Book Review: “One Long Tune: The Life and Music of Lenny Breau” by Ron Forbes-Roberts

 It is surprising that someone who was often cited as “the world’s greatest guitarist”, has so little information available about him.  Fortunately, Ron Forbes-Roberts has written the definitive biography on this titan of the guitar – the good, the bad and the ugly.

Overview

  The 325 page book covers Lenny Breau’s career from the days of being a child prodigy, up to his untimely death. 

  To his credit, Forbes-Roberts reached out to a wide range of individuals and was able to garner a great deal of information, much of which may surprise many of Lenny’s fans.  Some of these interviews were conducted via the phone and interestingly the dates of the interviews are included, thus providing an additional perspective on the individuals recollection of things.

  Some of the luminaries interviewed:    Ted Greene,  Ed Bickert,  Larry Coryell,  Phil DeGruy, Carol Kaye, John Knowles, John Patitucci and Phil Upchurch.

Parents and Childhood

  The first chapter of the book is devoted to providing a background on his parents and early childhood memories of Lenny.  Perhaps the most interesting event is when Lenny, then three years old, sang a harmony part of a third, to the music that his parents were singing.  It was clear at this point that he had a gift for music.

  The chapter then highlights his other musical endeavors as a child, including playing a washboard, accordion and eventually guitar.  Insight is also provided on his early onstage presence with his parent’s musical act, as well as his initial foray into playing guitar and his learning experience/influences.   

  It is here that we can start to see the rise and decline of Lone Pine (Lenny’s dad), and the rising star in Lenny.  I can’t help but think that many of Lenny’s personal problems were in their embryotic stage at this point – a son looking for the attention/acceptance of his father.

  It is also during this time that we see that Lenny’s childhood was not a “standard” one, and his being on the road, as well as his prowess on the guitar, led to deficiencies that would follow him throughout his life.

  We also catch our first glimpses of him constantly practicing.  His obsession with the guitar was apparent from the start and it’s fascinating to see how he pursued doing his own thing.  Although he was still musically growing at this point, it becomes clear that a special musician was beginning to emerge.

Albums

  My favorite aspects of the book are those sections pertaining to Lenny’s Albums.  Forbes does a great job of surrounding all of the recording sessions with an ample amount of backstory so that we are aware of Lenny’s personal life and surroundings, both of which would greatly influence the recording process.  These sections might be of most interest for “casual” Lenny Breau” fans, as it deals with the artist and his works – though it is hard to separate his personal life from his recordings

Chet Atkins

  One can’t help but marvel at the efforts put forth by Chet Atkins on Lenny’s behalf.  He truly was a father figure to Lenny and it is clear that Chet’s assistance would carry Lenny through difficult times, even to the point of Lenny’s dental and rent being paid for by Chet at various points in his life.

Drugs

  Unfortunately, one can’t discuss the book without the mentioning of Lenny’s prolific drug use.  His drug usage is covered without sugarcoating his usage or effects. At one point it is mentioned that he would take FIFTEEN hits of Acid and still be able to take the stage. Tragic, and heartbreaking, it is tough to read the various sections and not feel profound sadness at what was happening.

Photos

  The book contains an eleven page section devoted to photos of Lenny at various points in his life.  The one photo that really caught my attention was Lenny playing with Bill Evans in Toronto in 1971 – two geniuses, one stage – that must have been something!

Discography

  The back of the book contains an excellent discography covering all known appearances by Lenny, either as a leader, collaborator or sideman.  It also features a list of the musicians he played with on the material.

Summary

  I finished reading, “One Long Tune: The Life and Music of Lenny Breau“, a month ago… and I just couldn’t seem to organize my thoughts for a review.  It was heartbreaking to read – especially considering that the book ends with his murder. It was an emotional roller coaster, and touched upon a wide range of emotions.

  Ron Forbes-Roberts should be commended for writing such an excellent book.  He covers a lot of material and provides a fascinating insight into Lenny’s life and tribulations.   The photos added a lot to the ambience of the book, showing Lenny at various stages of his life, which helped support each chapters narrative with photos.

  Besides writing about Lenny’s prowess on the guitar, the author was able to share Lenny’s humor and his more “naive” side.  One can’t help but be drawn to Lenny’s personality and I’m sure that he was an interesting and very likable personality, especially when not under the influence of drugs.  However, even his drug use provides us a glimpse into the intense manner in which he approached life in general.

  Although the book was satisfying as a whole, it left me wanting to know even more about Lenny.  I will be certainly re-reading this book again, soon!

  I would highly recommend this book to all musicians!  I also believe that this book would prove to be interesting to non-musicians, as Lenny lived an interesting life and there’s much to learn from reading about it.  Not many people ever reach the pinnacle of their field, as they are unwilling to make the sacrifices necessary in order to do so.  But, Lenny did and we are left with the recordings of a true genius of the guitar.  He is greatly missed and we are all at a loss for it…

https://www.lennybreau.com/

Final Words

  As always, I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who has purchased my book!  I appreciate your interest and support and I look forward to hearing what you do with the material!

   I’ve again enclosed a recent master study drawing that I did of the iconic Frank Frazetta painting, “Death Dealer”, using Procreate on an iPad Pro, with an Apple Pencil 2.