One Man Band Book now available

Subject: One Man Band Book
From: DHonemanband
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 08:12 PM

Hi, I've been a bit absent here for awhile. Some may remember me from a couple years back posting stuff relating to one man bands (OMBs) and Jesse Fuller. I was in the process of writing a book on the subject. Well, it is finished and now available!

Head, Hands & Feet - A Book of One Man Bands is a 416 page book (hard cover, full coffee table size, quality paper, full color). It contains entries or mentions on over 900 OMB/OWBs accompanied by over 1000 photos/images. Blues is the primary orientation but many other styles are covered - every OMB/OWB I could find (only the manual ones - hence the title - not computer, playbacks, bedroom bands etc). Some of the more relevant artists to this group include: Jesse Fuller (a full chapter with wonderful unpublished photos courtesy of Mary Katherine Aldin), Robert "One Man" Johnson, Royer's OMB (Lonesome Gillette), Don Partridge, Chucklefoot, Arthur Griffiths, John Codona, Alan Moorhouse (Alanabits), Ben Bonham, Daddy Stovepipe, Henry Thomas, Henry Whitter, Frank Floyd, Ray Stubbs, Elmore Nixon, Washboard Hank, the list goes on and on! The book is available here - One Man Band Book
Please use the right shipping in the drop down menu. OMBs can get a disount but ask me first. My email is Dave Harris' email
Thanks!

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book
From: DHonemanband
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 10:17 PM

The book covers early history as well. There is a lot of useful information for up and comers also.

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 21 Mar 12 - 03:36 PM

Looks like quite an accomplishment, and fun for the coffee table.

(And worth a bump back up to the top.)

~ Becky in Long Beach

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book
From: DHonemanband
Date: 21 Mar 12 - 04:06 PM

Thanks Becky! Three years of research and collecting photos. I hope this will eventually make it's way into libraries and critics/writers hands as well.

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book
From: GUEST,Mary Katherine
Date: 21 Mar 12 - 04:52 PM

I sent a copy to Jesse Fuller's daughter, Alice, who said it was the best article about her father's life and work that she had ever seen. And she immediately asked me for Dave's email address so she could write and thank him!
It's a tremendous work, beautifully produced. Yes, Becky, your coffee table will be very happy with this on it; the publisher did a wonderful job with the graphics and design. Congratulations, Dave, I know it was a labor of love, and the results are well worth the struggle.

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book
From: DHonemanband
Date: 21 Mar 12 - 06:26 PM

Thank you so much Mary Katherine! Your praise means a lot to me, as did Alice's email. I guess I owe a lot to Alan Balfour as well for putting me in contact with you. The photos you sent were an enormous contribution to the chapter on Fuller. Thanks again!

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 22 Mar 12 - 06:51 AM

I had the pleasure of seeing Dave perform in Victoria when I was touring Canada last year. This book looks like one for the Xmas wishlist.

RtS

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book now available
From: DHonemanband
Date: 22 Mar 12 - 03:14 PM

Thanks Roger! I hope it makes it onto a few Xmas wish-lists!

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book now available
From: alanabit
Date: 22 Mar 12 - 03:46 PM

This is obviously a labour of love from Dave. Having recently joined the ranks of the unemployed, I won't get to see a copy in the forseeable future. I know that a huge amount of work has gone into it. The itinerant world of busking is one in which it can be difficult to pin people down and check facts. Dave has bent over backwards to get it right. I hope the book is a roaring success. If nothing else, it is a useful document of a small corner of cultural history. That alone makes it worth keeping in libraries.

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book now available
From: DHonemanband
Date: 22 Mar 12 - 05:34 PM

Hi Alan! Thanks! You're right about the fact checking. It was a trying process at times and I'm sure there are still plenty of mistakes in the book. I must say, your own contributions were a valuable addition! I do hope I can get this into some libraries, it does seem like that kind of book. Very few well known artists in it (unless you count guys like Juke Boy Bonner and Don Partridge as well known) but many superb artists nonetheless with very little written about about them elsewhere. Yes, I do believe it fills a niche (even if it's a small one).

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book now available
From: DHonemanband
Date: 24 Mar 12 - 01:04 AM

Well, interest level for this seems disappointingly low. Oh well. I guess OMBs are a lowly and lonely lot to most people. I wasn't expecting much but I thought more than four people might say something....

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book now available
From: Ole Juul
Date: 24 Mar 12 - 05:22 AM

Yes you'd think there was more interest, but perhaps it's also these economic times. The price is OK, but out of my price range. I certainly compliment you on the book though. It is a topic worth much consideration. For one it is colourful. For another it is most relevant to traditional or folk music since it has roots going back probably as long as there's been street music.

Perhaps it's in the book, but I saw a postcard some years ago with a picture of an unusual one man band. The man was sitting and playing a guitar, and in front of him, with the mouthpiece at lip level, he had a tuba on a stand with an attachment to operate three valves by foot. I'd very much love to hear that.

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book now available
From: DHonemanband
Date: 24 Mar 12 - 06:35 PM

Well thanks Ole Juul. I didn't even mean that people would buy it. I just meant there might be some discussion, dialogue about it or one man bands. I do have a bad copy of the picture you mention. I doubt he was recorded, too early.

Possibly I made a mistake in making such a high quality book (high quality paper, full colour, hard cover)as opposed to something with paper closer to newsprint, soft cover, black and white. But I had many many high quality photos and I just thought that the better quality did them and the subject matter better justice.

I don't know that $50 is an awful lot for the book (but shipping it is expensive!) I do know that I've bought several other similar quality books and they usually cost at least as much or more.

I thought maybe some of the Jesse Fuller fans here might comment, as some of those threads were quite long.

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book now available
From: GUEST,Winko Ljizz
Date: 26 Mar 12 - 04:40 AM

Hey Dave

Congratulations on finishing your OMB book, a noble effort indeed. But you need a better marketing strategy than merely pedaling to broke musicians. Few people ever purchase a book without first flipping thru it... and a self published book is unlikely to be found in a bookstore.

You should post the entire book to your website allowing a thorough review. Then send a link to all current individual OMB's coverage... to allow them to post their coverage on their own websites with a link back to yours... effectively advertising the whole book. No doubt they all, including myself, would be happy to send a link to it from my OMB website.

Regards,
Winko

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book now available
From: DHonemanband
Date: 09 Apr 12 - 09:28 PM

What makes you think my marketing strategy is to merely pedal to broke musicians? For that matter, what makes you think they are all broke? Many people, myself included, buy books without seeing them, if the subject is of interest to them. As to your idea of posting the whole book, it might have merit, and I may eventually take the considerable time to do that. But first I hope to sell some copies before effectively giving anyone who wants to a free read of the whole thing. I don't actually have a website (other than myspace or my blogspot). No thanks. I'll just continue as I am and if a year goes by and no one buys it but a few broke musicians then I'll consider other avenues.

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book now available
From: DHonemanband
Date: 09 Apr 12 - 09:32 PM

I might add that I am selling the one man bands one copy each at cost. This means I make nothing from them. No one is obliged to buy it, of course. I spent three years working on it. I feel like I'm having to justify selling it at all, which is ridiculous.

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book now available
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Sep 12 - 06:32 PM

Anyone else have anything to say about this topic? Very disappointed in the response (don't know how many members there are here but it looks to be quite a few). This book has much folk related info in it and covers many very obscure but interesting artists. I'd love to hear any comments. I poured a lot of effort into this. I believe it is a valuable document of a relatively undocumented field.

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book now available
From: GUEST,Jacob B
Date: 05 Sep 12 - 09:57 AM

I hope information on Sergeant Pepperoni (see thread) made its way to you for the book.

Subject: RE: One Man Band Book now available
From: Bobert
Date: 05 Sep 12 - 11:35 AM

If ya' do a reprint, I want my pic in it...

Bobert )alias "Sidewalk Bob", OMB)