fortune. Most recently, I helped soccer star Tim Cahill update his memoir, Legacy.
My new biography of Jon English, Behind Dark Eyes, is published on 19 March. Stay tuned for more details.
Friday On My Mind: The Life of George Young, the third part of my 'accidental trilogy' on the Young brothers, was published in 2020. Renowned music writer and historian Glenn A Baker called the book 'compelling'. 'One hopes the Acca-Dacca community will . . . reward Apter's tome with the sales it merits,' he wrote. The book has also been very well reviewed in the Canberra Weekly, the Daily Telegraph and the Sydney Morning Herald and was the Book of the Month at ABC Adelaide. I spoke with Stuart Coupe at Dirt Music and launched the book at an event at Warners Bay with John Paul Young.
Malcolm Young: The Man Who Made AC/DC, which was also published by Allen & Unwin, has been selling strongly since its release in August 2019. There's a terrific story about the man and my book here, while you can read an extract from the book here.
The Book of Daniel: From Silverchair to Dreams has become a bestseller since its release in November 2018. It can be ordered at Booktopia. The book has been well received; ABC Illawarra said it was a 'cracking read', while Rod Quinn of ABC Overnights described it as a 'great story, well told'. You can read more at the Daily Telegraph, Who magazine, the Daily Mail and TheMusic website. I also spoke with Zan Rowe at Double J. A new edition of the book was published in early December 2019.
A second edition of my bestselling 2017 biography of Angus Young, entitled High Voltage, is also out now, along with editions in Finnish, Hungarian, Bulgarian and Czech languages. while a new version of my Jeff Buckley bio, A Pure Drop, has been published. You can read about the book at The Guardian and news.com.au. My recent collaboration with American photographer Merri Cyr, 25 Years of Grace, is out now in the US and soon in Oz.
I was the dramaturge for the Helpmann Award-nominated 2015 live production, A State of Grace: The Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley. I also spent four years on staff at Oz Rolling Stone. Over the years I've had the good fortune to interview such greats as Aretha Franklin, Robbie Robertson, the Rolling Stones, Helen Reddy, Mick Rock and Patti Smith. This work can be found at the Rock's Back Pages website.
Here's a gallery of images charting where I've been and who I've met. Life's never dull, that's for sure.
Author pic credit: Sylvia Liber
Friday on My Mind
August 2020
Malcolm Young: The man who made AC/DC
August 2019
The Book Of Daniel: From Silverchair to Dreams
November 2018
High Voltage
August 2017
A Pure Drop: The Life of Jeff Buckley
December 2016
Playing To Win
October 2016
Tragedy: The Sad Ballad of the Gibb Brothers
August 2015
The Fighter
August 2015
The Coaches
June 2014
Johnny O'Keefe: Rocker. Legend. Wild One.
January 2013
A Little Bird Told Me...Kasey Chambers
September 2011
Dirty Deeds
August 2011
Together Alone: The Story of the Finn Brothers
January 2009
Fortunate Son: The Unlikely Rise of Keith Urban
January 2009