Feel Like Going Home

Part biography, part fan letter, Peter Guralnick`s classic 1971 study of the history of the blues and rock & roll through the lives of eight of its most singular, if sometimes unsung, exponents is equally revealing of its author and its subjects, who include a prickly Skip James, Muddy Waters (encountered recovering from a car accident), and the eclectic performer and songwriter Charlie Rich, worn down and exhausted at 37. Guralnick grew up with the music, and his enthusiasm at meeting his idols is palpable, as is his slowly dawning realization that they can be complex, contradictory, and in some cases unpleasant. With most of its subjects now dead, FEEL LIKE GOING HOME remains a perceptive and lovingly written yet unsentimental memorial, and a fine example of intelligent, engaged music journalism. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.