num_pages: 224
description: This is the autobiography of a master musician, the King of British blues saxophone. In the 60s and 70s Dick was the cornerstone of such seminal R&amp;B bands as Alexis Korner s Blues Incorporated, the Graham Bond Organisation, John Mayall s Bluesbreakers and Colosseum, paving the way for R&amp;B-influenced rock groups like Fleetwood Mac, the Yardbirds, the Animals and the Rolling Stones. With his pithy humour, Dick describes the revolutionary founding years of British R&amp;B - his anecdotes about Ginger Baker, Alexis Korner, Charlie Watts and the unforgettable Graham Bond alone are worth the price. An extraordinarily entertaining book, Dick s unrelentingly honest account of his musical career also reflects on what it takes to be a full time musician, and grapples with the racism and drug abuse endemic in the music industry. In the back of the book is a CD featuring 25 minutes of previously unreleased tracks by Dick Heckstall-Smith, illustrating the sheer musical diversity of his work.
language: English
title: Blowing the Blues: Fifty Years Playing the British Blues
titlecomplete: Blowing the Blues: Fifty Years Playing the British Blues
genres: Music
ratings_count: 9
publisher: Clear Books