The Rock and Roll Journal
 

Rock News, Views, and Interviews

 
 

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LES PAUL MANUSCRIPT READY FOR PUBS

JULY 6, 2008Rock music author Jim O'Donnell has finished his latest manuscript, a book about legendary guitarist-inventor Les Paul.

The book is an authentic portrait of Les Paul the persona person who turns out to be even bigger than the guitarist, the genius, or the guitar.

Also included are four helpful appendices: a Les Paul discography, filmography, webography and bibliography. Each list has 10 items.

When O'Donnell wrote a profile of Les Paul, the guitar great enjoyed the piece so much he had it hanging directly behind him onstage for two years.

O'Donnell is working on  Lennon's Last Day, a book that reconstructs the last hours of John Lennon's life. 


QUEEN GUITAR MEETS KING GUITAR: Queen's Brian May, left, jams with Les Paul, right, inventor of the electric guitar, at Fat Tuesday's, a jazz club in New York City.

Les Paul frequently welcomes fellow musicians, of all styles, to his stage. Besides Brian May, other guests have included Jimmy Page, Steve Miller, Eddie Van Halen and Keith Richards. 
(Photo Copyright © 1992 by Jim O'Donnell)



THE ROCK BOOK
PINNACLE, 1975

All the writing and photography on this website Copyright © 1969-2008 by Jim O'Donnell.  Email: odonnell@rockandrolljournal.com

 

Links:

Ten Years After

The Day John Met Paul

Jimi Hendrix

The One Big Secret to Pop Music Success

Lincoln and Lennon

Frank Zappa

Alan Freed

Rolling Stones

Blondie

Jim O'Donnell

 

ARCHIVE SPECIAL: THE FREDDIE MERCURY TRIBUTE CONCERT, 1992

After the concert, I had to pick my way through a courtly gathering of rock royalty backstage. Looking for someone who understands rock 'n' roll lead-singing and losing a bandmate in equal measure, I asked Roger Daltrey about the lead-singer who was missing.

In a voice thick with emotion, Daltrey told me: "When we lost Freddie, we not only lost a great personality, a man with a great sense of humor, a true showman, but we lost the best virtuoso rock 'n' roll singer of all time." Go to Article


THE DAY JOHN MET PAUL
PENGUIN BOOKS , 2006

"Jim O'Donnell has a reporter's curiosity, a rock 'n' roller's heart, and he writes like a lyrical Irish poet."       Michael Lydon, a Founding Editor of ROLLING STONE magazine

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QueenB.B. KingWhoChuck BerryAlan Freed