Race with the Devil: The Gene Vincent Story
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About this ebook
Gene Vincent—most famous for his classic 1956 single "Be-Bop-A-Lula"—is one of the most influential rock 'n' roll artists of all time. Race with the Devil is the first American biography of this American musical pioneer, who was an idol of generations of rockers after him, from the Beatles to Bowie, Dylan to the Doors. Updated and revised, featuring new information, interviews, and photographs, this 2016 ebook edition of the 2000 original is the most comprehensive survey ever written of Vincent's groundbreaking career and turbulent personal life.
Race with the Devil reads like a novel as it explores Vincent's breakneck life of extreme highs and lows. Join Gene as the dirt-poor Virginia boy with the battered leg becomes a bona fide superstar with "Be-Bop-A-Lula," then hits the road with his rowdy backing band the Blue Caps, meets his rockin' best buddy Eddie "Summertime Blues" Cochran, and hangs out in Hollywood to cut records and make movies. Feel Gene's frustration as America turns its back on his earthy, bad-boy stylings, prompting his move to England, where he becomes the Black Leather Rebel, adored by rockers across Europe and beyond. And watch Gene's downward, even violent, spiral after he survives the car accident that, sadly, Eddie didn't.
Race with the Devil digs deep into the personal struggles that darkened Vincent's life at nearly every turn. From the motorcycle accident at age 20 that left the singer with a permanent, painful leg injury (remedied with a metal brace he would wear the rest of his life), to his lifelong struggle with alcoholism—which took its toll in erratic and frequently violent behavior—Gene Vincent's life is startlingly revealed. From the 1960 car crash that killed his dearest friend, fellow rocker Eddie Cochran, and from which he never psychologically recovered, to the constant infighting with friends, family, and band members, to his heartbreaking death at age 36, Race with the Devil is a riveting look at a life of rock 'n' roll triumph, torment, and tragedy.
Susan VanHecke is an award-winning author whose books include Three Steps to Heaven: The Eddie Cochran Story, cowritten with Bobby Cochran; Roadwork: Rock & Roll Turned Inside Out, cowritten with Tom Wright, foreword by Pete Townshend; Rock 'n' Roll Soldier, cowritten with Vietnam veteran Dean Ellis Kohler, foreword by Graham Nash; Raggin' Jazzin' Rockin': A History of American Musical Instrument Makers; and the forthcoming children's biography (written as Susan Wood) of musician and stereo sound pioneer Juan Garcia Esquivel, Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist.
Susan VanHecke
Susan VanHecke is an award-winning author of books for adults and children. Susan's books for adults and young adults include: * Roadwork: Rock and Roll Turned Inside Out (Hal Leonard, 2007)/Raising Hell on the Rock 'n' Roll Highway (Omnibus UK, 2009), memoir written with rock photographer Tom Wright, foreword by Pete Townshend of the Who. Of Roadwork, Barnes & Noble Booksellers CEO Steve Riggio said it's "probably the best book on rock & roll ever published." * Rock 'n' Roll Soldier (HarperCollins, 2009), young adult war memoir written with Vietnam veteran Dean Ellis Kohler, foreword by Graham Nash, a Cooperative Children's Book Center pick for Best Biography/Autobiography. www.RocknRollSoldierAMemoir.com * Three Steps to Heaven: The Eddie Cochran Story (Hal Leonard, 2003), bio of the rock trailblazer written with his nephew Bobby Cochran. www.ThreeStepstoHeaven.net * Race with the Devil: Gene Vincent's Life in the Fast Lane (St. Martin's Press, 2000), bio of the rock 'n' roll pioneer, adapted into an award-winning screenplay. Revised and updated edition released in 2016 as Race with the Devil: The Gene Vincent Story. Susan's books for young people include: * Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist (Charlesbridge, 2016), picture book biography of musician and stereo sound pioneer Juan Garcia Esquivel. * Under the Freedom Tree (Charlesbridge, 2014), a Junior Library Guild Selection about the contraband slaves of the Civil War. www.UndertheFreedomTree.com * Raggin' Jazzin' Rockin': A History of American Musical Instrument Makers (Boyds Mills Press, 2011), an American Library Association Notable Children's Book. Sales benefit music-in-schools effort SupportMusic, run by the NAMM Foundation. www.RagginJazzinRockin.com * An Apple Pie for Dinner (Two Lions, 2009), picture book retelling of an English folk tale, illustrated by Carol Baicker-McKee. www.AnApplePieforDinner.com Susan's writing has also appeared in numerous national/international publications, including Old House Journal, Spin, Creem, Goldmine, Kerrang, and Reflex magazines and the Washington Post. For fifteen years she was an arts and entertainment reporter for the Virginian Pilot, the major daily newspaper of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Susan is a certified copyeditor and editorial services provider. www.SusanVanHeckeEditorial.com. Susan holds a BFA degree in film and television production from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and has worked in the fields of publicity, promotion, and advertising. She is a member of Biographers International Organization, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and the Editorial Freelancers Association.
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