Kiss the Sky: My Weekend in Monterey for the Greatest Rock Concert Ever: 1 (Music That Changed My Life)

Review will follow… but first a FYI “heads-up” caveat emptor:This is a very small paperback book that is 5” x 7” and literally can fit in the side pocket of a suit jacket. Now to the review.Dusty Baker former Major League ballplayer… and former manager… and as of yesterday… you can once again take the word “former” away from the word manager… as he was hired again… this time to manage the Washington Nationals. One thing is for sure… there will be new music in the Nationals club house and during bus and plane trips.Dusty’s life was built around four main areas… family… church… sports… and music. The core of this book is one of the many turning points in his life… music. Dusty was born in Riverside, California and then the family moved to the Sacramento area. Throughout Dusty’s life… the constants… were sports and music. Just as Baker excelled in baseball… football… basketball… and track… he was also exposed to and enjoyed all types of music. One of the main influences was his Father… and the blues. Being that I am a fanatical electric blues aficionado… along with the fact that I used to sit in the stands at Dodger Stadium and rooted for Dusty from 1976-1983 while he played left field for the Dodgers made this book even more enticing to me… especially since Dusty was one of the most appreciative and classy players on those Dodger teams. Whenever he hit a big homerun… and was cheered upon his return to left field… he always looked around at the fans and smiled and tipped his hat.The core of this story is Dusty’s eighteenth birthday when his Mother game him two tickets to the Monterey Pop Festival…along with the use of the family car… an event that would not only impact young Dusty’s entire life… but it would affect the entire music world… and like a fine-tuned domino effect… would touch many people Dusty’s age… which I am. The group of performers at that event became legendary… people such as Jimi Hendrix… Simon and Garfunkel… Eric Burdon and the Animals… one of my all-time favorite electric blues groups… Paul Butterfield Blues Band… Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company… The Who… Otis Redding… Lou Rawls (Dusty’s Mother’s favorite)… Country Joe and the Fish… and many others.Throughout his adult life Dusty liked and kept an open mind on all types of music ranging from Blues… to Reggae… to Motown… to Rap… to everything and anything… in between. But the most mind-boggling musical moment… is when he first saw Hendrix in Monterey. Dusty describes the moment… in a comparison… to another “record-setting” moment later in his life:“from the first seconds it just seized you right away that history was being made. I’ve been around for a lot of heavy stuff. I know that a lot of times when something major is going down, you’re not even aware of that at the time. But some stuff you just know. Like seven years later in Atlanta, on April 8, 1974, I was kneeling in the on-deck circle when Hank Aaron hit his record setting 715th home run: You knew that was a moment you’d remember your whole life. it was like that with Hendrix in Monterey as well.”This short captivating story “skirts” ever so briefly his Big League Baseball career. It states in this book that this is Dusty’s first book. I sincerely hope… that despite this music centered book… that includes scant detailed biographical Big League coverage… that it doesn’t dissuade Dusty from writing a complete baseball oriented biography… because I know he has a treasure trove of “inside” baseball stories to share.My favorite (one of the very few provided) old-time baseball stories he tells is regarding one of my favorite “old-school”… Hall of Famers” Bob Gibson:Four years after making it to the Big Leagues Hank Aaron gave him some advice “when we were going up against Bob Gibson he told me: Don’t dig in against Bob Gibson. He’ll knock you down. He’d knock down his own grandmother if she dared to challenge him. Don’t stare at him. Don’t smile at him. Don’t talk to him. He doesn’t like it. If you happen to hit a home run, don’ run too slow, don’t run too fast. If you happen to want to celebrate, get in the tunnel first. And if he hits you, don’t charge the mound, because he’s a Golden Gloves boxer.”Now that’s classic-old-school-baseball! Dusty… please write a book about all those baseball experiences of yours… because… that would truly be music to my ears!

A great little book! I liked Dusty Baker anyway, but when I heard that he had been to Monterey Pop and had many of the same experiences I did as a child of the 60's, I picked this book up and devoured it. It's a fun read that shows the many experiences he encountered, and also focuses on the lessons that made him the person he is today. I recommend it!

It's great to see this side of Dusty Baker! Good read and glad i was able to get here on Amazon!

Dug the book. More info on Dusty Baker than just the concert, but a fun, easy read. Don't expect a bunch of dugout stories, it doesn't go in that direction. Unfortunately. It's almost like the prologue to a bigger biography. Good stuff!

Fun, easy, enjoyable read. Thank you Dusty for providing your thoughts on music and an overview of your lief during that time.