Best known as bassist and charismatic co-frontman of Deep Purple’s Mark III and IV line-ups, Glenn Hughes should be much more famous than he is. In this unflinching, uplifting autobiography, he explains in detail where it all went wrong (and right).
In comparison with the kind of warts’n’all autobiographies that revel in bad behaviour, this is a refreshingly intelligent read, revealing an articulate artist who takes no pride in the self-destructive tendencies which almost ruined his career and ended his life. Hughes emerges as a sympathetic figure – a hugely talented funk and soul performer who accidentally became an icon of hard rock.
After significant early success with Trapeze and Deep Purple, Hughes’ Herculean cocaine intake effectively derailed his career, leading to an extensive but patchy discography and a sense of talent gone to waste. It’s only fairly recently that, clean and sober, the star has returned revitalised, looking and sounding better than he has for years. Here he tells the tale with passion, honesty and self-deprecating wit. A class act.
