Stuart Adamson

Book excerpt: A music journalist and fan examines the life and work of the Scottish guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. The book that fans of the Skids, Big Country and the Raphaels have been waiting for—a critical perspective not only of Adamson’s music and its wider cultural influence, but also the excesses of fame and how the music business really works. Stuart Adamson: In A Big Country tells the story of how a teenager who was raised in a small Fife village released his first single at 19, wrote three Top 40 albums in the next three years and was written off as a has-been at 23, but then went on to form a new band and sell more than 10 million records worldwide, touring with the Rolling Stones and David Bowie. Although Adamson was one of the most respected and popular figures in the music industry, his personal life was complex and ultimately tragic, ending with his alcohol-fueled suicide in a Hawaiian hotel in December, 2001. “He was a massive, massive influence on me . . . Absolute genius.” —James Dean Bradfield, Manic Street Preachers “An overdue tribute to a visionary musician and honorable man.” —Keith Cameron, Mojo “Engaging journey through the peaks and troughs of an ultimately troubled life . . . Moving and well-judged.” —Rob Hughes, The Word