--- product_id: 15638613 title: "Blind Owl Blues: The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson" price: "1212038₫" currency: VND in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.vn/products/15638613-blind-owl-blues-the-mysterious-life-and-death-of-blues store_origin: VN region: Vietnam --- # Blind Owl Blues: The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson **Price:** 1212038₫ **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Blind Owl Blues: The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson - **How much does it cost?** 1212038₫ with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vn](https://www.desertcart.vn/products/15638613-blind-owl-blues-the-mysterious-life-and-death-of-blues) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Blind Owl Blues: The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson [Davis, Rebecca] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Blind Owl Blues: The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson Review: All Rock Biographies Should Be as Good as This One - Whoever loves music and the special people who made great music will feel a debt of gratitude for such a rare biography as this. Most music biographies, especially of rock musicians, are just vicarious trips into hedonistic lifestyles beyond the reach of most people. Such books may be entertaining, but they rarely get at why we actually like to listen to the music–why we like to put the record disc on the turntable in the first place. Blind Owl Blues is a biography that enhances our whole understanding and appreciation of the contributions Alan Wilson made to the band he helped form, Canned Heat, and to the music world in general. Rebecca Davis rescued Alan Wilson’s legacy from oblivion with her biography. He had composed and sung Canned Heat’s two most significant American hits. However, because Wilson died young and was not a flamboyant or outrageous figure in the popular music scene, he did not leave the kind of mark that would have encouraged rock journalists and rock historians to perpetuate a posthumous legacy in the annals of rock. Now it is no guarantee that there is an interesting story behind someone whose name has fallen into relative obscurity, but Davis must have sensed, before undertaking to write this biography, that he had been a special person–and she was right. Thankfully, she is a very skilled and careful scholar. She found excellent living sources (as well as documentary ones), and used the information they shared, with narrative adeptness and judiciousness. In her biography we actually get to know a successful rock musician as a real human being. Also happily, we get to know why Wilson loved music, what he appreciated about music, and how he used his fine understanding of it. He wrote and arranged songs for the band he played in for half a decade. He also helped revive and facilitate the careers of several venerable blues artists. As Rebecca Davis says, this is a book more about Alan Wilson than about Canned Heat, but it does much to rectify their status in America as mere “two-hit wonders” (although “three-hit wonders” in Europe). Canned Heat, under the shared leadership of their band-members, were dedicated to the art of the blues (in the rock and folk-rock forms), and have been unfairly left out of important blues histories covering the latter-day period in which they enjoyed their brief popularity. Wilson and other discerning white American musicians of his generation revered and studied the African American blues legacy just as much as did the British rock musicians across the water. This is a fact that runs contrary to current dogma, which holds that white Americans did not appreciate blues music until they were reintroduced to it by the likes of the Rolling Stones and others during the British Invasion of popular music from the mid-1960s onward. This might be true for the mass of the American white population, but there were many like Alan Wilson, a bricklayer’s son from Massachusetts, who were discovering it and mastering the art form before anyone from the United Kingdom had ever crossed the water and played on the Ed Sullivan Show. So, read Rebecca Davis’ biography. Then ask yourself why Alan Wilson does not get more than a footnote in rock histories, and why the American band Canned Heat are not remembered in the same breath as their contemporaries in blues rock from Great Britain. Review: Best music biography ever! - Alan was a serious student of music, learning the forms and expanding on them. I found his story to be the most interesting of all the musical biographies I've read. I first became interested in Alan's playing after I heard the Canned Heat collaboration with John Lee Hooker: "Hooker N' Heat". Hooker has always been a favorite of mine because of his mastery of the boogie trance. Alan's harp solo on Boogie Chillen contains a long note that rides the hypnotic rhythm, building the tension and then breaks free with the resolution notes. It triggers Hooker to shout "YEAH!". It's one of the most captivating passages of any blues recordings that I've heard. After I heard that for the first time, I thought about video footage I've seen of Canned Heat during his era, and I took an interest in his musical approach on guitar and harp. Alan was such an unassuming presence on stage but he played with a fiery intensity. The author of this book went all out with interviewing friends, family and collaborators as well as finding segments of Alan's own words. I can't say enough good about this book. Aside from filling in a lot of Alan's life details, it reveals an intensity of dedication to the forms of music that he was drawn to. I'm very happy to read about this fellow kindred spirit. There is also a considerable amount of material about the other members of Canned Heat. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #788,836 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #4,276 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 206 Reviews | ## Images ![Blind Owl Blues: The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61E+CSX+WbL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ All Rock Biographies Should Be as Good as This One *by T***D on August 3, 2024* Whoever loves music and the special people who made great music will feel a debt of gratitude for such a rare biography as this. Most music biographies, especially of rock musicians, are just vicarious trips into hedonistic lifestyles beyond the reach of most people. Such books may be entertaining, but they rarely get at why we actually like to listen to the music–why we like to put the record disc on the turntable in the first place. Blind Owl Blues is a biography that enhances our whole understanding and appreciation of the contributions Alan Wilson made to the band he helped form, Canned Heat, and to the music world in general. Rebecca Davis rescued Alan Wilson’s legacy from oblivion with her biography. He had composed and sung Canned Heat’s two most significant American hits. However, because Wilson died young and was not a flamboyant or outrageous figure in the popular music scene, he did not leave the kind of mark that would have encouraged rock journalists and rock historians to perpetuate a posthumous legacy in the annals of rock. Now it is no guarantee that there is an interesting story behind someone whose name has fallen into relative obscurity, but Davis must have sensed, before undertaking to write this biography, that he had been a special person–and she was right. Thankfully, she is a very skilled and careful scholar. She found excellent living sources (as well as documentary ones), and used the information they shared, with narrative adeptness and judiciousness. In her biography we actually get to know a successful rock musician as a real human being. Also happily, we get to know why Wilson loved music, what he appreciated about music, and how he used his fine understanding of it. He wrote and arranged songs for the band he played in for half a decade. He also helped revive and facilitate the careers of several venerable blues artists. As Rebecca Davis says, this is a book more about Alan Wilson than about Canned Heat, but it does much to rectify their status in America as mere “two-hit wonders” (although “three-hit wonders” in Europe). Canned Heat, under the shared leadership of their band-members, were dedicated to the art of the blues (in the rock and folk-rock forms), and have been unfairly left out of important blues histories covering the latter-day period in which they enjoyed their brief popularity. Wilson and other discerning white American musicians of his generation revered and studied the African American blues legacy just as much as did the British rock musicians across the water. This is a fact that runs contrary to current dogma, which holds that white Americans did not appreciate blues music until they were reintroduced to it by the likes of the Rolling Stones and others during the British Invasion of popular music from the mid-1960s onward. This might be true for the mass of the American white population, but there were many like Alan Wilson, a bricklayer’s son from Massachusetts, who were discovering it and mastering the art form before anyone from the United Kingdom had ever crossed the water and played on the Ed Sullivan Show. So, read Rebecca Davis’ biography. Then ask yourself why Alan Wilson does not get more than a footnote in rock histories, and why the American band Canned Heat are not remembered in the same breath as their contemporaries in blues rock from Great Britain. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best music biography ever! *by T***O on November 24, 2025* Alan was a serious student of music, learning the forms and expanding on them. I found his story to be the most interesting of all the musical biographies I've read. I first became interested in Alan's playing after I heard the Canned Heat collaboration with John Lee Hooker: "Hooker N' Heat". Hooker has always been a favorite of mine because of his mastery of the boogie trance. Alan's harp solo on Boogie Chillen contains a long note that rides the hypnotic rhythm, building the tension and then breaks free with the resolution notes. It triggers Hooker to shout "YEAH!". It's one of the most captivating passages of any blues recordings that I've heard. After I heard that for the first time, I thought about video footage I've seen of Canned Heat during his era, and I took an interest in his musical approach on guitar and harp. Alan was such an unassuming presence on stage but he played with a fiery intensity. The author of this book went all out with interviewing friends, family and collaborators as well as finding segments of Alan's own words. I can't say enough good about this book. Aside from filling in a lot of Alan's life details, it reveals an intensity of dedication to the forms of music that he was drawn to. I'm very happy to read about this fellow kindred spirit. There is also a considerable amount of material about the other members of Canned Heat. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Illuminating biography despite it's flaws *by E***C on May 9, 2014* This book has helped me gain a deeper understanding of the life of the late co-founder/leader of Canned Heat and blues man, Alan Wilson. For a reader like me, someone totally new to the "Blind Owl", it is a really good primer about his character, background, and artistic drive. The biography does come up a bit short on artistic analysis so if you, good reader, are already well versed on Wilson -and artistic analysis is an important feature to you- you may find this book wanting. That's not to say that this is a shallow read. The book states in the introduction that it "...is not an in-depth musicological study; rather, it is a biographical tribute." I feel it delivers as a tribute and promotes his music and awareness of his interests. Additionally, my understanding is that this is a self-published, self-financed first book; a culmination of years of research where many would-be prospective interviewees were unavailable for whatever reason. The pool of insights to draw from has been narrowed. I imagine this would make for quite challenging research efforts. Despite these hurdles, I feel that this biography delivers what it sets out to do. It is a key resource in learning more about the Blind Owl in a world where amplified information on him seems scant. Other salient points: the book, as other reviews have mentioned, has it's fair share of typos and some unnecessary repetition in places relating to Wilson's personal habits. As I awaited my second edition to arrive, I anticipated these first edition typos would be corrected. However, the typos are still there in the second edition waving at you. Apparently, photos were abundant in the first edition but in this second edition there are none. I am wondering why that is the case. I found the book to be engrossing. From everything I have gathered through this biography and what I could find on the internet, Blind Owl is sadly all-around under appreciated and underrated. I have been alive for almost the exact length of time Wilson has been gone and this year (2014) is the first I am learning about him? He is a most fascinating character with much to learn from so it is a shame. I have a feeling that his obscurity is due to wider cultural reasons, at least in-part. A documentary or biopic (a-la Daniel Johnston?) would be great to see...seems unlikely, but who knows... Despite these aforementioned flaws I think it is a good -if somewhat basic- biography that does what it purports to do. Yes, it has it's limitations but still serves as a good introduction on the life of Alan Wilson. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vn/products/15638613-blind-owl-blues-the-mysterious-life-and-death-of-blues](https://www.desertcart.vn/products/15638613-blind-owl-blues-the-mysterious-life-and-death-of-blues) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vietnam* *Store origin: VN* *Last updated: 2026-05-20*