Former Great White frontman Jack Russell’s long-awaited autobiography, The True Tale Of Mista Bone: A Rock + Roll Narrative, has just been released via Gatekeeper Press.
Co-authored by Katelyn Louise “K.L.” Doty, it features a sentimental foreword by Lita Ford, with additional commentary from Eric Singer, Eddie Trunk, John Kalodner, Kip Winger and others. The book, with a cover photo by legendary rock photographer Mark Weiss, is available in paperback, hardcover and e-book form.
Doty comments: “It is with long-awaited excitement and a heart full of joy that I announce the official release of Jack Russell’s autobiography, The True Tale of Mista Bone: A Rock + Roll Narrative.
“Many deserve our thanks. Not a single drop of their love and support will go uncherished.
“This book was written in such a way that the heart of all humankind might open to let in the beauty of the story that each and every one of us has.
“Jack and I hope you enjoy every chapter and every word of his.”
From the publisher: “Jack Russell attended military school with high hopes of becoming an archaeologist, but the gift of The Beatles’ Help! on vinyl changed the course of his future. With the record dizzily spinning, Russell recalls: ‘Music filled the room… I had a vision, an extraordinary rush of feeling. I knew exactly what was to become of me… I knew who I was going to be.’
“Russell joined his first band at the age of eleven, not long after finding love for drugs. After continually bumping heads with school and the law, he moved to Los Angeles, where the focus shifted from rebellious suburban antics to unruly nights on the Sunset Strip. After years of gigging in Hollywood came the birth of Great White and the break of a lifetime. Russell and the gang signed with Capitol and quickly saw platinum success, moving on to tour with Poison, Dokken, Judas Priest, and others. But the road was an invitation for continued substance abuse, relationship problems, and trouble in the limelight.
“Jack Russell’s story is incomplete without a candid retelling of his experience during the three-year trial linked to the Station Nightclub Fire in 2003. Catching most of the blame for the improper use of pyrotechnics displayed at the band’s Rhode Island show in February of that year, Russell, by default, became the face of a tragedy that claimed the lives of 100 people in just 60 seconds.
“Fans of Jack Russell and Great White will be given a thorough look into the dream, rise, success, fall, and return of one of rock’s most powerful voices.
“Russell’s story is one of colossal heartache, healing, and redemption.”
For more information, visit www.jackrussellbook.com.