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Jimi75
May 28th, 2009, 05:52 AM
...and explain why.
No Tab or learning books mentioned here.

Here are my three books:

1. Wonderland Avenue - by Danny Sugarman
This book is based on the true story of Danny Sugarman, who had from his early teens on a father son like relationship with Jim Morrison. This book fascinates you from the first page on, leads you through Dannys later heavy drug abuse, and his adventurous youth and child years. Very moving! Very emotional.

2. Crosstown Traffic (J. Hendrix) - by Charles Shaar Murray
This book is so different from all the biographies you might have read. Murray set Jimis Music into context with all Blues/Black/Contemporary music. Murray writes short biographies of people like Robert Johnsons, Charlie Christian and points out similarities to Jimi and of course the footsteps these guys left on Jimi's musical path. Murray does not exploit Jimis death and makes it a fancy story, in fact he dedicates only 1 or two pages to this tragic chapter. Reading this book was diving into the world of people like Robert Johnson, it was the missing link to Jimi's music and life.

3. 35 years on the road with Rory Gallagher - by Gerry McAvoy
Gerry McAvoy starts right there where Rory Gallagher was just another Irish Kid playing the guitar and takes us down the road to success. McAvoy writes with passion and he writes detailled, always with true love for his skip, Rory Gallagher. We are on the road most of the time, we get to know all the ups and downs, the slow decline of RG and the very private insights of Gerry McAvoy, who must have been one of the few persons who really knew RG. First I wanted to put BB King's biography in 3rd place, but Gerry McAvoy's book is a little better I think.

R_of_G
May 28th, 2009, 07:06 AM
1. The Real Frank Zappa Book by Frank Zappa. The single best musician autobiography in existence. The story alone is fascinating, but told through the exceptional humor of FZ, it is a book I re-read once a year. I love him for much more than just his music and this book gives many reasons why.

2. Miles: The Autobiography of Miles Davis by Miles Davis & Quincey Troupe. You want a history of jazz, here it is. If you want to know why Miles was such a moody person, read about some of the often violent racism he and his colleagues were forced to face. He is also very honest about his drug problems and how they affected his career. It's another book I re-read annually.

3. Babylon's Burning by Clinton Heylin. The extremely detailed and well written history of the rise of punk in England in the US. After you read that, go directly to Heylin's From the Velvets to the Voidoids which gives the rest of the story focusing on the American side of things. They are both essential reading for music history. These books should be required reading for young people before they have their usual ignorant arguments with me about what is and isn't punk. If they knew the history, they'd shut the hell up.

Spudman
May 28th, 2009, 07:27 AM
Back Stage Passes - Angela Bowie
It's about Bowie

Three Chords and the Truth - Lawrence Leamer
The strange attraction to Country music semi explained

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today - Taylor
Cause it's about the Beatles by an insider