{"title":"Jerry Portnoy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJerry Portnoy\u003c\/strong\u003e offers readers a vivid journey into the world of blues through his compelling \u003cem\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Memoir\u003c\/em\u003e works. His writing captures the spirit and struggles of a musician’s life, blending personal stories with the rich cultural history of blues music.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFans of music memoirs and those curious about the deeper layers of American roots music will find Portnoy’s narratives both insightful and heartfelt. His books provide an authentic glimpse into the life behind the music, resonating with lovers of biography and blues alike.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"dancing-with-muddy-by-jerry-portnoy-9780897334587","title":"Dancing with Muddy","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJerry Portnoy grew up in Chicago hearing the blues being played outside his father's rug store on famed Maxwell Street during the late 1940s and early '50s.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter dropping out of college, he became immersed in the colourful world of pool hustlers like Cornbread Red and Minnesota Fats as he managed the largest pool hall in Chicago. During a stint as a paratrooper early in the Vietnam War, he applied for discharge as a conscientious objector, and lived in San Francisco during 1967's \"summer of love.\" While bumming around Europe the following year, Portnoy heard the blues again on a record by Sonny Boy Williamson and instantly became obsessed with mastering blues harmonica.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHe returned to Chicago and, in 1974, he was playing in small Black clubs at night when Muddy Waters plucked him from his day job at Cook County Jail to fill the historic harmonica chair in his fabled band. Eric Clapton followed suit in 1991. In a career that took him from ghetto taverns to the White House and the Royal Albert Hall, he went from the raggedy vans and cheap roadside motels of the blues world to the private jets and five-star hotels of the rock world. Between those two very different gigs was a struggle to survive the vagaries of the music business and the pressures of life on the road. In a remarkable life, he also assisted in surgery, lodged in a Moroccan house of ill repute, and dined at Giorgio Armani's.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDancing with Muddy\u003c\/em\u003e details the surprising, lively, and sometimes bumpy ride of a blues harmonica legend.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47460598644972,"sku":"9780897334587","price":53.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780897334587-dancing-with-muddy.jpg?v=1774950091"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/jerry-portnoy.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}