Customer Reviews

The Tombstone Tourist : Musicians

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Several years ago, my daughter and I went searching for Jimi Hendricks grave while we had some time to kill in Seattle waiting for a plane. I had discovered the name of the cemetery in a book I had read, but it still took us about an hour poking around before we found the actual grave. We left a couple of coins and a note that just said "Thanks Jimi". The experience was quite incredible. We both walked away feeling we had done something worthwhile. We had given something back to the music, and to the memory of a great musician. I was hooked. Since then I have made a point of looking for the graves of people who have left their mark on our culture. Last year I had two major disappointments. I spent a couple of hours early one Sunday morning searching in vain for the grave of Muddy Waters in a suburban Chicago cemetery. A few weeks ago, I spent another two hours in a cemetery in L.A. looking for Frank Zappa and Roy Orbison without success. Two nights ago Amazon.com delivered me Scott Stanton's "The Tombstone Tourist". Within ten minutes, the book had paid for itself. I discovered where all three were precisely located, and why I was unable to find Frank and Roy. They are both buried in unmarked graves, about twenty five feet apart. The book is very tastefully written. It is obvious that Scott has a great deal of respect for all the artists he has taken considerable effort to find. There are excellent bios and an incredible wealth of information and trivia on each of the hundreds of artists presented. The only error I have found is that Chet Baker died in a fall from a Paris hotel room. Actually it was Amsterdam. Close enough. I have not found a better reference book on popular culture than "The Tombstone Tourist". Those of you who feel that looking for dead celebrities is a little macabre should get the book and go out to find someone whose work you admire. You will find it a tremendously rewarding experience. Don't forget to take flowers, or an appropriate gift to leave at the grave.

This is a great coffee table book to have around when you have idle moments - the entries are all about a page long and it is quite fascinating. Each entry has a capsule history of the musician describing their rise to fame, how they died, and detailed info to find the location of the grave. Most entries have a photo of the person and/or the gravesite. There's quite a variety of musicians included, from Buddy Holly to Elvis to Lawrence Welk and Roy Orbison. Some graves seem quite obscure, in stark contrast to the life led by the occupant.

It's sobering to see that the end comes for us all, no matter how rich or famous.

Book is well-researched; contains enormous amount of information about obscure and not-so obscure blues musicians. I bought the book in hopes of finding out more about rock and roll. Also, one GLARING error that set my teeth on edge - the author perpetuates the myth, the lie, that Jeff Porcaro's death was cocaine-related. If there is a second edition, the editors need to know that the author put the information backwards. An early rumour said that cocaine contributed to Jeff's early death at age 38. This was not true. Autopsy revealed that he had premature hardening of the arteries; the fumes from the pesticide he was using in his back yard was too strong for his system to handle; his heart simply gave out. Tragic enough that he is dead - I sincerely hope that the details of his cause of death are put in order so that no further readers are led to believe this vicious lie.

This is a great source if you want to know where any dead musicians are buried. Jammed packed with interesting tidbits regarding the artists life and death. I can't wait for the upcoming new editions in this series.

The older I get I ask myself, "is this person still living?" This book provides a quick reference. An as I become aware of deaths or major events in a musicians live I write it in the back pages. Morbid, but a part of life and musical history.