Graham Bond: The Mighty Shadow [Hardcover]

Harry Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1992

On the 8th of May 1974 a man propelled himself into the path of a train at Finsbury Park Underground station: the mangled body was later identified from its fingerprints - which revealed a criminal record - as that of Graham Bond. When Graham Bond died in these bizarre circumstances he was only 37 but his roller-coaster life's influence on the development of rock music was still being felt. It was the same man who had been a major force in the British R&B movement; who had worked with a list of stars such as Alexis Korner, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce; who had "invented" jazz-rock; and who was an outstanding alto saxophonist and organist. This biography, although it is completely factual, reads like the plot of a popular fiction thriller. It is a modern fable of one of rock's less romanticised victims. It does not moralize but perhaps offers an insight into the turmoil of a talented mind that was creative but, shredded by the temptations of rock 'n' roll excess, proved ultimately self-destructive.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Gullane Children's Books (April 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851125832
• ISBN-13: 978-0851125831
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,543,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Written Biography Of A Wasted Talent, April 8, 2007

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Classic Gibbon (Over the Rainbow) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Graham Bond: The Mighty Shadow (Hardcover)

In telling the life story of the almost forgotten British virtuoso jazz/R'n'B/rock musician, Graham Bond, author Harry Shapiro gives a masterclass in writing rock biographies. Well written, thoroughly researched and objective throughout, he charts the highs (too few) and lows (too many) of the life of a musician's musician. Without Graham Bond there would have been no Cream, no Colosseum and no jazz rock. His recorded legacy can only hint at the excitement, innovation and forward thinking nature of the music. Harry Shapiro does a first rate job at explaining what could have been - and what went wrong. The book, although not shown on Amazon's listings, is now available in an affordable paperback edition.