---
product_id: 15638613
title: "Blind Owl Blues: The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson"
brand: "rebecca davis"
price: "A$54"
currency: AUD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 10
url: https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/15638613-blind-owl-blues-the-mysterious-life-and-death-of-blues
store_origin: AU
region: Australia
---

# Blind Owl Blues: The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson

**Brand:** rebecca davis
**Price:** A$54
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** Blind Owl Blues: The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson by rebecca davis
- **How much does it cost?** A$54 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.au](https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/15638613-blind-owl-blues-the-mysterious-life-and-death-of-blues)

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## Description

Blind Owl Blues: The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson

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![Blind Owl Blues: The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61E+CSX+WbL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Valuable book on a blues great
  

*by A***E on Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2016*

A terrific book.  I applaud Rebecca Davis for the work she put in to produce it.  It's obvious it was a real labor of love for her.  Written in an easy flowing style, nearly every page has new information, stuff that will not be found anywhere else.  John Fahey's endorsement of her found on the back cover is on target.  The amount of people in Wilson's orbit she tracked down to interview, obscure or otherwise, is most impressive.  Taking into account Wilson's personal problems and eccentricities, Davis writes with a sensitivity that perhaps only a woman can bring.  Yeah, that's probably sexist.  Oops.  As to some of the reviewers who complain that there's not much insight into Wilson's creative process, well, you can hardly blame the author that of the four pivotal people in this regard who weren't available for comment (Wilson himself, Hite, Vestine and Taylor) three are dead and one isn't talking.  As to the complaints about some typos, I'd be the first to complain - if it was a lousy book.  But because it's such a solid piece of work, it's senseless to get your loincloth in a twist over a typo here and there.Regarding the author's comment on page 150 that the Beatles' Indian-influenced recordings culminated with "Love You To" and "Within You Without You," the third and final "Eastern" song not mentioned would be 1968's "The Inner Light,"the B-side to "Lady Madonna," a 45 that likely would have been in Wilson's record collection.  With respect to the author stating on page 19 that in later years Wilson's music didn't show any significant jazz influences, I would propose that the very unique staccato lines he would occasionally play on harp would be a direct result of his jazz background, the best examples of which can be heard on the Hooker 'n Heat LP.To wander off on my own for a bit,  I believe "Big Fat" to be the only commercially released Canned Heat studio recording during the Wilson era that features someone other than Alan playing  harp.  It would be Bob Hite, naturally.  A few reasons.  For starters,  it's just way too simple.  Nothing Wilson ever played was this basic, and it contains absolutely none of his fingerprints.  It's also very easy to hear the obvious overdub for every single harmonica break.  Alan could have played this in his sleep and he would never need to do multiple overdubs for such a rudimentary part, so it makes sense that Bear did his vocal first, then overdubbed each separate harp break.  The coup de grâce, however, is that Hite can be heard playing the nearly identical riff on "We Like to Boogie," from the bootlegged June 1970 Bath show, while Alan and Harvey are on guitar.  So I think "Big Fat" was a Hite vehicle all the way.  "Catfish Blues" is one other track that Bear plays harp on during Wilson's life, found on Boogie House Tapes 3, but of course it's a live recording and was posthumously released.But I digress.  As usual, I was terribly late in finding this book.  I missed it the first go-around in 2007 and was late for this printing.  Better late than never, as they say.  In a book that has plenty of surprises, possibly the most startling one for me was the discovery that Wilson had absolute, or perfect, pitch.  To say the least, he's in, ahem, pretty good company with Mozart, Bix Beiderbecke, Art Tatum and Hendrix.  But this is also an important book simply because Wilson was such a beautiful player.  Absolute killer tone and throat vibrato - and fearless in his phrasing.  He's certainly my favorite player from the sixties - white or black.  Expressed differently, as good as he was on guitar and as fabulous he was as a singer, his harp playing is what assures him a certain immortality.  Davis' book undoubtedly won't be the last, but it will be hard to top.  I'll put it this way.  I've had one favorite book separated from the downstairs library that's been sitting on our LR coffee table for going on 10 years.  Now I have two books permanently residing there.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Illuminating biography despite it's flaws
  

*by M***H on Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2014*

This book has helped me gain a deeper understanding of the life of the late co-founder/leader of Canned Heat and blues man, Alan Wilson.  For a reader like me, someone totally new to the "Blind Owl", it is a really good primer about his character, background, and artistic drive. The biography does come up a bit short on artistic analysis so if you, good reader, are already well versed on Wilson -and artistic analysis is an important feature to you- you may find this book wanting. That's not to say that this is a shallow read.  The book states in the introduction that it "...is not an in-depth musicological study; rather, it is a biographical tribute." I feel it delivers as a tribute and promotes his music and awareness of his interests. Additionally, my understanding is that this is a self-published, self-financed first book; a culmination of years of research where many would-be prospective interviewees were unavailable for whatever reason. The pool of insights to draw from has been narrowed. I imagine this would make for quite challenging research efforts. Despite these hurdles, I feel that this biography delivers what it sets out to do. It is a key resource in learning more about the Blind Owl in a world where amplified information on him seems scant.Other salient points: the book, as other reviews have mentioned, has it's fair share of typos and some unnecessary repetition in places relating to Wilson's personal habits.  As I awaited my second edition to arrive, I anticipated these first edition typos would be corrected. However, the typos are still there in the second edition waving at you.  Apparently, photos were abundant in the first edition but in this second edition there are none.  I am wondering why that is the case.I found the book to be engrossing.  From everything I have gathered through this biography and what I could find on the internet, Blind Owl is sadly all-around under appreciated and underrated.  I have been alive for almost the exact length of time Wilson has been gone and this year (2014) is the first I am learning about him?  He is a most fascinating character with much to learn from so it is a shame. I have a feeling that his obscurity is due to wider cultural reasons, at least in-part. A documentary or biopic (a-la Daniel Johnston?) would be great to see...seems unlikely, but who knows...Despite these aforementioned flaws I think it is a good -if somewhat basic- biography that does what it purports to do. Yes, it has it's limitations but still serves as a good introduction on the life of Alan Wilson.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Great
  

*by M***R on Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2023*

Quick shipment great condition

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*Last updated: 2026-03-09*