 | |
List Price: $19.98 | | Publisher: Greg Prato
Salesrank: 84795
|
| Our Price: $17.97 |
| Used Price: $16.75 |
|
| Media: Paperback |
|
Editorial Review:
To many, Tommy Bolin was the legitimate heir to Jimi Hendrix's rock guitar throne. Stints with the James Gang and Deep Purple - as well as solo albums and a groundbreaking release with jazz-rocker Billy Cobham - certainly proved that the adulation was rightly deserved. And with a techno-color fashion sense, he certainly stood out from the pack. Only one problem, Tommy had a death-defying drug addiction, which ultimately would lead to a premature and tragic end - before he was able to truly take his standing among the elite musicians of the world. 'Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story' is the first book to focus entirely on the life story of Tommy Bolin - compiled from nearly 50 exclusive interviews (including family, friends, and band members that played alongside Tommy throughout the years). "After reading 'Touched by Magic,' it seemed to me every interview 'takes you there' for the moment...I give 105 stars to Greg!" -Johnnie Bolin, Tommy's brother
Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story Reviews:
AWESOME READ 
2009-09-10 - Greg's book, TOUCHED BY MAGIC answered a lot of questions we've been asking for years. It is a treat for any rock and roll fan, but particularly Tommy Bolin Fans. It's a must. Do yourself a favor and order today.
Ramona Zachary
Great book on Tommy Bolin
2009-07-29 - Ive been a fan of Tommy Bolin Id say since around 1980 when I was about 15-16, when a friends older brother had a copy of TEASER that we played. Soon after I purchased PRIVATE EYES. Great songs, great guitar playing and great vocals. While listening to these albums back then, found out he had died an OD few years earlier,,,and most of all he was from SIOUX CITY, IOWA!! I was from Cedar Rapids. To hear a ROCK STAR from IOWA was unheard of! I was that much more interested. In my Sophmore year, a new student in school sat next to me. He had moved to CR from Sioux City. Of course I had to ask him about Tommy. He said he and friends would go to the parents house, and the proudly showed Tommy's room and personnal items.
Years and Years later...around 2000, I finally made my way to Sioux City. Found the Calvary cemetary and paid my respects to Tommy. The tombstone had grass covering it...probably mowed a week before. I had to brush it off. Kinda of sad. The place was very peaceful.
A few weeks ago, I dig out some Tommy CD's to play in the car. Havent played in about a year. You know, Im thinking...there should be a book about TOMMY!!?? I did a search..and I found this...released about 6 months ago.
Now, I read a lot of ROCK BIOGRAPHIES...kind of a hobby. I have to say this is one of the best Ive ever read. Coulndt put it down. I loved it. The ending is pretty suspicious. Makes you wonder...what did really happen that last nite in Miami??
5 stars.
Fantastic and Overdue Book on Tommy Bolin's Legacy
2009-06-22 - What a fantastic, surprise read this is. Greg Prato took me back to the days of my youth when I purchased Tommy Bolin's Teaser album without even hearing a stitch of his music. Sometimes I'd buy an album without hearing the music based on the cover and who was in the band. I purchased Tommy's Teaser album before it was even played on the radio, and turned all my friends on to it. It wasn't before long that everybody in the neighborhood that enjoyed great music had their own copy of it, and it was played at every party and gathering during my sophomore and junior years of high school.
When Private Eyes came out, it was a race to see who would pick it up first.
I'll never forget the day I came home from school - the radio was on and they mentioned that Tommy had died. I was in a state of denial and depression for quite awhile afterward.
I still have the scratchy, original Teaser album that was played thousands of times during my youth, and will never part with it.
Thanks for the great job on the book, I couldn't put it down once I received it! KUDOS to Greg Prato for keeping Tommy's music alive!
disjointed! 
2009-04-19 - i was a huge fan of tommy's during the deep purple years and his solo stuff and was always very interested in hearing the whole story of what happened to him.
i've read this book twice now and a lot of questions have been answered but i feel that a lot of what's been written in this book are only opinions given by people that were angry and shocked at his death. i'm 47, and when i look back at my life at 25, i was a lot like tommy,(minus the talent) and i guess i'm blessed to have made it through those years.
many of those interviewed here would have you believe that barry fey, (tommy's manager) is the devil. well, a few things evident are that he was a businessman and that he believed in tommy's God given gift. although some of the things he did were shocking!
i really feel for tommy's family and their loss! only God knows what he would have accomplished had he lived a full life.
i only became a tommy bolin fan when he joined deep purple but have discovered many other great things he did later. i'll read this book a few more times and maybe i'll have a different opinion then...but one thing i've gathered so far is that there were a lot of shenanigans going on around him late in his life! r.i.p. tommy
Bolin comes alive
2009-03-09 - If you're interested in the history of rock music in general, and particularly if you're a fan of Tommy Bolin, you should not miss "Touched by Magic - The Tommy Bolin story" by author Greg Prato.
Although his recording career spanned only six short years, Tommy Bolin managed to record an impressive number of albums, many of which are now considered timeless classics.
Put "Teaser", "Private Eyes", "Spectrum", "Come taste the band" or "Whips and Roses" on your stereo, sit down with "Touched by Magic - The Tommy Bolin story" and (re)discover one of the greatest guitarplayers/songwriters/musicians in the history of modern music!
Thanks to Greg Prato for a very good book - and for keeping the spirit of Tommy Bolin alive!
