Hand Me My Travelin' Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell

Hand Me My Travelin' Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell

by Michael Gray (Author)

Synopsis

The great pre-war blues musician Blind Willie McTell was one of the most gifted artists of his generation, with an exquisite voice and a sublime talent for the 12-string guitar. Yet he never achieved stardom, and until now little has been written about his extraordinary life. In this odyssey to the American South, Gray evokes the turbulent history of McTell's time and place and peels back the many layers of his compelling, sometimes tragic but ultimately uplifting story. Part biography, part travelogue, part social history, this is an atmospheric, unforgettable tale.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 448
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published: 06 Oct 2008

ISBN 10: 0747565619
ISBN 13: 9780747565611
Book Overview: The true story of legendary blues musician and singer Blind Willie McTell, inspiration for the much-loved Bob Dylan track of the same name
Prizes: Shortlisted for James Tait Black Memorial Book Prize: Biography 2008.

Media Reviews
`Part biography/part travelogue, this is a fascinating exploration of the life of the Georgia bluesman from the great Dylanologist' * Observer Music Monthly *
`The narrative is sprinkled with curious information, memorable meetings and fogeyish asides. At the end of a fascinating journey we know much more not only about McTell but about the world of intractable otherness that blues musicians of his time had to negotiate' * Tony Russell, Mojo *
`A wonderful book about a spellbinding musician ... his understanding of the strange, contradictory forces that made McTell's music so beguiling is deep' * Will Hodgkinson, Guardian *
`Fascinating ... Gray is a fastidious researcher and here presents not just an authoritative portrait of the great bluesman, but also a vivid history of the South in general ... Gray is also a sharply observant travel writer and some of the book's best writing is devoted to brilliantly evocative descriptions of the backwaters he visits and the people he meets *****' * Uncut *
Author Bio
Michael Gray is a writer on music and travel. An expert on rock 'n' roll history, he is author of the critically acclaimed Song & Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan and The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia.