Rock & Roll Heaven

by Robert Dimery, Bruno MacDonald

The final days of more than 100 world-famous pop music personalities are recounted here--not only the relentless rockers of the 1960s, '70s, and later, but also stars like country singer Hank Williams, blues artist Robert Johnson, and many others who fell prey to tragic circumstances--and often, to self-destructive impulses. Here are the facts behind the deaths by drug overdose of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin in 1970, and of Sid Vicious in 1979. Here too is John Lennon's tragic death at the hands of a demented gunman, and the details behind the premature deaths of singers like Elvis Presley, Jerry Garcia, and Karen Carpenter. Among the many stars now resting in Rock & Roll Heaven are--

* Buddy Holly *Sid Vicious *Sam Cooke * John Lennon * Otis Redding * Brian Jones * Dennis Wilson * Jimi Hendrix * Marvin Gaye * Janis Joplin * Freddie Mercury * Jim Morrison * Kurt Cobain * Bobby Darin * Jerry Garcia * "Mama" Cass Elliot * Tupac Shakur * Keith Moon * Jeff Buckley

Rock & Roll Heaven is an eminently browsable book, filled with absorbing facts about music legends, and supplemented with a selection of memorable photos. Here too are stories behind the headlines for trivia fans, details of each artist's career highlights, and a handy fast-reference index for serious music history researchers. Rock & Roll Heaven is must-reading for everyone interested in rock history. Photos in color and in black and white.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arranged chronologically by the day these musical icons departed this world, this book gives us a brief look into the lives of people such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and more!

Did you know that 30 years after his death, Elvis is the richest "Dead" Rock 'n Roll icon -- he made $52 million in 2006!

[Harley Lond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just what the title says: The final days of more than 100 world-famous pop music personalities from the 1960s, '70s, and later. Most entries are two pages long -- a full-page photo and a page of text. Virtually every pop and rock star who has died up to the date of the book's publication (2007). I wracked my brain and the only star left out was Sonny Bono. Why?

[Loveliest Evaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're like me, you'll find this book equally compelling and equally frustrating.

Compelling because of the very comprehensive look at each deceased music artist, along with a brief look at their upbringing, their personalities, and their life in the music biz.

Frustrating because so many of these people died before their time not because of freak accidents, but because of drug overdoses. A lot of them simply partied and said "fuck it" and took crack and heroin, boozed it up, and their bodies gave out. It makes me want to hold seances just so I can call up their spirits and scream at them for being so utterly stupid as to throw their lives away like that. A lot of them were depressed and battling inner demons, which led to self-medication, but most of the time it was just them partying and making such poor decisions.

Remember, no one forces drugs like cocaine, heroin, or alcohol into peoples' hands: They choose to go down that route and the fact that they were too far gone in many cases to see that using more of the stuff was only going to further alienate themselves from their fellow band members, their fans, their record labels, and their success just shows how much damage it can do to your state of mind.

Don't fucking do drugs. If you drink, drink without becoming dependent on it. If you need to take anti-depressants, make fucking sure you follow up with some counseling.

Also, don't ever fly in a private plane, EVER. Ever ever ever. Ever. Ever. If you've ever touched a guitar and played the bass line for Smoke on the Water, your chances of dying in a plane crash probably increase by 160%. It's like God has a thing against musicians being in the sky.

I think less than five of the people listed here died peacefully/naturally. Oh and two people died on my birthday (September 7).

We also have those singers or artists whose deaths we feel are more tragic than others due to our love for their music. Mine are as follows: John Denver, Layne Staley, Marvine Gaye, and Freddie Mercury. It ain't fair!

[Rosemary Callahan-Middleton]

Book "coffee table" book. Great gig in the sky.