“Money doesn’t talk, it swears,” Bob Dylan once sang, and he would know.

The famously inscrutable rock icon, who offered a peek beneath the veil of secrecy surrounding his life and work in his 2004 bestseller, “Chronicles, Vol. 1” has reportedly signed a six-book deal with Simon & Schuster, according to Crain’s New York Business. Financial details of the deal weren’t released, but Crain’s reported that Dylan’s literary agent, Andrew Wylie, was seeking eight figures for the books.

Two of the books will be sequels to “Chronicles” and a third will have to do with material from Dylan’s Sirius/XM radio show, “Theme Time Radio Hour.” There’s no word yet on the content of the other three books.

If you haven’t read “Chronicles,” I highly recommend you do. Though it skips around in time and somewhat perversely avoids what most people would think of as his career highlights, Dylan vividly brings to life several periods that were meaningful to him, including his early days in New York and the artistic process behind making relatively obscure efforts like “Self-Portrait” and “New Morning,” as well as his late-’80s comeback “Oh Mercy.”

Dylan has been the subject of many, many books over the years, but last year brought a real crush of titles, including two that are also recommended, “Bob Dylan in America” by Sean Wilentz and “Bob Dylan,” by Greil Marcus.

Rock School founder releases latest CD 

St. Louis musician and teacher Dave Simon, who, in 2003, founded his Rock School for young people interested in learning to play an instrument and perform in a band, is planning a concert to show off songs from the school’s first CD release, “Alphabet Soup.” The disc, which features Beatlesque pop songs with educational lyrics, is credited to Dave Simon and the Kidzrock Band.

The songs were written for use in the school’s rock band program for four-to-seven year olds, which is also called Kidzrock. The band includes Simon and members of the Rock School’s teaching staff.

The concert is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 13 in the school’s new concert venue at its 1305 Baur Boulevard location. Cost is $5 per family. For tickets, call 314-692-ROCK.

Remembering Debbie Friedman 

Earlier this month, singer/songwriter Debbie Friedman died at the age of 59. Friedman was known as “the Joan Baez of Jewish Song” and her work was instrumental in giving ancient liturgy a renewed appeal among contemporary worshippers.

Singing in English and in Hebrew, Friedman recorded more than 20 albums, including “Miracles & Wonders” “Renewal of Spirit,” “The Water in the Well” and, most recently, “As You Go on Your Way: Shacharit – The Morning Prayers.” Perhaps her most famous song is a version of “Mi Shebeirach,” a prayer for healing, which is sung by congregations around the world.

A sometimes polarizing figure whose work reflected her strong social conscience, Friedman’s goal was, according to a statement on her website, “to help people see how prayer can be a source of comfort in both good times and bad.”

“In this time of tremendous uncertainty, when so many are feeling anxious and stressed, the comfort and sense of peace that prayer brings is a wonderful thing. To be able to start your day that way is even better.”

Music impresario Kirshner leaves a legacy

Of significance to the wider world of rock and roll was the recent passing of Don Kirshner. A music publisher, concert promoter and all-around impresario, Kirshner had a long, impressive run at the top of the music business.

In the early ‘60s, Kirshner’s publishing company was at the heart of New York’s Brill Building scene – never mind that his offices were not actually located in the famed building itself, but were instead across the street. Kirshner’s stable of hit songwriters included Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill, and others.

He also expanded bubblegum pop’s appeal to TV by creating “The Monkees” and turned comic book characters into a chart-topping group with the Archies.

But the Kirshner project that is likely best remembered by baby boomers is “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert,” which, in the years before MTV, made groups ranging from the Rolling Stones to the Ramones accessible to American homes with the flip of the channel.

As notable as the performers may have been, Kirshner’s introductions of the bands were even more memorable. Sporting a tan that would put John Boehner to shame and dressed in the finest double-knit styles of the moment, Kirshner woodenly introduced the acts, usually mentioning their managers as prominently as the musicians themselves.

Imitating Kirshner’s Bronx-accented delivery for a time became a cottage industry for “Late Night” bandleader Paul Shaffer, who at the time was on “Saturday Night Live.”There are many, many clips of “Rock Concert” on YouTube that are well worth checking out.

Happy birthday, Neil

And speaking of Neil Diamond: Happy birthday to the legendary singer/songwriter, who turned 70 on January 24. Diamond will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March.