Rick Massimo grew up in Providence, Rhode Island; covered the Newport Folk Festival for nine years for The Providence Journal, and attended it for nearly 20 years. He is also the author of the book A Walking Tour of the Georgetown Set and currently works as the assistant editor of Chess Life magazine. He and his wife, the novelist and playwright Christine Evans, live in Washington, D.C. A 25-year-veteran of newsrooms operated by the USA Today Network.

John W. Barry’s passion for writing and love of music laid the groundwork for his book, Levon Helm: Rock, Roll & Ramble—The Inside Story of the Man, the Music and the Midnight Ramble. The book’s foreword was written by Ringo Starr.