Willin': The Story of Little Feat
Veteran rock journalist Fong-Torres, former editor of Rolling Stone, here delivers the first full-length biography of cult favorites Little Feat, formed in 1969 by ex-members of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. In many ways, the story of the band is the story of Lowell George, a gifted vocalist, slide-guitar player, and songwriter whose sophisticated lyrics and surreal sense of humor became the band’s trademark. The portly, charismatic George incorporated all kinds of music, including rock, funk, and jazz, in layered arrangements with lyrics spanning a gamut of moods, from the heartache of “Willin’” to the mirth of “Fat Man in the Bathtub.” Drawing on interviews with bandmates, family members, and fellow musicians, including Bonnie Raitt and Linda Ronstadt, Fong-Torres details the in-fighting; the romantic entanglements (which rival those of Fleetwood Mac); the drugs; and the music. George’s untimely death at the age of 34 devastated remaining band members, although they re-formed a decade after his death. This long-overdue biography is a treat for Feat fans and an homage to a seminal ’70s band whose influence on other musicians far outweighs its commercial success. --Joanne Wilkinson