Peter Guralnick

Peter Guralnick (born December 15, 1943, in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American music critic, writer on music, and historian of US American popular music, who is also active as an author and screenwriter.

Guralnick's first two books, "Almost Grown" (1964) and "Mister Downchild" (1967), were short story collections published by Larry Stark, whose small press in Cambridge, Larry Stark Press, was devoted to stories and poems. Mona Dickson, writing in MIT's "The Tech" (May 13, 1964) gave "Almost Grown" a favorable review. [http://www-tech.mit.edu/archives/VOL_084/TECH_V084_S0180_P009.pdf]

After Guralnick graduated from Boston University in 1971 with a master's degree in creative writing, he began writing books chronicling the history of blues, country, rock and roll and soul.

His two-volume biography of Elvis Presley, ' in 1994, followed by ' in 1999, placed the story of Presley's career into a rise and fall arc. Encompassing more than 1,300 pages (including 1,150 pages of text), the work countered earlier biographies such as Albert Goldman's "Elvis" from 1981 with an in-depth, scholarly examination of Presley's life and music. Guralnick had previously written on Presley in the "The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll", starting with the first edition in 1976, said article having been reprinted for each subsequent edition.

In contrast to contemporaries such as Lester Bangs, Ian Penman and Nick Tosches, whose music writings are marked by idiosyncratic, self-referential and highly personal styles, Guralnick's writing is characterized by a colloquial approach that is clean and understated by comparison. In his best passages, he has an ability to simultaneously empathize and remain objective. Writing as a music fan, his enthusiasm powers his writing but doesn't overpower it.Fact|date=June 2007

Guralnick wrote the script for A&E's documentary, "Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll", narrated by Billy Bob Thornton, and he also scripted "Sam Cooke - Legend", [http://www.samcooke.com/products.php?id=43] narrated by Jeffrey Wright.

From the mid-70's through 1992, Peter Guralnick was also the director of Camp Alton, an all-boys mostly sports camp in Wolfboro, NH. Gurlanick decided to close the camp for unknown reasons following the summer of 1992.

Books

*Peter Guralnick (1964). "Almost Grown". Cambridge, Massachusetts: Larry Stark Press.
*Peter Guralnick (1967). "Mister Downchild". Cambridge, Massachusetts: Larry Stark Press.
*cite book | author=Peter Guralnick|Guralnick, Peter| title=Feel Like Going Home: Portraits in Blues, Country, and Rock 'n' Roll| publisher= | year=1971 | id=ISBN 0876900465 Reprinted 1999. ISBN 0316332720
*cite book | author=Peter Guralnick|Guralnick, Peter| title=Lost Highway: Journeys & Arrivals of American Musicians| publisher= | year=1979 | id=ISBN 0-316-33274-7
*Peter Guralnick (1982). "The Listener's Guide to The Blues". New York: Facts on File, Inc.
*cite book | author=Peter Guralnick|Guralnick, Peter| title=Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom| publisher= | year=1986 | id=ISBN 0-316-33273-9
*cite book | author=Peter Guralnick|Guralnick, Peter| title=Searching for Robert Johnson| publisher= | year=1989 | id=ISBN 0-452-27949-6
*cite book | author=Peter Guralnick|Guralnick, Peter| title=Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley| publisher= | year=1994 | id=ISBN 0-316-33225-9
*cite book | author=Peter Guralnick|Guralnick, Peter| title=Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley| publisher= | year=1999 | id=ISBN 0-316-33297-6
*cite book | author=Peter Guralnick and Ernst Jorgensen| title=Elvis Day by Day : The Definitive Record of His Life and Music | publisher=| year=1999 | id=ISBN 0-345-42089-6
*cite book | author=Peter Guralnick| title=Dream Boogie : The Triumph of Sam Cooke | publisher=Little, Brown| year=2005 | id=ISBN 0-316-37794-5

Interviews

*"An Interview with Peter Guralnick" by Griffin Ondaatje and Craig Proctor, " [http://www.brickmag.com/ Brick: A Literary Journal] ", Issue 62, Spring 1999.
* [http://citypages.com/databank/20/945/article6981.asp "Caught in a Trap" Peter S. Sholtes interview with Peter Guralnick, "City Pages" (January 13, 1999)]

External links

* [http://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/article.asp?fn=peterguralnicksxsw.asp Peter Guralnick at SXSW]
* [http://www.twbookmark.com/authors/14/113/ Peter Guralnick at Time Warner]
* [http://stereophile.com/features/750/index.html Robert Baird, "Elvis Presley: Baby What You Want Me To Do"]