Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story

by Greg Prato

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

Genres: Music

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 13, 2008

About the author

Greg Prato is a Long Island, New York-based journalist, whose writing has appeared in such renowned publications as Rolling Stone. He is the author of several popular books, '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,' 'Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music, 'No Schlock . . . Just Rock!,' 'The Eric Carr Story,' 'MTV Ruled the World: The Early Years of Music Video,' 'Sack Exchange: The Definitive Oral History of the 1980s New York Jets,' 'Too High to Die: Meet the Meat Puppets,' 'Dynasty: The Oral History of the New York Islanders, 1972-1984,' and 'The Faith No More & Mr. Bungle Companion.'

Reviews

[David Brimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oral histories can be a hit or miss experience, but I found this chronicle of the tragic story of Tommy Bolin was exceptional. A guitar hero who could have been, A musician’s musician, and a top shelf drug addict. Tony’s star shines bright and fast. If you’re a fan, check this one out.

[Jenni · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a tremendous disappointment this book was. Tommy Bolin is one of my all-time favourite musicians and I was so excited to finally get a book about him. I wanted it to be one of those biographies you pick up time and time again. But sadly it's far from it.

My main issue with this book is the fact that it's made of just a bunch of quotes from different people. The author Greg Prato has written nothing but the introduction and the acknowledgements in the book. There is absolutely no general narrative text by the author in this book. It's all, and I mean ALL 100 %, just direct quotes from people. It's like reading 240 pages of interview transcripts. I would have gladly taken 100 pages off the book and had the author actually write about Tommy, instead of just organizing quotes in the right chapters.

I give this book 1 out of 5 stars, because it's Tommy Bolin. If you're really interested in him, then give this book a go. Otherwise, don't bother. You're better off reading Greg Prato's article on Tommy in Classic Rock Magazine (issue 86, Nov. 2005).

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 2 out of 5]

We're all indebted to Greg Prato for bringing into light this wonderful stuff about my fav guitarist. Unfortunately the 'book' is a series of interview snippets sometimes in chaotic order. Great initiative, but Tommy would deserve a proper narrative about his extraordinary life.

[John Lyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well done biography. So nice to get a well researched picture of this wonderful musician who I’ve been a fan of for decades. Very few people had bad things to say about him, although at the end a few crept in. Sounds like TB was a sweet guy who became another casualty of the party scene/heroin so often experienced in music creation and touring. I can’t help but wonder if he would be more famous had he died at 27 and not 25. It’s great so much music has now come to light.

[FunkMaster General · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool, sad story.

[Jennie O'bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the music of Tommy Bolin but like all my music heroes I should just listen to their music and not read about their lives - sad.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a biography that is actually just a collection of various quotes and interviews of people who knew and played with Tommy Bolin.

It is amazing to think that Bolin died when he was only 25, because he was already such a great musician and stellar guitar player. You can hear a lot of his influence in Jeff Beck's 'Blow by Blow' jazz-rock fusion days. I have little doubt that he would've been one of the greats like Beck if he had lived.

[Patrick Macke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tommy Bolin was the greatest rock guitarist you never heard of ... I follow rock books fairly closely and this was an unknown find ... like the story of rock itself this is a story with demons and strange turns but Tommy's story is one you should know

[loveabull · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of us who remember Tommy this is the essential biography. In rock history he's usually relegated as a footnote re: Deep Purple, Jeff Beck, etc when he was really so much more. The title comes from a quote by Jan Hammer. Tommy Bolin was indeed touched by magic, happy the music lives on.

[Anupam Bansoodeb · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Touched By Magic" is the "biography" of Tommy Bolin who is probably the greatest guitarist you have never heard of because Tommy has now been dead for forty one years at the time of this writing. Tommy was a very versatile, passionate and fluid virtuoso guitar player who could tackle any genre, be it Hard Rock, Jazz, Blues, R n' B, Funk, Reggae, Soul, Latin, Flamenco and Swing with frightening conviction.

By the time of his passing at the age of twenty five, other than bands he had been in, Tommy Bolin had been in the backing bands of the likes of Albert King, Albert Collins, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker, etc and recorded a number of mind blowing albums with Zephyr, Energy, Moxy, Billy Cobham, Alphonse Mouzon and his own solo work. Tommy was touted as the next Jimi Hendrix. He was respected by the latter as well as Jimmy Page and he is cited as an influence by Jeff Beck!

Touched By Magic, unlike other biographies is a collection of interviews from Tommy Bolin himself as well as people who knew him in one capacity or another. Greg Prato has undertaken the gargantuan task of splicing the interviews from innumerable protagonists into a coherent story that allows itself to be read seamlessly. Each chapter is devoted to one of the major projects Tommy Bolin has worked on in chronological order.The music and events around the various projects are dissected in considerable depth; and through this analysis the reader also gets to know who Tommy Bolin, the man and musician was.

Touched By Magic is a great way to get acquainted with Tommy Bolin and his music. Another way to appreciate Tommy Bolin is to actually listen to his music! Below is a nomenclature of selected recommended listening in the vast Tommy Bolin catalog:


* TOMMY BOLIN - Teaser (Hard Rock)
* DEEP PURPLE - Come Taste The Band (also features David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes)
* ALPHONSE MOUZON - Mind Transplant (Jazz Rock Fusion)
* BILLY COBHAM - Spectrum (Jazz Rock Fusion)
* THE JAMES GANG - Miami (Hard Rock)
* ZEPHYR - I (Psychedelic Blues)
* TOMMY BOLIN - Energy (Improvisational Hard Rock)