Greg Prato is a Long Island, New York-based music journalist, who writes for a variety of sites and magazines, including All Music Guide, Billboard.com, Rolling Stone.com, and Classic Rock Magazine, among others. He is a life-long fan of rock n’ roll music, and one of his favorite singers just happens to be Shannon Hoon, and one of his favorite guitarists just happens to be Tommy Bolin! Also, be sure to check out my new book, 'Grunge is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music,' available via all fine online booksellers.
[NOTE - TO VIEW SAMPLES FROM ALL 3 BOOKS, CLICK ON THE BOOK TITLES ON THE RIGHT.]
Click here to see what I'm currently up to, and to view vintage Blind Melon and Tommy Bolin pictures not included in the books.
Danny Clinch is the photographer of the Shannon Hoon pic above.
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Print: $19.99 One of the most tragic stories of the 1990’s rock world was that of singer Shannon Hoon, and his band, Blind Melon. Despite scoring one of the decade’s most enduring singles and videos, “No Rain,”and a quadruple platinum hit with their 1992 self-titled debut album (in addition to touring alongside rock’s biggest names), Hoon could not overcome a dangerous drug addiction. Only two records into a promising career, Hoon was dead from an overdose at the age of 28. ‘A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other’ is the first book to tell the group’s story—culled from over 50 exclusive interviews (including the surviving band members and those closest to the band) and featuring many never-before-seen photos.
“I am honored that Greg has painstakingly accounted for what the hell happened during those crazy times. He has summed up all the chaos, jubilation, and paranoia that is Blind Melon.”
-Brad Smith, Blind Melon bassist
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Print: $19.98 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
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Print: $19.99 Before he was the author of such books as ‘A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon,’ ‘Touched By Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story,’ and ‘Grunge is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music,’ Greg Prato was a writer for such respected UK-based publications as Classic Rock, Guitarist, Metal Hammer, and Record Collector. ‘No Schlock…Just Rock!’ collects most of Greg’s writing for these mags between a five-year span (2003-2008), with the focus on the crème de la crème of classic rock, heavy metal, and punk/alt-rock. Included are features that explore the entire careers of Faith No More, Soundgarden, Bad Brains, Meat Puppets, The Cars, The Raspberries, and GG Allin, as well as additional interviews/articles on the Ramones, Cheap Trick, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Jethro Tull, Rush, King Crimson, Steely Dan, William Shatner, and Run-DMC (among many others), plus the 3 articles that later led to Greg's Melon, Bolin, and Grunge books.
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