Earl Slick

Jeff Slate

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Guitar, gives an unvarnished account of the weird and unpredictable life of a musical mercenary

Earl Slick was just 21 when he was hired as lead guitarist for David Bowie. 
Forty years later he was on stage when Bowie suffered the heart attack that terminated his live career. In between, Slick played Bowies&rsquo;s landmark albums and iconic live shows. He was also in John Lennon&rsquo;s band at the time of the former Beatle&rsquo;s death and an MTV star in his own right, playing alongside Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, The Cure, and the New York Dolls. 
 
Guitar is an insider&rsquo;s account of rock&rsquo;n&rsquo;roll&rsquo;s fast lane: big names, bad behaviour, great stories and timeless music.

Discover the untold stories of rock history from Earl Slick, David Bowie's legendary guitarist. 
From working with John Lennon to the New York Dolls, dive into 50 years of rock 'n' roll adventures. 
-- 
Every great rock singer needs a great guitarist by their side . . . 
Earl Slick started with the best: aged 22 he was hired by David Bowie to play guitar on 1974’s Diamond Dogs tour. He never looked back. 
Gracing classic Bowie albums like Young Americans and Station to Station, Slick was also in John Lennon’s band at the time of the former Beatle’s tragic murder. 
Other collaborators include Mick Jagger, The Cure, Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton. 
Through it all, on tour and in the studio, he lived the rock ‘n’ roll life to the hilt – until it nearly killed him. 
Guitar puts us in the room and on the stage with rock’s greatest stars as Earl Slick reveals how music history was made – one lick at a time. 
‘Earl is a legendary guitar star. His playing is earth, timeless and never less than stellar’ DAVID BOWIE 
-- 
PRAISE FOR GUITAR 
'Touching . . . poignant' Sunday Express'Guitar, gives an unvarnished account of the weird and unpredictable life of a musical mercenary' Telegraph

Earl Slick was barely out of his teens when David Bowie hired him to play guitar on the ground-breaking 1974 Diamond Dogs tour. It marked the beginning of a relationship that would endure through thick and thin for the next forty years. Gracing classic albums like Young Americans, Station to Station and the 2013 comeback, The Next Day, Slick played on the tour that followed Bowie’s smash hit Let’s Dance album and was at his side for the epic Glastonbury show in 2000. 
 
But it wasn’t just Bowie. The young guitarist was in John Lennon’s band at the time of the former Beatle’s tragic murder. Other collaborations read like a roll call of rock ‘n’ roll royalty including Mick Jagger, The Cure, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Joe Cocker, Buddy Guy, Ian Hunter, David Coverdale and Eric Clapton. And in the ‘80s he became an MTV star in his own right with the success of Phantom, Rocker and Slick. 
 
Through it all he lived the rock ‘n’ roll life to the hilt. Until it nearly killed him. 
 
One of rock’s great sidemen, Earl Slick was in the room when music history was made. Guitar takes us there, shining a light on superstars like Bowie and Lennon, while recounting the extraordinary story of the boy from New York City who became a real life Johnny B. Goode.

Earl Slick (Author) Earl Slick was born Frank Madeloni in Brooklyn in 1951. He made his name as David Bowie’s lead guitarist and went on to become one of rock’s most sought after guitar players. He presented the 2017 BBC documentary Rock N Roll Guns for Hire: The Story of the Sideman. Guitar is his first book. He lives in upstate New York. Jeff Slate (Author) Jeff Slate is a songwriter and music journalist whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, Rolling Stone and other publications. He is the co-author of The Authorized Roy Orbison and has written liner notes for The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones. His latest album, The Last Day of Summer, features Earl Slick.

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Touching . . . poignant

Guitar, gives an unvarnished account of the weird and unpredictable life of a musical mercenary

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