Lone Star Ice & Fire

By L.E. Brady

Electric blues guitarist Sonny Blaine was the hottest player in Texas, a cool-cat bad boy who seemed to have it all. His young brother, Walker, shy and plain, wasn't someone you'd look at twice -... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0970829337
• ISBN13: 9780970829337
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Coral Press
• Length: 414 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Like a good episode of "Behind the Music"

Lone Star Ice and Fire is a tale of rock and roll excess and redemption told with the backdrop of a familiar base of two guitar playing brothers from Mingus, Texas. The Blaine brothers are based on Stevie Ray and Jimmy Vaughan and takes their story to all new and inventive heights. The background and supporting characters are the same, but the outcomes of their lives are quite different. For those not familiar, Stevie Ray Vaughan was an enormously talented blues guitarist whose fast paced, frantic style had people comparing him to Hendrix. Jimmy, the less known of the two, was the guitarist for the blues/rock group the Fabulous Thunderbirds."Fire and Ice" takes us on a journey with the two brothers from their teens in Mingus to the heights of their popularity. Along the way we get a great look at their struggles, their heartache and their redemption. Those familiar with the Vaughans will see similarities with throughout the book with the actual Vaughans, but Brady takes the story in entirely different directions.The book does a great job mixing actual musicians with fictitious ones who propel the story. Half the fun is trying to figure out just who is supposed to be who. Those familiar with blues, rock and soul will have fun with the numerous songs and artist sprinkled throughout the book, but one does not need to be a true `recordhead' to appreciate the story. Brady is a skillful writer who does a nice job focusing on the important parts of the 20+ years of the tale. Rarely does one wonder why a particular scene is included. Her writing style is descriptive, but she avoids the flowery, lengthy descriptions that too many writers use when describing emotional music like the blues. She lets the reader rely on their own experiences and knowledge, why at the same time not being too minimal. She describes the important parts and lets us decipher the rest.The book alternates between the two brothers as the protagonists. Sonny "Icestorm" Blaine is the older brother, with the movie star good looks. A great guitarist, but Sonny never gets the widespread acclaim. Walker is the younger brother. Not the looker his brother is, Walker has a true gift for music. He's truly special. Both brothers live in the shadow of one another, and their subtle rivalries propel much of the story.The supporting characters are what make the book. From Cilla, the brother's femme fatale, to the mysterious Bonell, the "Used Car Salesman of the Blues", the supporting cast is key. Brady doesn't just focus on the protagonists, she fleshes out their lives with rich, wonderful characters.You don't have to love the blues to love the book. If you've ever watched `Behind the Music', you'll enjoy the story. It has all of the makings of a great rock and roll tale, drugs, sex, music and the fast paced lifestyle they create. It also has believable, likable characters that are all too human.

Lone Star Ice & Fire, or Singin' the Blues, Texas style

Brady has brought to life the heart and soul of the blues singing lifestyle: of two brothers, Sonny and Walker Blaine, whos loves, hates, addictions and competitions know no bounds. Through her pen we feel the music we don't really hear, sense the euphoria and let-down of the effects of debilitating drugs, struggle with the emotions of the comings and goings of elusive lovers, laugh and cringe at the antics of the colorful sub-characters, wonder at the mystical drive that pushes them both on, and celebrate their victories or cry at the losses life sends their way. She has captured in this story the need of one man to jealously guard his role as leader-of-the-pack and of the other's desire just to be himself. This is MUST reading for anyone who has an interest in the human experience.

Blues Brothers

I have always found the rock'n'roll novel a tricky genre -- the novelists usually get the music right, or the drugs right, but they often skimp on characters or language. Not so here. Brady writes beautifully and understands the music so completely that she can write about fictional music and make you hear it. Her characters Sonny and Walker are compelling and exasperating and her minor characters are colorful, funny and vivid. Brady creates an entire world of Texas blues music and musicians full of salty, sarcastic dialogue, referencing traditional legends such as Robert Johnson and enhancing them with legends of her own. The drugs are there, yes, but for once they're not the whole point -- the characters are more addicted to each other and to the music they create than anything else. I was sorry to see it end.