As a member of bands like Trapeze, Deep Purple, and Black Country Communion, Glenn Hughes is one of hard rock and heavy metal’s most legendary artists. On bass and vocals in so many bands that remain fan favorites, it was only a matter of time before Hughes came to tell of his exploits over the years.
Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography is just that. The book follows Hughes from his early musical genesis with bands like Finders Keepers and Trapeze, to his superstardom as a member of Deep Purple, and his subsequent battles with addiction, and musical resurgence in recent years.
Glenn Hughes is definitely one of my all time favorite musicians. He has played in some of hard rock and heavy metal’s best bands, and has always been the standout musician in said acts. No one was more eager than me to check out Hughes’ biography.
Even being the big time fan that I am, I did learn plenty from this book, including interesting details of side projects and collaborations that are fairly obscure. There are even stories about Hughes childhood and love life, which definitely help to shed some light on the man behind the music.
Unfortunately, a huge problem plagues Hughes’ book; one that is present on nearly every page. Hughes battled with addiction for much of his life; a struggle him and many of his fellow rockers have shared. It is good that this was covered here….
…but did it need to be covered on EVERY SINGLE PAGE OF THE BOOK?
A better title for this book would have been Glenn Hughes: My Struggles with Addiction, because it quickly becomes the central focal point of the book. As a fan of the music specifically, this rocker is more into hearing stories about the bands, the camaraderie between musicians, little known projects one might not know about, and so forth. I respect and admire Hughes for being an addict who beat the odds and came out on top (his Deep Purple bandmate Tommy Bolin was not so fortunate). Yet I cannot help but feel that with less of an emphasis on his addiction, this could have been a better book. The discography section at the end was a nice touch, but this fan wanted more info and tales of those bands.
Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography gives interesting insight into the lives of one of the most legendary rockers of all time, but the overemphasis on his addictions quickly takes center stage and becomes the primary emphasis of the book. I can still give it a moderate recommendation, but know what you are getting ahead of time.