Musicians aren’t simply one-note people. They have hobbies and interests that often evolve into other ventures outside of music. While some artists may be entrepreneurial, starting alcohol brands and clothing companies, others may take to the garden, the golf course, or maybe even the kitchen. Music and food aren’t initially thought of as going hand-in-hand, but some artists have recipes in their repertoire that they just have to sing about. Here are 10 musicians who have written their own cookbooks.
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1. Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg released his cookbook, From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg’s Kitchen, in 2018. The 50-recipe book contains how-tos on making everything from fried bologna sandwiches to filet mignon. He reveals his top 5 favorite recipes from the book in the video below.
2. Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn’s You’re Cookin’ It Country: My Favorite Recipes and Memories –the title a nod to her 1971 hit “You’re Lookin’ At Country”– was published in 2004. The cookbook was a product of her humble upbringing, a simple, but nourishing guide to eating well affordably. The book contains comforting Southern-style fair made using plenty of Crisco, a product she was a spokesperson for back in the day.
3. Coolio
Cookin’ With Coolio was much more than just a cookbook by the late “Fantastic Voyage” rapper. He turned the endeavor into an instructional web series that he hosted. Watch below as he kidnaps a college student to teach him how to make a nice meal on a budget.
4. Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle is not only a soul queen, she is also cookbook royalty. The artist has five best-selling cookbooks to her name – Desserts LaBelle: Soulful Sweets to Sing About, Recipes for the Good Life, and Patti Labelle’s Lite Cuisine to name just a few.
5. Naomi Judd
Whether you’re in the midst of single parenthood or about to go on a tour bus, the late Naomi Judd made sure to compile recipes for any and every situation in her 1997 guide, Naomi’s Home Companion: A Treasury of Favorite Recipes, Food for Thought, and Kitchen Wit and Wisdom. Watch her give her expert pound cake opinion below.
6. Boy George
Boy George’s Karma Cookbook: Great Tasting Dishes to Nourish Your Body and Feed Your Soul was published in 2001. The book offers a how-to when cooking on a macrobiotic diet, a life change that took the artist on a journey to health and happiness.
7. Ted Nugent
Kill It & Grill It: A Guide To Preparing And Cooking Wild Game And Fish came in 2002 and was Ted Nugent’s comprehensive guide to … well, killing and grilling. He tells hunting stories, offers tips on cleaning and dressing game, as well as recipes to go along with what you’ve bagged. Listen to him talk about his lengthy hunting expeditions below.
8. Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow’s If It Makes You Healthy: More Than 100 Delicious Recipes Inspired by the Seasons –the name is a riff on her classic ’90s tune “If It Makes You Happy”– was published in 2011. With an emphasis on cooking seasonally and using locally grown ingredients, the book is a how-to on eating healthy without sacrificing flavor.
9. Dolly Parton
Featuring over 100 recipes, Dolly’s Dixie Fixin’s: Love, Laughter, and Lots of Good Food is more than just a cookbook. It’s an intimate look at Dolly Parton through the recipes she’s collected from her childhood and beyond. Go step-by-step with her as she cooks her sentimental stone soup below.
10. Linda McCartney and Family
Another sentimental collection is Linda McCartney’s Family Kitchen: Over 90 Plant-Based Recipes to Save the Planet and Nourish the Soul. The 2021 cookbook was compiled by the late artist’s husband, Paul McCartney, and their daughters. In her lifetime, Linda published a number of vegetarian cookbooks, helping to pioneer a meatless food movement, so her family honored her with one more.
Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Americana Music
