Rating: 
Summary: ESSENTIAL READING FOR GUITAR LOVERS
Review: As a player and guitar history enthusiast, I was thrilled to see a biography of one of the true solid-body masters. The book did not disappoint. From its opening lines describing his family life in Ozark Alabama, to his tragic and still unresolved death in a Virginia jail, this book keeps entertaining and surprising. This book rates a 5 for anyone who has a deep love for guitars, especially telecasters and tele-players. Especially interesting is the detail that Carson goes into on Roy's quest for tone. Kids take note...Roy was pioneering distortion and screaming wah sounds, long before effects boxes were invented. In fact, he would use nothing more than a Fender amp turned backwards with the speaker cone sliced for distortion and his bare hands and the volume/treble knob for wah effect. The book also details some of the more obscure periods in Roy's career. Whether or not he really turned down the Stones offer play second guitar because he was pursing a life as a barber is known only to a few, and most are dead. The important thing to take away from this book is what a treasure he was to the music world. I would have no problem ranking him side-by-side with Jimi Hendrix and Wes Montgomery as the most influential guitar player of the last half of the 20th century.
Rating:
Summary: ESSENTIAL READING FOR GUITAR LOVERS
Review: As a player and guitar history enthusiast, I was thrilled to see a biography of one of the true solid-body masters. The book did not disappoint. From its opening lines describing his family life in Ozark Alabama, to his tragic and still unresolved death in a Virginia jail, this book keeps entertaining and surprising. This book rates a 5 for anyone who has a deep love for guitars, especially telecasters and tele-players. Especially interesting is the detail that Carson goes into on Roy's quest for tone. Kids take note...Roy was pioneering distortion and screaming wah sounds, long before effects boxes were invented. In fact, he would use nothing more than a Fender amp turned backwards with the speaker cone sliced for distortion and his bare hands and the volume/treble knob for wah effect. The book also details some of the more obscure periods in Roy's career. Whether or not he really turned down the Stones offer play second guitar because he was pursing a life as a barber is known only to a few, and most are dead. The important thing to take away from this book is what a treasure he was to the music world. I would have no problem ranking him side-by-side with Jimi Hendrix and Wes Montgomery as the most influential guitar player of the last half of the 20th century.
Rating: 
Summary: Roy Buchanan fans rejoice!
Review: At long last comes a book that, for the first time, gives a detailed look into the life and music of this gifted (and largely unheralded) guitarist.Even those unfamiliar with Roy's particular genius will find "American Axe" a fascinating chronicle. The book provides not only insight into Roy's early influences but gives an historical perspective to the very beginnings of rock and roll itself. You get a real feel for what life on the club circuit was like for the journeyman musician in the 50's and 60's. Phil Carson has obviously taken great pains to garner first-hand accounts about Roy from family, friends and musical colleagues in order to piece together some understanding of what made Roy tick as accurately and fairly as possible. Roy was generally media-shy so there are many eye-opening revelations here. I couldn't make a higher recommendation for this book. It is a much overdue and welcome addition to the Roy Buchanan fan's collection.
Rating:
Summary: Master of the Telecaster!
Review: Great book. Lots of details and little known facts are presented in a very readable manner. This book also goes a long way in dispelling a lot of the myths surrounding Roy. Finally, the book demonstates why this myth-making was unnecessary -- when you are as great as Roy, you don't need to make up stories. The music speaks volumes. Great book. If you're a fan of Roy's its a must. WARNING: Careful when you read this book... you'll end up buying a lot of Roy's stuff to listen to. I bought 4 of Roy's CDs in the time it took me to finish this little volume. Thank goodness for amazon.com, they carry almost all of Roy's catalog.
Rating:
Summary: Roy Buchanan: American Axe
Review: I knew Roy Buchanan well for a number of years, and I think when you read this book, you also will know Roy. A superlative portait of genius that I couldn't put down. My sincere apologies to Mr. Carson for not granting him an interview.
Rating:
Summary: If you "REALLY want to know why Roy never made it "BIG".
Review: I saw Roy Buchanan in 1976 in Columbus, Ohio. I had "heard" of his legendary guitar power for a long time. He did NOT disappoint! I always wondered "WHY" he never "made it". After reading this book(once started, I could NOT put it down), I don't think he really wanted to. He also "changed" what he was looking for and playing from album to album. (Hendrix was doing the exact same thing). Most "fan's" just like to hear their favorites when they see someone "live" and Roy "Usually" delivered this in concert. If you like rock, blues and and reading...........this is an excellent read and will NOT disappoint!
Rating:
Summary: The story of a true master.
Review: I was about fourteen years old when first exposed to the innovative guitar playing of Roy Buchanan. I knew even back then how skillful he was, yet dissimilar from his peers. It was a PBS special on television. I sat mesmerized and frozen while listening to the sweet, steel guitar-like sounds of his Telecaster guitar for the first time. Hearing the beautiful, yet melancholy melodies of 'The Messiah Will Come Again', 'Sweet Dreams', and others still echo in my mind 30 years later. 'Roy Buchanan: American Axe', by Phil Carson, is a special biography of a special person. The book takes the reader on a journey through the guitarist's childhood straight through to his days as a journeyman guitarist, a man haunted by the same demons that haunt many an artist and musician, especially blues and rock guitar players it seems. Carson tells the story of a warm night in June of '72 when an ordinary, mellow man first headlined to a full house in New York City's Carnegie Hall. Backed by his band, the Snakestretchers, Roy stepped up to the mic and began reciting in a soft drawl: "Just a smile, just a glance ... The Prince of Darkness, he just walked past ..." You know the rest. His solo then rang out through the hall in crystal clarity. The audience left awestruck at the end of the show, knowing they'd witnessed a guitar great for the first time. Roy's life was cut short; only God knows why. But at least he was able to leave us an amazing legacy of recordings. He was an incredible blues player. This book is for the fans of Roy, and for those looking forward to learning about the life of the guitar legend himself. For those who have yet to get into him, start here as well ... while listening to a CD or two of his music. As great as his recordings were, though, it was almost impossible for producers to catch him in the right essence. Not only did they have difficulty choosing the proper material for him and his band to record, but Roy was always best in the live club setting as opposed to the studio. His earliest studio albums were his best, as they were raw and untainted. Try 1972's 'Roy Buchanan', or 1973's 'Second Album'. 'Sweet Dreams - The Anthology' is a good compilation, too. This is an excellent book for those who love the guitar, and also for those who want to learn more about one of its true masters. 'Roy Buchanan: American Axe' is a receptive and comprehensive biography.
Rating:
Summary: World's Greatest Unknown Guitarist - American Axe
Review: I'm a huge fan of Roy Buchanan, so no doubt I was excited when I heard about this full-length biography. Despite the fact that Roy was the most talented of the guitar virtuosos of our time, his music remained largely unknown for the general audience. And even for a hardcore fans, little was known about Roy's life and background. The author Phil Carson concentrates on the musician Roy Buchanan. He has done a throughout research work on Roy's early influences, as well as interviewed and collected other musicians experiences with Roy. Despite being a fan, the author manages to give us an objective, and also a critical view of Roy's work. The numerous anecdotes given in the book lighten up the story. This is essential book not only for those specifically interested in Roy Buchanan and his music, but also for guitar players in general as Roy's guitars and techniques are presented. And while reading it be sure you have some of Roy's music in your stereo!
Rating:
Summary: The straight story
Review: Phil Carson did great research here. The book stays away from speculation and rumor. Had this book been fiction it would have seemed far fetched. A phenomenon like Roy Buchanan could never occur in todays high glossed music scene. The author not only chronicles Buchanan's life but also captures the spirit of that golden era of rock music. Highly recommended!!
Rating:
Summary: Definitive biography of an enigmatic genius
Review: Phil Carson has hit one out of the ballpark with his biography of Roy Buchanan, a musical talent of first rank but probably not the easiest biographical subject. This is an excellent book that gives one a feel for Roy as a person (as much as that is possible), his life as a journeyman musician, and his brief flirtation with fame after having been "discovered" in 1971. As an added benefit, in the process of telling Roy's story, the author takes the reader on a wonderful voyage through the last 50+ years of American music; of course the two subjects are so closely related it's totally unavoidable, but I still have to say kudos because Mr. Carson has done such a fine job of weaving the two stories together in a very readable way. Roy Buchanan's skill as a guitar player was unsurpassed and may never be equaled. Few guitarists (past or present) can even be compared to him, and many so-called "guitar gods" fall well short. But he was also a tragic figure, in many ways, and perhaps this was the price for his lofty talent. We'll never know, but Phil Carson brings us as close as we'll probably ever get to understanding the contradictions that made Roy Buchanan who he was -- a genuine guitar god and deeply troubled mortal. This is a nicely done book. I enjoyed it and do not hesitate to give it five stars here.
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