Böcker av Scott W Allen

Were They Ever Here at All? More Epic Tales of the Grateful Dead is author Scott W. Allen's third and final installment in his written histories of the revered San Francisco group, updating the Dead's history through August 2022. Mr. Allen's series of biographies are the most accurate, in-depth, and current histories of the Dead ever written.The Foreword to Were They Ever Here at All? More Epic Tales of the Grateful Dead was penned by the late Grateful Dead lyricist John Barlow.Were They Ever Here at All? is a positive exploration of the band's history. Included are essays that delve into Grateful Dead songs such as "William Tell," "Ramble on Rose" and "Terrapin Station." The mysterious death of Neal Cassady in February 1968 is examined in never-before-told detail. The meteoric ascension of Dead & Company during the period 2015-22 is also charted. There are stories that chronicle the rise of the Mime Troupe, and the creation of new off-shoot groups such as Wolf Bros, the Phil & Bob duo, and the Bill Kreutzmann and Billy Strings band. A dozen legendary Grateful Dead shows are explored, among them: February 14, 1968; August 16, 1969 (Woodstock); September 2, 1978 (Englishtown); April 22, 1979 (Brent's debut), and June 18, 1992.In his new tome, Scott has penned touching eulogies to Robert Hunter, John Barlow, Gloria Jones (JGB), Deadhead Adam Katz, and a South Bronx teacher and Deadhead named Lew Kirsch who passed away in 2020 from the coronavirus.Readers will also find stories that deepen and grow the legacies of Bill Graham; Wavy Gravy; Robert Hunter; Vince Welnick; Brent Mydland; Bill Walton; Merry Prankster Joe McCord, Jerry, and Billy.There are loving tributes to tape archivist Dick Latvala, lighting director Candace Brightman, Merry Prankster Joe McCord, Betty-Cantor-Jackson, the Jerry Garcia Band, Steve Parish, Ram Rod Shurtliff, Owsley, and Dan Healy.Were They Ever Here at All? also focuses on the last five years of Jerry's life."I have followed Scott during his time at Relix, and on social media, for years now. His insights and stories about the Grateful Dead are always informative and enjoyable to read. He holds a wealth of knowledge about the band, its members, and the Deadhead community. "I loved his first two books, and they would be a welcome addition to anyone's Dead library. I just finished this one, and I think it's my favorite of the three ! "This book is a wonderful mix of history and personal tales that will take you right back to the good old days." - Rob Campbell, Deadhead, Jackson, MI

Aces Back to Back is the most comprehensive, fun, fact-filled and up-to-date history of the Grateful Dead ever written - now updated through August, 2016 !! From the band's inception, through the death of Jerry Garcia, and on to their incarnations as the Other Ones, the Dead, RatDog, Phil Lesh and Friends, the Mickey Hart Band, 7 Walkers, and Furthur - a replete history complemented by never-before-penned Grateful Dead stories, anecdotes and tales. Our biography features a Foreword from Grateful Dead lyricist and renowned civil libertarian John Perry Barlow. The cover is drawn by acclaimed poster artist Steve Johannsen (Grateful Dead, Phil Lesh and Friends, RatDog, Furthur, Gov't Mule) and the interior features 18 original illustrations by Steve and the gifted Lauren Kroutil. In his brand-new, updated 2nd edition, available September 1, Scott has added several new, amazing stories to the Grateful Dead canon, never-before-published tales that add to his already fantastic and exacting account of the Dead's history, which is told from their earliest roots - the spring, 1961 introduction of Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter - and detailed right up to the Gathering of the Vibes festival in Connecticut in August, 2014. Few moments in the band's history in-between are missed !! Aces Back to Back celebrates the most minute - Weir gets to sing almost all of the songs at two '78 shows because Jerry is ill - and doesn't forget any of the glory: the Acid Tests, the Sixties, the Haight-Ashbury, Woodstock, Watkins Glen, the Wall of Sound, the band's late-career success with In the Dark, the Warlocks shows in '89, the Deadheads, and so on. All the key players are here, too: Dr. Albert Hofmann, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, the Family Dog, the Mime Troupe, Augustus Owsley Stanley III, Wavy Gravy and the Hog Farm, Tom Constanten, Winterland, lyricists Robert Hunter and John Barlow, Bill Graham, Mouse and Kelley, Betty Cantor-Jackson, Dan Healy, Bill Walton, Jerry's guitar history with luthier Doug Irwin, the Egypt shows, Bob Bralove, John Cutler, et. al. Today, the Grateful Dead's music continues to reverberate within the hearts and souls of their fans - faithful, long-time Deadheads and younger audiences drawn to the band's legendary, magical appeal, making Aces Back to Back a must-read for fans of all ages !! Scott W. Allen wrote for Relix magazine from 1983 until 1992, serving as Senior Writer, columnist ("Fragments"), and feature article writer. He is a veteran of nearly 250 Grateful Dead concerts and has taught on the high school and college levels for more than 25 years. Mr. Allen was commissioned by the Library of Congress to write the essay that accompanied the enshrinement into the National Recording Registry of the Grateful Dead's show on May 8, 1977 at Barton Hall on the campus of Cornell University. "This book is a gift ... it is from Scott Allen, an utterly shameless Deadhead, to the community he has loved for a long time. It is, in one sense, a historical textbook. Scott understands that the real object of his adoration is not the band, but the Mysterious Creature which sometimes arises between them and the audience, which all of us create and of which each of us should be properly in awe. I hope you will accept this book with the grace in which it's given. As a fairly shameless Deadhead myself, I am grateful for it." - John Perry Barlow, Grateful Dead