Audiobooks by Chris Gill

Blow by Blow: The Landmark New Biography of Legendary Guitarist and Rock Icon Jeff Beck

"The unexplored story of rock’s greatest and perhaps most enigmatic instrumentalist. A contender for the G.O.A.T. – the greatest of all time – Jeff Beck left an indelible mark on rock history. His sudden loss in 2023 prompted an outpouring of grief and respect from his peers that only underlined his place in the pantheon of legendary guitar slingers. Not many could have filled the shoes of Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds, but for Beck it only marked the beginning of a trailblazing career that defied expectation and labels. From the wedding pop of Hi Ho Silver Lining through the ground-breaking proto-metal of the Jeff Beck Group, and from the landmark jazz rock recorded of the mid-seventies to the cutting-edge electronica of the 21st century Beck never stood still. Across it all, as he seemed to deliberately swerve the straitjacket of megastardom, his genius as an instrumentalist remained constant. In Blow by Blow, Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill provide fresh insight and understanding into life of one of rock’s most enigmatic heroes. Drawing on nearly thirty hours of interviews with Beck himself, numerous conversations with those closest to him, and extensive new research, they shed light on the man and musician Jimmy Page once said had “shifted the whole sound and face of electric guitar music.” “This is the book Jeff deserves. It’s honest, thoughtful, and true” JOHNNY DEPP 'Fine, fine work … full of deep insights and takes one into Jeff Beck’s life, mind, and singular artistic brilliance … Beck’s story is the stuff of legends and is told masterfully in this high-volume volume” BILLY F. GIBBONS ‘My friend and hero’ DAVID GILMOUR ‘Inimitable, irreplaceable – the absolute pinnacle’ BRIAN MAY ‘One of the all-time greats’ JOHNNY MARR ‘His unique style was something no one could match’ PAUL MCCARTNEY ‘Jeff Beck was on another planet’ ROD STEWART ‘One of the greatest of all time’ NILE RODGERS ‘The Salvador Dali of the guitar’ JOE PERRY ‘A genius’ JOE SATRIANI ‘The chosen one’ STEVE VAI © Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026"

Brad Tolinski, Chris Gill (Author), Fred Berman (Narrator)

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The Butcher Boys: Our need for identity can jeopardise what we hold most dear

"In a Yorkshire Dales village in the 1970s, best friends Michael, a boy with a strong sense of tradition and family loyalty, and Jack, a boy drawn to new horizons, are there for each other through traumatic childhoods. But as they become men, set against the backdrop of Thatcher's Britain and the fall of the Iron Curtain, their struggles for identity and the intense rivalry between their butchers' shops threaten to destroy them."

Chris Gill (Author), Chris Gill (Narrator)

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Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen

"Get a completely new look at guitar legend Eddie Van Halen with this groundbreaking oral history, composed of more than fifty hours of interviews with Eddie himself as well as his family, friends, and colleagues. When rock legend Eddie Van Halen died of cancer on October 6, 2020, the entire world seemed to stop and grieve. Since his band Van Halen burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut album in 1978, Eddie had been hailed as an icon not only to fans of rock music and heavy metal, but to performers across all genres and around the world. Van Halen's debut sounded unlike anything that listeners had heard before and remains a quintessential rock album of the era.   Over the course of more than four decades, Eddie gained renown for his innovative guitar playing, and particularly for popularizing the tapping guitar solo technique. Unfortunately for Eddie and his legions of fans, he died before he was ever able to put his life down to paper in his own words, and much of his compelling backstory has remained elusive-until now.   In Eruption, music journalists Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill share with fans, new and old alike, a candid, compulsively readable, and definitive oral history of the most influential rock guitarist since Jimi Hendrix. It is based on more than 50+ hours of unreleased interviews they recorded with Eddie Van Halen over the years, most of them conducted at the legendary 5150 studios at  Ed's home in Los Angeles. The heart of Eruption is drawn from these intimate and wide-ranging talks, as well as conversations with family, friends, and colleagues.   In addition to discussing his greatest triumphs as a groundbreaking musician, including an unprecedented dive into Van Halen's masterpiece 1984, the book also takes an unflinching look at Edward's early struggles as young Dutch immigrant unable to speak the English language, which resulted in lifelong issues with social anxiety and substance abuse. Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen also examines his brilliance as an inventor who changed the face of guitar manufacturing. As entertaining as it is revealing, Eruption is the closest readers will ever get to hearing Eddie's side of the story when it comes to his extraordinary life."

Brad Tolinski, Chris Gill (Author), Brad Tolinski, Donald Chang, Fred Berman, Raphael Corkhill, Rob Shapiro (Narrator)

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