David's second book, "B.B. King:There Is Always One More Time" is being published by Backbeat Books on September 16th, 2005, the same day as the blues giant's 80th birthday, "There Is Always One More Time" is the first intensive, album-by-album look at the artist's monumental and influential recorded legacy. Weaving biographical and session detail together, the book details the myriad influences B.B. shaped into his signature sound and supplements the musical analysis with insights from producers and musicians (including Calvin Newborn, who at age 16 played guitar on B.B.'s first recording sessions) concerning the making of some of the key recordings in the catalogue. Interviewed for the first time ever in any B.B. King book are producers Bill Szymczyk and Stewert Levine, who between them are responsible for 10 of B.B.'s most important albums. In another interview exclusive to this book, John Broven, A&R Coordinator for Ace Records U.K. (which is engaged in an ambitious reissue program of all of B.B.'s Crown albums from the 1950s), offers his informed take of B.B.'s growth as a recording artist, as reflected on the Crown albums, during his years under contract to the Bihari brothers' Modern operation. What better way to honor an extraordinary career than to reflect on the musical legacy that has made B.B. King a beloved and respected artist throughout the world? "B.B. King:There Is Always One More Time" does exactly that. The author is available for interviews. David's previous book was a biography of Carl Perkins, "Go, Cat, Go! The Life and Times of Carl Perkins, The King of Rockabilly," published by Hyperion in 1996. It was a finalist for the Ralph J. Gleason Awards. He is the country music editor for barnesandnoble.com, and his work also appears in Rolling Stone, Acoustic Guitar, and The Absolute Sound, and he has penned liner notes for albums by Dr. John, The Chieftains (four reissues), and B.B. King In addition, he has contributed to all four volumes of the Rolling Stone Album Guide, and wrote the concluding chapter in the companion book accompanying the PBS Series "American Roots Music." He has served as an assistant curator at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and is curator of the American Music Museum, opening soon in Helena, Arkansas. |
Contact: Literary Agent, Sarah Lazin Books Email: slazin@lazinbooks.com Contact David McGee: bbkingbook@aol.com For more information on David Click Here (in depth interview at www.rockcritics.com) |
David McGee In The Press • Steve Earle Book Reviews • • B.B. King Book Reviews • • B.B. King Book Review ~Thunder Bay Blues Society • • Blues & Rhythm, UK • • Lexington Herald Journal • • Memphis Business Journal • • Memphis Commercial Appeal • • Washington Post • • Other • |
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Steve Earle: Fearless Heart, Outlaw Poet Fearless Heart, Outlaw Poet examines the life and music of Steve Earle, one of the most important singer-songwriters of our time. Through in-depth interviews with family members, producers and other musicians who have recorded with Steve, and with Steve himself, this second volume in Backbeat's Lives in Music series traces a journey that began in southeast Texas, took the artist to Number One on the Country album chart with his acclaimed and influential debut album, Guitar Town, then found him nearly losing everything in the depths of drug addiction until he chose to live. With that decision, he mounted one of the most remarkable comebacks of any artist in recent memory, ending four years of silence with a pared down, acoustic gem of an album, Train a-Comin', followed by a succession of challenging projects done in collaboration with his co-producer Ray Kennedy. • MORE• read recent reviews by clicking here In stores now, Released January 2005 Order from Back Beat Books - Click Here Order from Barnes & Noble - Click Here Order from Amazon.com - Click Here |
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B.B. King:There Is Always One More Time The first volume of the Lives in Music series, B.B. King charts this blues master's life from childhood in the Mississippi Delta up to his first studio session. It then takes an inside look at the musician's distinguished career, album by album, offering a critical appraisal of each recording and a portrait of the making of each album. First-hand interviews with B.B King, as well as producers, engineers, arrangers, and key musicians bring these sessions to life and provide readers a context for understanding B.B. King's recordings. read recent reviews by clicking here read the recent Blues & Rhythm review by clicking here read the recent Toronto Star review by clicking here In stores now, Released September 2005 Order from Back Beat Books - Click Here Order from Barnes & Noble - Click Here Order from Amazon.com - Click Here |
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Carl Perkins: Go Cat Go Carl Perkins tends to turn up in rock-and-roll chronicles as an also-ran: the guy who wrote "Blue Suede Shoes," cut a crackling version of the song for Sun, and then saw Elvis nudge it out of the spotlight with his version. Certainly he lacked Presley's personal magnetism as a performer. But Perkins, who was born in Tennessee in 1932, was a true original. As a singer and guitarist, he was one of the prime begetters of rockabilly. And his songs--not only "Blue Suede Shoes," but "Dixie Fried," "Matchbox," "Honey Don't," and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby"--were definitive expressions of hipster attitude, which probably explains why the Beatles recorded the latter three. David McGee, a frequent contributor to Rolling Stone, writes about Perkins with great sympathy and tact. He manages to describe his subject's struggles (of which there were many) without descending into voyeuristic pathography. As for Perkins himself, he remains proud of his legacy: "I loved it--there ain't nothing prettier than two clean teenagers out there jitterbugging. And if they want to jitterbug at my funeral to 'Blue Suede Shoes,' I might just raise up and say: Go, Cat, Go!" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Order from Barnes & Noble - Click Here Order from Amazon.com - Click Here |