Chips Moman: The Record Producer Whose Genius Changed American Music

Dickerson is a workmanlike writer. But he is an atrocious researcher. His book is littered with factual errors (Eddie Cochran didn’t die in a car crash in London, British Leyland didn’t exist when Moman bought a Triumph car and the Stax band was named after the MG, Janis Joplin wasn’t dead when Bobby Womack played sessions with Wilson Pickett in Muscle Shoals and Memphis, Alex Chilton had a career after Big Star, and so on and on). There seem to be whole aspects of Moman’s career - such as the AGP label, which had considerable success with Merrillee Rush - of which he’s entirely ignorant. Hugely disappointing, not least because he had personal access to Moman.

Like a lot of people I only knew of Chips Moman through his work with Dusty Springfield and Elvis Presley in the late 1960s. So I bought this book to know more about him and is work with these singers. Unfortunately, especially with Elvis, this is given few pages, and I know no more about these sessions than I already did. Also, what does emerge through this story is that Mr Moman was not a nice person, and, 50 or so pages into the book I already feel than I know too much about him and that I certainly don't want to know any more. In fairness to the author, he has done his research well and writes in a very readable style. This is truly a 'warts and all' story - with way too many warts for my liking!

Excellent book that lays out the progression of Chips life and career in an easy to read way. It is full of all the trials and tribulations at Stax in the early days and American in the later. All the diversity of Recording stars he produced over his time From Elvis and Neil Diamond, to Brenda Lee and Petula Clark. I enjoyed reading the book and feel I know now a lot more about Chips and what drove him to achieve so much in the progression of American music

A difficult read due to the author's lack of proof reading. A real shame because the legend that was Lincoln "Chips" Moman deserves so much more.

There appear to have been zero attempts to fact check and the concept of editing for poor spelling / syntax etc has proven wholly beyond the publisher’s field of expertise.This book is destined to be returned marked ‘unfit for purpose’Pity as the subject of the book deserves so much more