And on Guitar…: The Autobiography of Jim Cregan

Legendary guitarist Jim Cregan reveals his remarkable life story in this explosive autobiography. Jim Cregan is an English rock guitarist, songwriter and producer, who in a career spanning fifty years has recorded numerous albums with stars such as Cat Stevens, Family, Willie Nelson, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, Joe Cocker, The Gypsy Kings and Katie Melua among many others. However, he is perhaps best known for his 40-year association with Rod Stewart, as both his guitarist and co-writer/producer. In Riffing Yarns, Cregan lifts the lid on an extraordinary career in which he toured with Elton John as part of the Blossom Toes, recorded two albums with Family, was recruited by Steve Harley to form the new Cockney Rebel (his sublime solo on their hit single ‘Come Up and See (Make Me Smile)’ is considered to be one of the best), and took part in the staging of the largest outdoor concert in history, when he played alongside Rod Stewart in front of an estimated audience of 3.5 million people at Copacabana in Rio. Riffing Yarns recounts Cregan’s early life in Somerset, his burgeoning music career, extraordinary tales of hedonism, and features a Who’s Who of music’s biggest stars. AUTHOR: Andy Merriman has written the acclaimed biographies Hattie: The Authorised Biography of Hattie Jacques and Margaret Rutherford: Dreadnought with Good Manners. More recently he has written Greasepaint and Cordite: How ENSA Entertained the Troops During World War Two. He lives in London. 20 colour illustrations