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MUSIC IN MY LIFE by Alec Wightman

MUSIC IN MY LIFE

Notes From A Longtime Fan

by Alec Wightman

Pub Date: March 24th, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-95-156812-2
Publisher: Small Batch Books

This memoir focuses on the great age of rock ’n’ roll, right up to the present.

In 1993, Wightman was a very successful corporate lawyer. But early on—Dion was his first hero—he fell in love with rock, a passion that persists today. Sometime after graduating from Ohio State University law school and settling in Columbus, he almost by accident fell into engaging and promoting—he would probably resist the term impresario—rock acts in and around that city. This venture, officially begun in 1995, was Zeppelin Productions, and it continues to this day. When an act was successful, he would ask the “Artistes”—his respectful term—who else they might recommend, and so the list of acts grew and so did the audience, the “tree,” as he calls it. At roughly the same time, he became associated with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, aka “Rock Hall,” eventually heading up the whole enterprise. To call Wightman a mover and shaker is an understatement. He also comes across in this volume as a very likable guy and a world-class schmoozer. For the record, he considers Neil Young his favorite musician of all time, and Young’s Tonight’s the Night his all-time favorite album. And Jimmy Webb is “arguably the finest songwriter to ever grace a Zeppelin stage.” 

The book is a veritable treasure trove of rich details and anecdotes about rock Artistes and their performances over the years with Zeppelin. To say that Wightman knew everybody would also be an understatement. And that is a problem. Unless readers are hardcore aficionados, the names and venues and whatnot begin to blur early on. There are too many names to keep straight, for example. Some, of course, are well known, but others not so much. There are also sobering reminders of how many of those rock stars finally beat their addictions or didn’t (see the “27 Club”). Readers who grew up with this music will find a very strong nostalgic element in these pages (Hot Tuna; Blood, Sweat, & Tears). That rock nostalgia will also bring back memories of many readers’ youths, which is part of the volume’s charm. The inclusion of Gordon Lightfoot (“If You Could Read My Mind”) shows that the line between rock and other genres is fuzzy. But in this memoir, everyone seems to be welcomed: Lightfoot, Simon and Garfunkel, Joan Baez, and many others. That said, a strong editor should have reined in Wightman somewhat. The author simply cannot resist telling one more anecdote about one more wonderful concert or describing one more venue or one more road trip, including hotel and roadie tidbits. But readers will find it hard to resist Wightman’s enthusiasm; they will end up admiring this impressive volume from a venerable fan. A generous selection of historical photographs is included.

An illuminating and detailed account for music fans.