Reviews
PRAISE for The Drummer Drives!
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<><>”Wonderfully Well Written”<><>
“This is a true life tale of the travails of life with a freelance musician as only those who have lived it can tell it. I know. I spent 30 years as a freelance drummer/percussionist in Chicago working many of the same places Harry did some years later. I did have the good fortune to meet and work with Harry on a few occasions when we both worked as extra percussionists with the Grant Park Orchestra. I was impressed with his knowledge, musicianship and sense of humor.
“The Drummer Drives! is a wonderfully well written documentation of a time in Chicago’s musical entertainment history that is gone forever. It should be required reading for those young percussionists starting out who want to know what the music business was like at that time and how it has evolved to its present state.”
- Gary Matts, President, Chicago Federation of Musicians Local 10-208, A.F.M.
Following are selected excerpts from some of the five-star rave reviews on Amazon for THE DRUMMER DRIVES! To read the full content of all Amazon reviews, click HERE.
<><>”A Musical Love Story”<><>
“A meticulously crafted memoir . . . an exceptional look back at the unique lifetime of a humorist who also happened to be one of the most outstanding musicians of his time. This book will take you through the whirlwind life that was shared by the author and her soul mate through more than four decades of the nostalgic Pinnacle of musical times in America. Every reader of this book will be as entranced as I was.”
- Sam Denov, author of Symphonic Paradox — The Misadventures of a Wayward Musician
<<Well Written>>
“As a publisher specializing in percussion history, I regularly receive drummer biography manuscripts. More often than not, they either do not have much of a story to tell or do not tell it very well. It is very refreshing to see one that made it to print that not only has something to say, but says it well. The story may not be for everyone, but certainly for folks who knew either Harry or Barbara, are gigging musicians, or are interested in the music business, this book is a must.”
- Rob Cook, Rebeats Publications
<><>”A Wonderful and Emotional Ride”<><>
“I was immediately drawn to this book because of my professional association with Harry Brabec in the mid 1970s. Harry and I played many concerts together in the percussion section of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and if ever there was ‘character’ deserving of a book about his life, Harry certainly would be at the top of my list. He was a man that many of us looked up to not only as a musician … a musician during a particularly colorful era in Chicago’s rich musical history … but also as a man with a unique sense of humor that helped him meet many of life’s twists and turns with grace and sometimes ‘stubborn’ grace. This book is a loving and humor-filled chronicle of the life of an individual who will make you laugh and cry whether you knew him personally or not and whether you are a musician or not. This drummer ‘really drove’ and anyone who wants a great read should hop on for this ride.”
- Jim Ross, Percussionist, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
<><>”Much to Savor”<><>
“The Drummer Drives… reveals Barbara Brabec’s considerable talent as a Storyteller. Ordinarily, I don’t read memoirs. I like well-crafted novels with multidimensional characters and interesting story lines that pull me to read just another page and then another, and yet another. But ‘The Drummer …,’ memoir though it is, kept me up past 1 a.m. two nights in a row. The narrative flow compels reading just another page, and Brabec manages the difficult task of telling a very personal story without descending to the maudlin.There’s much to savor in the book.”
- Sam Mazze, Mazze Communications
<<<No Ordinary Joe; No Ordinary Memoir>>>
“A stirring memoir: wise, perceptive, often humorous, and compassionate. Brabec writes with a purity that brings her maverick husband to multi-dimensional life. Poignant yet never maudlin, Harry’s impish buoyancy radiates like warmth from a hearth, present to the very last. Even as his pulse slows to a peaceful adagio’, finally and irrevocably, he cannot resist a crisp witticism. The Drummer Drives! is far more than a widow’s tribute to her departed husband. It is a living relic of a now lost musical age; a menagerie of musings on love, fate, mankind’s interconnectedness, and the vacuity of widowhood. A compelling, enriching read. ”
- Adam Kolczynski, Managing Editor/Author, Polybius Books
<><>”It Took Me Away!”<><>
“If living life is a story to tell, then Barbara Brabec not only has a story but knows how to tell it. This book really took me away to a place in time that I can only imagine.I couldn’t help but feel how much Barbara gave of herself to such an extraordinary man who was her husband. For her to write this story is an event in itself. A really good read.”
- Jay Rankin, author of Under the Neon Sky, A Las Vegas Doorman’s Story
<<Memories of the Big Band Era>>
You must read this book if you have passion at all for the Big Band Era and Radio’s Golden Age. Harry Brabec was a part of it. You will be equally as fascinated with the “Disneyworld” segments as I was. Harry was in the marching band. He loved military music far above the average person…and was privileged to be a part of the daily trek down the middle of the street during the opening months of what was to become one of Central Florida’s (and the World’s) most popular attractions. The Drummer Drives! Everybody Else Rides is full of memories, not only Barbara’s but also yours and mine.
- W. R. “Bill” Ronay, Publisher/Consultant, A Step Ahead, Ltd./Events2000.com
<><>”I’m Amazed!”<><>
“The research and time Barbara invested in telling the story of Harry is amazing and wonderful, as well as her descriptions of the Chicago scene during those years and the notable musicians who traveled in and out of his life. She details his impressive professional path as well as his unique personality. I was truly enthralled . . .”
- Joan Wester Anderson, author of Forever Young–The Authorized Biography of Loretta Young, and many books about angels.
<><>”A Fascinating Journey”<><>
“A wonderful tribute to a Chicago legend . . . a great read, and an amazing journey. The Drummer Drives! brings to life a lost era in the world of music …”
– Joel Cohen, Chicago area percussionist
<><>”Harry Lives!”<><>
“If you are a musician, someone who loves to laugh,someone who wants to read a good love story . . . heck, if you’ve got a heartbeat, then pick up this book.”
- Rich Sherrill, former professional percussionist and student of Harry’s
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