An interesting window into mid-60s music making

It was interesting to read a previous review where the person complained that Joe Boyd did not know anyone "famous". Clearly someone who doesn't know the 60s that well or listens to classic rock. The story of Joe by Joe provides additional information on the making of music and culture in America just before and after flower power, as well as seeing the end of the popularity of original blues and its reintroduction to the UK, and the move to arena rock in the 70s.

Joe covers the early age of American blue revival in the deep south at a time when travelling through there was not safe, rise of coffee shops and folk music including Bob Dylan, introducing Muddy Waters to new audiences in Europe, the ill fated events of the 1965 Newport Folk Festival (a chapter worth the price of the book as Joe ran the sound during the entire time), getting Arthur Lee and Love for Electra (which then brought in the Doors), bringing Mike Bloomfield to the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, working on the first Deep Purple LP, Crossroads for Eric Clapton, helping to establish the British Folk Rock sound of Fairport Convention and the Incredible String Band, and moving rock acts to Island Records and leaving to work on the movies including the Hendrix documentary shortly after his death. For one person, he was and knew a lot about the 60s.

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