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Title: Unfinished Business: The Life and Times of Danny Gatton by Ralph Heibutzki, Ralph Biebutzki, Arlen Roth ISBN: 0-87930-748-X Publisher: Backbeat Books Pub. Date: July, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.75 (8 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A good biography hurt at times by unnecessary hyperbole
Comment: I enjoyed this book overall. It gives one a good enough idea of who Danny Gatton was and what made him such a respected guitarist. I knew a little about Gatton going in, not a lot though, and I feel like the author succeeded in filling in the blanks. I also thought the book handled Gatton's unfortunate death in an objective fashion while remaining sensitive to the emotional issues involved.
But this book also has a few problems, I think. The worst being that, in an effort to give Gatton the status he thinks he deserves, sometimes the author goes a little overboard with stuff hyping Gatton's guitar playing prowess.
For example, on page 76, we learn it was 'ironic' that Chet Atkins took an interest in Lenny Breau instead of Gatton, after seeing both play, and that Atkins surely had to have been 'scared' by Gatton's ability. We see this kind of thing at times throughout the book, and at one point it even reaches as far as Eric Clapton. (Only Clapton's manager has lunch with Gatton, so of course we conclude Clapton was scared of him too!)
But this happens most often in relation to Roy Buchanan, and I can only assume that is because Gatton traditionally has been eclipsed by Buchanan's shadow. Based on my listening experience, this is probably for good reason -- Buchanan conveyed power and intense emotion in his playing, while still showing awesome creatively and technique; this really isn't the case with Gatton, and at times he even sounds like someone aping Buchanan -- but at the very least it's debatable and the relative status of the two should be presented fairly as such, as was done in Phil Carson's Roy Buchanan: American Axe.
This is a very worthwhile book though, despite the (mostly) minor drawbacks. You may want to supplement the book with some CDs to get a better feel for Gatton's status as an elite guitar player, and who his influences were. Of course that starts with Danny Gatton CDs, but I would also suggest picking CDs by the following: Roy Buchanan, Hank Garland, Lenny Breau, and Tal Farlow.
Rating: 5
Summary: Gatton
Comment: I miss Danny. Best live shows of my life. Ten of my top ten. You had to see him. No tape can convey the sound of the amp and the subtle confidence of the man. Buy the book.
Rating: 5
Summary: The informative biography of a guitar virtuoso
Comment: Written by respected published journalist Ralph Heibutzki (a regular contributor to the "All Music Guides" and whose articles regularly appear in a number of music magazines and journals), Unfinished Business: The Life & Times Of Danny Gatton is the informative biography of a guitar virtuoso who was popularly known for his love of a broad selection of genres including country, gospel, soul, as well as his own self-dubbed style of "Redneck Jazz." Danny Gatton's work spread in influence, even though he never received popular acclaim, and even though his own personal troubles would lead him to end his own life in 1994. Gatton's musical legacy lives on, and Unfinished Business is a profound and introspective life story recommended to the attention of his legions of fans and admirers, as well as American Music History library collections.
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Title: Roy Buchanan: American Axe by Phil Carson ISBN: 0879306394 Publisher: Backbeat Books Pub. Date: 01 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title:Tom Principato and Danny Gatton: Blazing Telecasters ASIN: B00008G90L Publisher: Redeye Distribution Pub. Date: 25 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.99 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $17.99 |
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Title:American Axe: Live in 1974 ASIN: B00009EIQP Publisher: Powerhouse Records Pub. Date: 03 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $14.99 |
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Title:Live in Japan ASIN: B0000AVF28 Publisher: Repertoire Pub. Date: 18 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $20.99 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $20.99 |
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Title:Heartbreak Hill ASIN: B0000CF344 Publisher: Sugarhill [Country] Pub. Date: 14 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $14.99 |
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