Bob Gruen

Right Place, Right Time: The Life of a Rock & Roll Photographer from Bob Gruen is a fun romp through popular music from about the mid 60s to now-ish. Great pictures, fun stories, and a glimpse at a life well lived.

I like to read about music, whether about specific artists or genres or, as in this case, a peripheral but essential aspect of music. Because so many books tend to be about an artist it is the literary equivalent of listening to a greatest hits album. Even genre or period books can be thought of as greatest hits albums, albeit of connected acts. This book, however, is like a greatest hits of all time album, crossing genres and spanning several distinct periods in the history of rock & roll, or perhaps more accurately, popular music.

While the book is chronological, there is a bit of jumping around simply because Gruen often had to shoot several different acts within several days in different locations. Such was his life thus such is the narrative. That said, those periods are usually situated within a stretch where he is spending quite a bit of time and/or energy with a particular act. These extended experiences form, usually, the glue for each chapter.

As a memoir, this is an above average book but probably nothing phenomenal. But when it is coupled with the sheer quantity of rock, pop, and R&B stars he worked with, this becomes so much more than a memoir. If you're as old as I am, this is like going back and reliving some of those days. The concerts, listening to the radio, watching the TV shows and, eventually, the channels. If you let yourself read slow enough to think about the acts he is talking about, it becomes almost like a soundtrack to your own life. If you're not as ancient as I am, then this is an excellent glimpse at what the industry used to be like and, if you choose to take the time, it can serve as an introduction to a lot of great artists and music.

Highly recommend to readers of memoirs and especially entertainment memoirs. Those readers who supplement their reading with searching online (or in your music collections) for songs, interviews, and videos will find a lot of great search-worthy items here.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (plus d'informations)