What more can be said about Graham Parker? Apparently, plenty as Jay Nachman lets us know in his book Graham Parker’s Howlin’ Wind. A fan of Parker’s since his freshman year of college in 1977, Nachman presents a book here filled to the brim with everything that matters about the unique UK singer and songwriter.
From the juicy intro Nachman gives us about his love for the music of his late teens and early 20s (late 70s stuff especially) to the fantastically rich bio info (lots coming from Parker himself) to a break down of many a song’s lyrics and where they may have come, to Parker’s journeyman muso travels and, of course, the formation of The Rumor we get a great glimpse of the times Parker made his moves in.
The best music biographies for me are not merely a fan genuflecting over his or her heroes; God knows we have all seen too much of these books! Or a tome filled to the brim with facts and figures across an album-by-album analysis.
What books like Graham Parker’s Howlin’ Wind give us is true insight into the uniqueness of an artist, while grounding them in the here and now by relating their everyday moves and seeming amount of real-life struggles. And Graham Parker is nothing else if not unique. Without knowing much more about the man and any of the ‘rumors’ surrounding him, this is still an excellent read. I can only thank Jay Nachman, and, of course, Graham Parker and The Rumor for the insights this chunky little book gave me.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
Purchase
Graham Parker’s Howlin’ Wind
