TOMMY BOLIN: 'Touched By Magic' Book Available Now

    More Tommy news I felt was worth posting here...this looks to be a beautiful collection...

    www.lulu.com/content/5189342

    Late DEEP PURPLE Guitarist TOMMY BOLIN: 'Touched By Magic' Book Available - Dec. 15, 2008
    To many, Tommy Bolin was the legitimate heir to Jimi Hendrix's rock guitar throne. Stints with the JAMES GANGDEEP 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), and featuring many never-before-seen photos.

    "Touched by Magic" is available through www.lulu.com for $19.98 (U.S.), and there is a sample chapter to read at the site (the chapter is titled "Moxy/Teaser/Deep Purple"). The book was written by journalist Greg Prato, whose work has appeared in a variety of sites and magazines, including All Music Guide, Billboard.com, RollingStone.com, Record Collector, and Classic Rock, among others. A longtime fan of Tommy's music, Greg conducted interviews with such renowned rock names as David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Eddie Kramer, Carmine Appice, Jan Hammer, Martin Barre, Jimmy Haslip, Mark Stein, Prairie Prince, Dale Peters, Jim Fox, Alphonse Mouzon, Kenny Passarelli, Henry Paul, Narada Michael Walden, Reggie McBride, and Otis Taylor, as well as Tommy's brother, Johnnie Bolin (among countless others), for the book.

    While it will obviously appeal to fans of Tommy Bolin, this 252-page paperback book (whose title comes from a phrase that keyboardist Jan Hammer once said to describe Tommy's guitar playing) will also be of interest to fans of classic rock in general, as large portions of the book focus on DEEP PURPLE, the JAMES GANG, and Billy Cobham, while you'll find additional stories that involve LED ZEPPELIN, Jeff Beck, JETHRO TULL, the MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA, the TUBES, MOXY, the OUTLAWS, and Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios, among others. You'll also get the inside scoop on such classic Tommy-related releases as Billy Cobham's "Spectrum", the JAMES GANG's "Bang" and "Miami", and DEEP PURPLE's "Come Taste the Band", plus Tommy's two cult classic solo albums, "Teaser" and "Private Eyes". Additionally, new information is gathered around the events that led to Tommy's tragic passing in 1976, after a show in Miami with Jeff Beck.

    Tommy's following continues to grow each year, as his album "Private Eyes" was recently certified gold in the U.S. (500,000 units sold), Dean Guitars recently unveiled a Tommy Bolin "Teaser" tribute guitar, while Hartman Electronics recently premiered a new Tommy Bolin fuzz pedal. And with the release of "Touched by Magic", the buzz is only going to grow louder about the great ommy Bolin.

    "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.     and

    Hi Grace, hope all is well! :)

    Here is some more info I just saw in reference to this book:

    TOMMY BOLIN Book Author To Guest On KKFI 90.1 FM - Dec. 17, 2008
    Journalist Greg Prato, whose work has appeared in a variety of sites and magazines, including All Music Guide, Billboard.com, RollingStone.com, Record Collector, and Classic Rock, will be interviewed by Stormin' Norman of Kansas City's KKFI 90.1 FM on Monday, December 22 at 7:00 a.m. CST. Greg will discuss his new book "Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story", which is said to be the first book to focus entirely on the life story of guitarist Tommy Bolin — compiled from nearly 50 exclusive interviews (including family, friends, and band members that played alongside Tommy throughout the years), and featuring many never-before-seen photos.

    You can listen to the program live via the Internet at www.kkfi.org (click on "Listen Live" in the upper left-hand corner).
    Quote from Fast Joey


    ................hope all is well! :)



    The same for you and your family, too!

    PS......There's 2 dates posted for this live interview:
    The 17th and the 22nd of December.
    But it's not like I can actually tune in, to a KC radio station.
    I'll get to hear it from the radio station web site archive.
    Thanks again, Fast.


    *

    It's the 22nd...the 17th is the day this announcement was made...I thought that might be confusing...sorry! :confused:


    ....and I think you can listen live, if you click that link on the 22nd....

    The interview is this morning, with a few special guests added, and isn't it ironic...the show is called "Big Daddy In The Morning?"

    You can listen live right from your computer, the link is on the bottom of this post...Merry Christmas People, People..

    TOMMY BOLIN Book Author To Guest On 'Big Daddy In The Morning' - Dec. 24, 2008
    Greg Prato, author of the new book "Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story" — which is said to be the first book to focus entirely on the life story of guitarist Tommy Bolin — will be a special call-in guest this morning (Wednesday, December 24) at 8:15 a.m. CST on "Big Daddy in The Morning" on KKMA KOOL 99.5 FM in Sioux City, Iowa. Greg will be joined by in-studio guest, Tommy's brother Johnnie Bolin. Immediately following Greg, Big Daddy will have as special call-in guest Stanley Sheldon (PETER FRAMPTON). Stanley will be reflecting on his days with Tommy and Bobby Berge in ENERGY.

    You can listen to the KKMA broadcast for free by clicking on the "Listen Live" icon on www.kool995.com.

    Glenn just issued this statement regarding Greg's book, Touched By Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story...

    Quote

    Upon reading Greg's book, I found myself, once again, immersed in the deep emotional impact that Tommy had on my life. This book has been a long time coming... what I'm happy about, is the fact that we can all see what a talented young American that Tommy was... more importantly to me, he was one of the sweetest humans I have ever met, not a bad bone in his body. I'm so glad that I got to share a part of his life... Tommy is very much alive in the Hughes household... Peace.

    Glenn Hughes LA 2009

    My copy is in the mail, and I should be getting it in the next day or so. It's great to see Tommy's name in circulation this past year with the Teaser tribute guitar by Dean, the effect pedal and now this book. I still shake my head in disbelief at so much of Tommy's playing, even to this day. He knew no boundaries, and seemed to tap into a wellspring of inspiration that precious few musicians are able to access to the same extent.

    Cheers....Todd

    Been holdin' this back till it seemed a good time. November 21st,1976-Tommy and band played at the Bradley University fieldhouse in Peoria,Illinois. Tommy was the opening act for Pure Prairie League. Quite a contrast in the acts billed, to say the least! It seemed that the majority of the crowd was there to see PPL. Go figure!? :huh: Tommys' set was scorching. Just blowing the country rock fans outta their seats :lol: The visuals remain strong to this day. Tommy was in control, yet shared the the spotlight with his players. Norma Jean Bell absolutely stomped with the saxophone! The rhythm section was super tight and groovin'. The songs "People People" and "Wild Dogs" showcased Tommys' vocals, that so well fit the music. There was a point in one of the songs where the onstage power went out briefly,stage lights and all. Possible overload or tripped wire? Duhno. Once reconnected, the band started the song over. It didn't seem to faze 'em, these guys were pros. The crowd reaction at the end of the set was noteable. Stunned polite applause from the country rock fans, and the minority of ROCK fans picking up the slack with cheers, whoops and hollers. I'd have to rate this in the Top 5 concert performances I've ever seen. The news of Tommys' death a few weeks later was so tragic. Rest in peace to a greatly talented man.

    I just had one of those funny coincidences last week. So I'm driving to Mexico last week and make my usual at the border to get gas, cash and insurance. I'm listening to Glenn's Bolin tribute and I was thinking about Post Toastie- shame it's not on the album. Maybe it's better it's not after the version I saw on the 99 texas tour (it had no guitar solo!!!???) . A friend texted me right then and said he had just heard Post Toastie for the first time- played on LA radio and said "holy cow man that was smoking". I wrote him back and said "now you know how I got off late nights on cruise ships." It's so cool to feedback like this.

    Just finished reading Greg Prato's book, and aside from it being badly in need of an editor, it was quite an enjoyable read. I found it to be alternately inspiring, shocking and moving as it offered insight into the mind and muse behind Bolin's amazing catalog of music. And I've been delving back into music by Energy, Billy Cobham, the James Gang, Deep Purple and Tommy's solo albums as I've gotten to those chapters in the book. It's made for a thought-provoking trip back in time, revisiting Tommy's timeless music.

    I have been fortunate to attend many of the Tommy Bolin tribute concerts since 1997, and have met many of the folks who contributed their recollections to the book. This has helped put faces to a lot of the names, and bring the story even closer to home.

    I wholeheartedly recommend that anyone with an interest in Tommy's music, his collaborations with Glenn and other artists should order the book. It's written entirely from firsthand accounts by the people who were there.

    And if you're not familiar with Tommy Bolin's music, do yourself a favor and get thee to a record store! (Ok, Amazon will do...) I had never heard a note of Tommy's music before 1997 - now you'd be hard-pressed to find a bigger fan. His playing was truly breathtaking.

    RIP Tommy. And get well Johnnie.

    Cheers...Todd

    I just opened the book about an hour ago and it looks like it'll be a great read. It's a shame that Fender decided not to make the new Tommy Bolin Ulitmate guitar since that's what he played.

    John

    TOMMY BOLIN Book Author To Guest On 'Electric Ballroom'

    Tune in to the "Electric Ballroom" radio show with hosts Aimee Kristi and Keith Roth on WRAT this coming Sunday (January 25) at 10:00 p.m. Eastern for an interview with Greg Prato, author of the new book "Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story" — which is said to be the first book to focus entirely on the life story of guitarist Tommy Bolin.

    You can listen to the program live on 95.9 WRAT FM in the New York/New Jersey area or via the Internet at www.wrat.com (hit "Listen Live").

    Read the trip on the flight to a gig Sat...funny next to me our guitarist was reading a book about Duane Allman and we swapped for a bit...Really enjoyed Touched by Magic...the death part just stunned me- there seemed to be more details there then I remember from the 1989 article...still think there was a crime committed...not necessarily murder but negligence or involuntary manslaughter at the least....Too bad they didn't get Norma Jean Bell to say a few words- she's still out there making music.

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