Author:Sharon Davis
The glorious sixties were a decade for the young and rebellious, of cultural freedom and of sexual liberation. The British music scene had never been so adventurous, taking even the American charts by storm.
Every Chart-Topper Tells a Story: The Sixties takes a look at the number-one hit singles of the decade in Britain from artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield, Ken Dodd, Cilla Black, The Supremes, Cliff Richard and Helen Shapiro, and is a valuable and entertaining source of information for all those interested in the sixties' music scene.
By the end, the three central characters, the force that they became together and the forces that drove them apart... are more vividly portrayed than in any previous biography. What's more, Grant's clear, concise book, as well as revealing the Wailers in the light of their own culture, helps us to see into the heart of Jamaica itself, through the lives of three of its sons
—— Daily TelegraphGrant has pulled off a remarkable feat in the telling of their individual stories... An absorbing read that sheds new light on the famous triumvirate
—— Linton Kwesi Johnson , WasafiriThe main merit of this perceptive work is that, by not making Marley its focus, it gets closer to the truth about him than most other biographers... Colin Grant has composed a highly evocative and original account of a misunderstood group, and the misunderstood man at its core
—— Literary ReviewProvides a lively introduction to the life and times of the Wailers and, incidentally, to the neo-African religions and animist cults of beautiful, bedevilled Jamaica
—— Sunday TimesIn Grant's hands life in Trench Town in the 1960's is energetic and theatrical, rich in comedy and tragic irony... Grant's original and stylish second book... This brilliant book is not just about Jamaica, but about ourselves, no longer the country of The King's Speech but a post-imperial nation many of whose citizens have a buried history. Read it also for Grant's acute descriptions of its characters
—— GuardianOne of the few books to get to grips with the social, cultural, political and religious forces which drove the trio... He has you smell the open sewers of Trench Town, and feel its deprivation... Joyfully literate and philosophically penetrating
—— MojoGrant has approached a well worn topic in a lively and different way... Ever alert to Jamaica's adage that "there is no such thing as facts, only versions," he gives space to the ambiguities surrounding the Wailers' story without forcing conclusions, which bestows a rich sense of the mix of truth and fiction constantly at play in Jamaica... The bigger picture is painted in rewardingly colourful, often revelatory detail
—— MetroThe myth-making that surrounds the memory of Bob Marley has largely obscured the contribution of his fellow Wailers, Neville "Bunny" Livingston (later Bunny Wailer) and Peter Tosh. I and I restores these two to their rightful position
—— New StatesmanGrant...is skilled at peeling away layers of history
—— ObserverThere are illuminating details and fresh revelations
—— IndependentThis intelligent study...offers something more than the usual story of rags-to-riches and ganja-fuelled Rasta-speak. This book is full of...insights and revelations
—— James Ferguson , Times Literary SupplementThe three pillars - Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer - occupy equal roles in this illuminating study from the cross-roads of music and society
—— Boyd Tonkin , Independent, Books of the YearUtterly riveting
—— Rob Fitzpatrick , Sunday TimesVivid biography...This brilliant book is not just about Jamaica, but also about ourselves, no longer the country of The King's Speech but a post-imperial nation, many of whose citizens have a buried history of slavery
—— Maggie Gee , GuardianMasterful biography...It is utterly riveting, taking in, as it does, true crime, West African folk magic and deeply corrupt politics
—— Rob Fitzpatrick , Sunday Times