subject: Book Review: Memoirs of the Original Rolling Stone [print this page] Book Review: Memoirs of the Original Rolling Stone
Non-Fiction/Memoir
Memoirs of the Original Rolling Stone
Andy Anderson & Erika Celeste
2010
Author House
ISBN: 978-1-4490-8268-0
Pages: 126
Memoirs of the Original Rolling Stone is the story of one of the godfathers of the "rockabilly" sound: a joining of rock and roll and country music. Authors Andy Anderson and Erika Celeste shine a bright light on a group of musicians who helped form the foundation of rock music.
Andy Anderson was the smooth, handsome leader of the original Rolling Stones based in Mississippi. Anderson was strongly influenced by his mother who played the piano, sang and composed songs. This book contains short essays and pictures of Anderson's life from childhood through his adulthood as the leader of two bands.
Anderson's music career began in 1951 after his mother suggested that he could out perform a country band they had watched on television. With her encouragement, Anderson taught himself to play the guitar and soon found himself playing local talent shows.
The Rolling Stones band was formed during Anderson's years at Mississippi State College. Their first hit was "Johnny Valentine." In the book he reveals pranks that the group members played on each other and talks about the shows they performed that included Elvis and other acts that became well known. Anderson mixes both personal and professional experiences in the book, speaking candidly about his reaction to the deaths of his mother and younger brother while also discussing the success of his music career and his adventures in Hollywood while attempting to cultivate an acting career.
The author allows for balance in the telling of this story by including the memories of band members from the two groups he lead: the Rolling Stones and the Dream Breakers. Both groups had core members but also several musicians who rotated in and out of the groups. While the author does not go into detail about how the Rolling Stones ended and the Dream Breakers started, what comes across clearly to the reader is Anderson's passion for the music that both groups produced and the lifelong friendships that were cultivated. Anderson lists the names of former members who have passed away signifying his continued devotion to all of his band mates.
Memoirs of the Original Rolling Stone reminds the reader of the multiple layers of history that are a part of the foundation of American culture. It also gives credit to the less celebrated groups that helped to establish rock and roll. Too often bands like the Rolling Stones and the Dream Breakers are forgotten; their contributions not shared with the current generation. Anderson and Celeste offer a history lesson that has the potential to enlighten many generations of music lovers to come.
