Gus & Me, The Story of My Granddad and My First Guitar by Richards_ Keith
cute interesting story of Keith Richards and his grandfather who introduced him to his first guitar.
Memories of their visits to the grandfather's house....
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device). ( )

A picture book written by Keith Richards about his grandfather and illustrated by his daughter? One's first instinct may be to groan but this is quite a pleasant surprise. Keith's story of how his grandfather gave him his first guitar that began his lifelong love of music is charming, funny, sincere, and inspiring. The warm,. cheerful illustrations by Theodora Richards based on family photographs give a nice feeling of spontaneity. ( )

This story is a narrative about a boy's experiences with his grandpa. His grandpa loved music. This music passion was strong, and his grandchild grew up watching him play music. The grandpa promised him that he could try guitar when he got old enough. When the time came he started to learn, and wight he help from his grandpa, he learned how to play. ( )

Keith Richards, the rough-edged, raspy-voiced, Rolling Stones guitarist, is hardly the man that comes to mind for a picture book writer and narrator, but then again, who better to tell the story of his first guitar?

Richards wins the listener over immediately with his folksy, working class Estuary English accent (think dropped h's and "intrusive" r's) and unmistakable fondness for his topics - his first guitar and his beloved Granddad, Gus. It was the musically talented Gus who introduced a young Keith Richards to the guitar, teaching him how to 'old it, and suggesting the classical Malagueña(r) as the pinnacle of guitar mastery.

I have yet to see the print version of this story, but I don't believe it could surpass the audio book. A story with music at its heart needs music to be understood. Richards plays bits from Malagueña in appropriate spots throughout the story, and during a visit to a music shop in London, we hear Steve Jordan on drums. Once, the listener even hears a little chuckle - not musical, but surprisingly sincere. Richards collaborated with other authors, but this is obviously his story, and he delights in telling it.

My review for AudioFile Magazine may be found here: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/96059/ ( )

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