Stanley Booth (born January 5, 1942, in

Waycross, Georgia Waycross is the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Ware County in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 14,725 at the 2010 Census and dropped to 13,942 in the 2020 census. Waycross includes two historic districts (Downtown ...

) is a

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

-based

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

music journalist Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. Characterized by

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

as a "fine, if not extremely prolific, writer who generally speaking specializes in portraits of roots musicians, most of whom did their best work in the '60s and '50s," Booth has written extensively about

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973) who was known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist who recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, ...

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

, and

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

. He chronicled his travels with the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

in several of his works.

Career

Booth received a degree in English and

art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

from

Memphis State University } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering ...

(where he cultivated a lifelong friendship with fellow student

Jim Dickinson James Luther Dickinson (November 15, 1941 – August 15, 2009) was an American record producer, pianist, and singer who fronted, among others, the band Mud Boy and the Neutrons, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Biography Dickinson was born in Lit ...

) in 1963. After leaving a graduate program at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

without taking a degree, he began his journalistic career while maintaining a

day job Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any other ...

with the Tennessee Department of Welfare. His early oeuvre includes notable articles on Memphis musicians like Presley (including a seminal 1967 article for ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' regarded by James Calemine as "the first serious article" written about the singer) and Redding, the latter of whom Booth witnessed writing the famous song "

(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" is a song co-written by soul singer Otis Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper. It was recorded by Redding twice in 1967, including once just three days before his death in a plane crash on December 10, 1967. Th ...

" with

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as Ot ...

at Stax Studios on the Friday before Redding's death. After befriending Richards at the instigation of Ian Stewart while covering the trial of

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...

in 1968, he ensconced himself in the band's inner circle; shortly thereafter, he traveled with the band during their 1969 American tour. During this period, Booth was introduced to fellow Richards confederate and Waycross native

The Flying Burrito Brothers The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is perhaps best known for its connection to band founders Gram Parsons and Chris ...

(he reviewed ''

The Gilded Palace of Sin ''The Gilded Palace of Sin'' is the first album by the country rock group the Flying Burrito Brothers, released on February 6, 1969. It continued Gram Parsons' and Chris Hillman's work in modern country music, fusing traditional sources like folk ...

'' for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' contemporaneously) and was present at the infamous

Altamont Music Festival The Altamont Speedway Free Festival was a counterculture rock concert in the United States, held on Saturday, December 6, 1969, at the Altamont Speedway outside of Livermore, California. Approximately 300,000 attended the concert, and some an ...

, where a concertgoer was killed by a member of the

Hells' Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is a worldwide outlaw motorcycle club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporatio ...

. Although his 1970 profile of

Furry Lewis Walter E. "Furry" Lewis (March 6, 1893 or 1899 – September 14, 1981) was an American country blues guitarist and songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee. He was one of the first of the blues musicians active in the 1920s to be brought out of retirem ...

received the annual ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' Best Nonfiction Award, Booth retreated to a cabin in the

Boston Mountains The Boston Mountains is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. Part of the Ozarks, the Boston Mountains are a deeply dissected plateau. The ecoregion is steeper ...

Newton County, Arkansas Newton County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 8,330. The county seat is Jasper, Arkansas, Jasper. Newton County is Arkansas's 46th county, f ...

for many years following a 1971 drug conviction of a year's probation. Subsequent setbacks, including circumspection toward the group's 1972 American tour (which he attempted to cover but ultimately castigated as "an ugly scene full of

amyl nitrate Amyl nitrate is the chemical compound with the formula CH3(CH2)4ONO2. This molecule consists of the 5-carbon amyl group attached to a nitrate functional group. It is the ester of amyl alcohol and nitric acid. Applications Alkyl nitrates are em ...

Quaaludes Methaqualone is a hypnotic sedative. It was sold under the brand names Quaalude ( ) and Sopor among others, which contained 300 mg of methaqualone, and sold as a combination drug under the brand name Mandrax, which contained 250 mg met ...

, tequila sunrises,

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

, and too many pistoleros, and it left me with more material than I could ever use"), precipitated a long creative interregnum typified by "

clinical depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Introdu ...

, drug problems and domestic upheaval"; these problems were exacerbated by a

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

-induced back injury in 1978. Nevertheless, his long-gestating account of the 1969 tour (''Dance with the Devil: The Rolling Stones and Their Times'', later republished as ''The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones'') was finally released to rapturous reviews in 1984. However, the book's effusive reception (including plaudits from Richards, who has characterized the book as "the only one I can read and say, 'Yeah, that's how it was...'") belied lingering contractual issues that ensured Booth made "next to nothing" from his work. In addition to an essay collection (''Rythm Oil'') and a biography of Richards, Booth has also published articles in ''Rolling Stone'', '' GQ'' and many smaller journals. He has also appeared in many documentaries, not only on Southern music and the Rolling Stones, but

Tom Thurman Tom Thurman (born March 26, 1962) is an American filmmaker. Since 1992, he has produced and directed 36 documentaries on art, film, music, sports and literary figures, including Nick Nolte, Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Harry Crews, Jerry Wexler, ...

's ''Movies of Color'' and '' Peckinpah''. For some years Booth lived near

Brunswick, Georgia Brunswick () is a city in and the county seat of Glynn County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the primary urban and economic center of the lower southeast portion of Georgia, it is the second-largest urban area on the Georgia coastline after Sa ...

with his late wife, the poet

Diann Blakely Diann Blakely (June 1, 1957 – August 5, 2014) was an American poet, essayist, editor, and critic. She taught at Belmont University, Harvard University, Vanderbilt University, led workshops at two Vermont College residencies, and served as senio ...

. He now resides in Memphis, and is finishing the successor to ''Rythm Oil'', currently entitled ''Blues Dues''; a memoir, ''Tree Full of Owls''; and ''Distant Thoughts'', a series of letters chronicling the unfolding literary relationship and love story between Booth and poet Blakely.

Selected works

* "Furry's Blues," 1970 (''

'' article) * ''Dance with the Devil: The Rolling Stones and Their Times'', 1984 * ''Rythm Oil: A Journey Through the Music of the American South'', 1991 * ''Keith: Standing in the Shadows'', 1996 * ''The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones'', 2000 (revised iteration of ''Dance with the Devil'')

Articles and essays

"Blues Dues," by Stanley Booth (''Blues For Peace'')

''Salon''. November 21, 1997. * ttp://www.gadflyonline.com/archive/May98/archive-memphis.html "Memphis and the Beale Street Blues" ''

Gadfly Online ''Gadfly Magazine'' was a periodical that was created in February 1997 and launched as a full-size print publication in January 1998. The publisher is the Rutherford Institute. The magazine is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. At the Utne Reader ...

''. May 1998.
"Bobby Rush: A ''Blues Access'' Interview"
''Blues Access''. Summer 1998.

''Gadfly''. December 1998.
"Unanointed, Unannealed"
''Chapter 16''. January 20, 2011.
"Bea Shall Overcome: The Unexpurgated Version"
'' Option''. May 18, 2011.

References

External links

Furry's Blues
- Playboy 17 #4 (1970), p. 100-02, 104, 114, 193-94 (OCRed pdf file 775 KB)
James Calernine on Booth
*

Dwight Garner Dwight Garner (born January 8, 1965) is an American journalist and longtime writer and editor for ''The New York Times''. In 2008, he was named a book critic for the newspaper. He is the author of ''Garner's Quotations: A Modern Miscellany'' and ...

/Robert Stone
"Save These Books!"/''The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones''
''

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

''. December 4, 1997. *

"Getting Respectable."
''

Nashville Scene ''Nashville Scene'' is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with ...

''. March 29, 2001.
"Mojo Magazine Cover" April 2002, Issue 101, Elvis Issue that included Stanley Booth Article
* Elvis CD Collectors Forum Aug 11, 2013
''Lookin' for Trouble?''
Mojo Magazine April 2002 Stanley Booth Elvis Article reprint * Dave Bry
"Very Recent History: A Dispiriting End To An Earlier Decade."
''

The Awl ''The Awl'' was a website about "news, ideas and obscure Internet minutiae of the day" based in New York City. Its motto was "Be Less Stupid." History Founded in April 2009 by David Cho and former ''Gawker'' editors Choire Sicha and Alex Balk ...

''. December 4, 2009. * Michael Murray
"'(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction,' 45 Years Later."
''

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

.'' May 6, 2010. * Reed Johnson
"An Appreciation: Dennis Hopper was a man of his times."
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

''. June 6, 2010. * Ethan Russell
"Music, Words & Photography: 'Exiles' in Paris -- Whole Lotta Rolling Stones."
''Huffington Post''. September 24, 2010. * David L. Ulin
"Book Review: 'Life by Keith Richards."
''Los Angeles Times.'' October 28, 2010. * Zoe Heller
"Mick Without Moss."
''The New York Times''. December 3, 2010. *

Dan Chiasson Dan Chiasson (; born May 9, 1971 in Burlington, Vermont) is an American poet, critic, and journalist. The ''Sewanee Review'' called Chiasson "the country’s most visible poet-critic." He is the Lorraine C. Wang Professor of English Literature at ...

"High on the Stones."
''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...

''. March 10, 2011. *

Greil Marcus Greil Marcus (born June 19, 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics. Biography Marcus wa ...

"Heart of Stone."
''

Los Angeles Review of Books The ''Los Angeles Review of Books'' (''LARB'' is a literary review magazine covering the national and international book scenes. A preview version launched on Tumblr in April 2011, and the official website followed one year later in April 2012. ...

''. May 5, 2011.
"Second Read: Ted Conover on Stanley Booth's ''The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones''"

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...

''blog''. November 4, 2011.
'' Gimme Shelter'' (1970)
-

The Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

Biography: The Rolling Stones

wordIQ.com: The Rolling Stones - Definition
* Richard Williams
"Rock'n'Roll Adventures of the Rolling Stones"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', April 6, 2012. * Kevin Perry
"Watch the Stones take Shelter with Stanley Booth!"
''British GQ.com'', April 11, 2012.
"Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!"
'' Canongate TV'' Issue 8, Spring 2012. *

Sean O'Hagan Sean O'Hagan (born 1959) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and arranger who leads the avant-pop band the High Llamas, which he founded in 1992. He is also known for being one half of the songwriting duo (with Cathal Coughlan) in Microdisney and f ...

"Interview"
''The Guardian Podcast.'' April 4, 2012. * Jon Wilson
"Interview"
'' Front Row.'' April 18, 2012. * Mick Brown,
"Interview"
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

.'' April 19, 2012. * Andy Wilson
"News"
''GQ.com.'' April 19, 2012 *

David Hepworth David Hepworth (born 27 July 1950) is a British music journalist, writer and publishing industry analyst who was instrumental in the foundation of a number of popular magazines in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Along with the journalist, editor and b ...

"Podcast"
'' The Word.'' April 27, 2012. * Davis Inman
"Article"
''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'' May 18, 2012.
Book review: ''The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones'' by Stanley Booth. ''100% Rock Magazine.''
September 3, 2012. * Dorian Lynskey
"Christmas Gifts 2012: The Best Music Books."
''The Guardian''. November 29, 2012. * Paul Wilner
"Book Review" Stanley Booth’s “Rythm Oil - Music of the American South”
''The Journal of Roots Music'' NO DEPRESSION February 22, 2013 * Stanley Booth
"February 1968: A Hound Dog, To The Mansion Born"
Esquire Digital Magazine Reprint April 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Booth, Stanley American diarists American music critics Writers from Georgia (U.S. state) University of Memphis alumni People from Waycross, Georgia 1942 births Living people