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

[Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak@xxxxxxxxx>]

There are a number of copies for sale listed at the link below:

http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl&st=sl&ref=bf_s2_a1_t1_1&qi=Rxuua6qkepr.J4GdpwL9Vx4HeBg_6915833479_2:5:1517&bq=author%3Drebecca%2520davis%2520winters%26title%3Dblind%2520owl%2520blues

Eric N

On Sat, Jan 19, 2013 at 12:36 AM, hazcon <hazcon@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> 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
>>
>>
>>
>