Re: [Harp-L] blind owl's biography

Great story Michelle,just shows you can never tell who you might meet ...and what their story is.
I'll follow up on that book.
Rick


John, I have a signed copy of "Blind Owl Blues," though it's not for sale, unless... ;-)

There's a funny little story about how I came by it and, in the process, discovered its author, Rebecca Davis Winters. It was at a blues venue in, of all places, Grand Junction, Colorado.

She was gushing over the performance of my former mentor and HarpBuddy, Harry Harpoon, who had boogied duo-style with veteran bluesman Bobby Walker. We were both sitting in the front row a seat apart and I couldn't help but notice her obvious enthusiasm. At the end of the show she said, "I just love blues harp. In fact I wrote a book about Blind Owl, Alan Wilson."

OK, here I am in backwater Western Colorado in the back room of a little radio station and this little whisp of a lady bubbling with enthusiasm makes a pretty wild claim about one of the most influential harmonica players ~ever~ in my mind. As you can imagine, I was a tad skeptical when I sort of probed her a little about the way he retuned his harp to play "On the Road Again." She immediately detected that I too was a Blind Owl fan and knew a thing or two about harmonicas and replied with the correct answer, "Oh yes, he raised the 6 draw reed by a semitone..."

She went on to explain that she had gone on a solitary, self-funded sabbatical -- no, more like a pilgrimage -- to research every aspect of the elusive Alan Wilson. Though she let me find out by reading her book, Rebecca had visited and photographed the ruins of the home of Bob Hite (Bear) where Alan was found dead. She had interviewed everyone she could find who knew Alan, including his sister who lined up behind Rebecca and helped her in many ways to get access to Alan's friends and relatives who in turn shared many photos that had never been published before. Though a completely self-taught investigative reporter and author, she had conducted what seemed to me to be some thorough, professional research and translated into a very interesting and captivating read. She did it all on her lonesome, including self-publishing the book.

Back to the night I met Rebecca. After leaving me a bit speechless with her obvious knowledge of harmonicas and Alan Wilson, she asked me if I'd like to buy a copy of her book. After running out to her car, she produced a beautiful paperback with a blue-tone picture of Alan on the front. That wasn't quite the end of the story.

The book itself is very well written and contains a host of details and photographs that paint a very intimate portrait of the elusive musician. Much of the content has never been available to the public and for a fan of Canned Heat and its legendary musicians and songs, it is riveting. If you are a fan I can't recommend it highly enough.

But, a little more about my (then) new-found friend, Rebecca Davis Winters. She is quite a hoot! Raised in Green River, Wyoming (read very isolated, near desert location), she has the rabid curiosity of a lighting-quick mind and insatiable appetite for things she holds dear. It isn't often that I run into a fellow lady harper, and I have surely never met anyone like Rebecca. She was on Facebook for a while, posting a host of interesting links about Owl, The Heat, and related subjects. Turns out she's also a rabid Stephen Stills fan, too, though I don't think she's written a book about him. After a few months pf enjoying Rebecca's FB posts, she announced that she was leaving the area and disappearing from sight as she was being harassed by her estranged husband. That's the last I knew of her.

Back to your question about the availability of the book, John, I see that Amazon and Barnes & Noble ~had~ it and now offer it for an exorbitant price used. However, I do see that Rebecca's web site, http://www.blindowlbio.com/ <http://www.blindowlbio.com/>seems to still offer it via Paypal. I wish you good luck finding a copy; it is a keeper.

Oh, and say Hey for me if you do succeed in contacting Rebecca.

Michelle




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