Born to shell-shocked parents
in shell-shocked London shortly after the end of World War II, Paul 'Sailor'
Vernon came into his own during the 1960s when spotty teenage herberts with bad
haircuts began discovering The Blues. For the Sailor it became a lifelong
obsession that led him first to record collecting and stalking unsuspecting
visiting bluesmen, and then into a whirlwind of activity as a rare record
hunter, record dealer, magazine proprietor/editor, video bootlegger and record
company director before a variety of personal and business setbacks eventually
ushered him into seeking a more stable form of existence.
The many twists and
turns in the author's rollercoaster adventure of a life are all vividly charted
in this hilarious illustrated autobiography.
GASP as you read how he road-tripped his way
through the Deep South armed only with a Rand McNally map, a Swiss army knife
and an emergency jar of Marmite!
MARVEL as you absorb in-depth
descriptions of legendary performances by long-departed giants of the Blues!
CHOKE on your coffee as one rotten
gag after another blindsides you!
REND YOUR GARMENTS as you realize
just how many original Blues 78’s went through his sweaty hands!
SHOUT “BLIMEY!” within earshot of
surprised elderly relatives as you follow the rags-to-riches tale of his
extraordinary life! It’s all here in this one-of-a-kind life history that will
leave you reaching for an enamel bucket and a fresh bottle of disinfectant!
REVIEWS
"Paul Vernon is perhaps the first record collector-dealer to ever have a book
written about him - even if he wrote it himself. Many VJM readers will be
familiar with the man who worked with Trevor Benwell on VJM during the 1970s
then launched his own iconoclastic Sailor's Delight filled with cheeky humor
and great post-war blues 78s and LPs. (He finally comes clean about the bogus
Robert Johnson photograph that appeared in SD about the same time Steve LaVere
located the real one - about time, Paul.).
Unlike
VJM, Paul filled up SD's pages with his own records which required him to
scrounge the world to find them - and the collecting escapades in doing so are
duly recorded in the current work with aplomb and good humor. Later, Paul was
a pioneer in documenting and reissuing traditional world music, particularly
in Portugal, Greece, West Africa - an effort aided enormously by being one of
the privileged few to gain access to the legendary EMI archives, which have the
most complete files on recording activity around the world (not to mention
hard copies of the 78s) anywhere. He also worked with cartoonist Gene Deitch
in reissuing a privately recorded tape of John Lee Hooker's earliest
performances.
The reason Paul could pull off the
feat of gaining entrance to EMI, and other ventures in his life is the reason
why this book was published - he's got a surplus of good humor and knowledge
of the blues that he sprinkles liberally throughout the book.
The book
is a lot of fun to read and a welcome relief from the fawning, pretentious
scholarship of many blues books. Read it over a weekend and have a laugh over
a true character." VJM (March 2008)
"This book is not meant as a
sociological study of the effect of the blues on a NW London geezer; rather, it
is written to make people laugh along with – not at – Paul, and it certainly
achieves that noble aim. So, whether you are one of Paul’s many friends, one of
his few detractors, or just somebody who really doesn’t know the guy at all, but
wants to know more and have a good number of laughs along the way, I do
recommend that you beg, borrow but preferably not steal a copy of what is, as
Sailor describes it, a description of a love affair with music, at which
blues/RnB is at the core, over the past 45-odd years – 'the true essence of
being alive'. Aye aye, Sailor and thanks." Blues & Rhythm (April 2008)
"Readers familiar with
SD won't be surprised that the narrative is informed, affectionate, often
poignant and always replete with zany humour. It'll have you rushing for a
dry handkerchief one moment, and a clean pair of underwear the next.
Adorned with Dave Clarke's original SD cartoons, this is essential for
every blues fan with a sense of humour." Record Collector (May 2008)
"Paul's prose, reverential
in parts, rosily nostalgic in others, poignant in places and laced with just
plain daft humour throughout, brings the story vividly to life... a rollicking
read." Juke Blues (June 2008)
