The road took many twists and turns, and along the way Nix met many astonishing musical talents, from the elderly blues guitarist Furry Lewis, who eked out a living as a street musician; to Gary Lewis, who was just achieving pop super-stardom with the sugary hit This Diamond Ring; to the gun-toting guitarist Albert King, whose sensitivity to his own lack of musical education was hidden behind a gruff exterior; to the pianist/producer extraordinaire Leon Russell, who signed Nix to his fledgling Shelter Records label and introduced him to the definitely mad Englishman Joe Cocker.

Don Nix's mixture of humor, honesty, and humility make this one of the most telling of all rock memoirs. It is not the story of one soaked in the spotlight, but rather the more typical tale of life on the fringes of success - and insanity. As if this weren't enough, the book ends with a glorious gathering of favorite recipes from rockers old and new that Nix befriended on the way, from Don Henley's renowned Texas Chili recipe to John Mayall's patented Shepherd's Pie.