First Time I Met The Blues - Tim Turner

Book Details

Country: UK
Language: English
Genre: Modern Fiction
Publisher: Snowbury Books
Publication Date: 2009

Spotters: 'Twang' & 'fortuneight'


Fictional Artist: The Hornets
Genre: Blues
Country: UK
Real World Analogue: "The phenomenon of middle-aged men playing blues in pubs was one of my key inspirations for the novel. In my twenties, I often found myself in pubs where a band was performing classics from the Chicago blues repertoire – Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Elmore James and the rest – and I couldn’t help noticing that the musicians were never in the first flush of youth. I started to wonder where these middle-aged blokes had come from. Had they always played the blues? Had they, perhaps, tasted success when they were younger? Was this what they expected to be doing in their forties and fifties?

"From there, it was a relatively short step to inventing a fictional blues band and creating a back story for them; working all the way back to when they were teenagers falling in love with the music, then giving them a glimpse of success and seeing how they coped when things didn’t turn out the way they’d anticipated." - Tim Turner

Jacket Blurb: 

It's 1964 and the British blues boom is in full swing. From The Animals in the North-East to The Yardbirds in South-West London, the country is full of white boys playing music originally written and recorded by poor black Americans.

Meanwhile, in a garage in Watford, three teenagers are preparing to make their own contribution to this musical movement. Des wants to be the next Eric Clapton, Steve is happy just bashing the drums, while Trevor will do whatever it takes to get close to Steve's sister, Susie, even if it means learning to play the bass.

First Time I Met The Blues follows the trio through the Sixties and beyond, and from England to Germany and even the US, as they pursue their dream of stardom. And it poses the question: how long should you follow that dream - and what happens when you stop?