I love this book! Like a slow blues, Stephen T. Lewis takes you through every heartbreak, the beer-soaked floors of juke joints and the sweat-stained clothes from long hours on stage, Richard Manuel's entire life and the Dickensian cast of characters he intersected with. His musical descriptions of the bands Richard played with carry the ring of truth. The stories are endless. I could not give the book a rest. Absolutely brilliant!
--Bill Payne, co-founder and keyboardist with Little Feat

Having spent many a long night with Richard, I believe this book beautifully captures the essence of the brilliant musician to an extraordinary detail--to the point where you can actually hear the words. 'He lived, he breathed, he died with his music.'--Corky Laing, drummer with Mountain

It's hard to imagine American music in the sixties and seventies without The Band, even though they never quite got the attention and sales they deserved. Yet the country/folk/blues end of rock would not have existed without them. And though other band members got more attention, Richard Manuel's voice and classic blues piano were at the very core of that music. Which is why Stephen Lewis' Richard Manuel deserves serious attention. It fills a major gap in our understanding.--Dennis McNally, author of A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead