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Doug Bradley played basketball with the Miracles, shared a joint with Grace Slick, and held Dionne Warwick's hand when he told her Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated. He watched his doo-wop singing brother and World War II veteran father battle over the birth of rock and roll, brought the music of Stax and Motown to a small college in the West Virginia hills, and soaked in the sounds of CCR, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix as an Army journalist in the "air-conditioned jungle" in Vietnam.
In The Tracks of My Years: A Music-Based Memoir, the acclaimed co-author of Rolling Stone's 2015 music book-of-the-year, We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of Vietnam War, tells the story of a life lived with, and in, music. He provides a poignant, sometimes painful, series of portraits of a young man maneuvering the intricacies of family life, love and romance, and a complicated relationship with a high school teacher who inspired him but was a constant source of bewilderment. As Bradley discovers who he is and, crucially, who he isn't, the soundtrack evolves from Sinatra and the Beatles to Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan.
The Tracks of My Years is a book for anyone who grew up in post-World War II America, and for their children and grandchildren trying to look beyond the haze of myths surrounding Baby Boomers. It opens windows into the echoes of the heart. Cue up Alexa, Siri, or Spotify and curl up for a journey through The Tracks of My Years.
"An insightful chronicle of a life lived with, in, and through music. The story of a young man working out what it means to be a son, a brother, a friend and/or lover, a husband, and a father is also a chronicle of a world in constant change, its soundtrack spinning from jazz and doo-wop to Motown and psychedelic soul. Written by an award-winning music writer and dedicated veteran activist, The Tracks of My Years bears witness to the power of music to make sense of a world that mostly doesn't." - Craig Werner, professor emeritus, UW-Madison; former member Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee; author A Change is Gonna Come: Music, Race & The Soul of America
"Doug Bradley has an incisive way of getting to the heart of the role music plays in our lives, how it lifts and supports us in difficult times and allows us to access our deepest emotions. His writing illustrates brilliantly the importance of music and how it is a universal force for good." - Maggie Ayre, Series Producer, "Soul Music," BBC Radio Four
"Vietnam veteran Doug Bradley has used popular music as a means of connecting with a fractious population divided by class, culture, and politics. The Tracks of My Years reminds us of songs and messages of unity that serve as testament to the deep connection between music and memory." - Jeff Kollath, Director Emeritus, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Memphis
Legacy Book Press LLC is a traditional publisher of personal stories told via non-fiction, fiction, poetry, or a combination.
