Long John Baldry is considered the father of the '60s British blues movement. Drawing on intimate anecdotes from Baldry's legendary friends, lovers, and peers, author Paul Myersuncovers the man behind the mythic persona. An entire generation of British rock legends flourished under Baldry's tutelage, and It Ain't Easyfeatures exclusive personal recollections from artists such as Sir Elton John, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Sir Paul McCartney, John Mayall, and Mick Fleetwood, as well as interviews with renowned music industry insiders like songwriter/producer Tony Macaulay, Yardbirdsmanager Giorgio Gomelsky, ex- Rolling Stonesmanager Andrew Loog Oldham, filmmaker Cameron Crowe, and others. Extensively researched, It Ain't Easytraces Baldry's extraordinary life from his birth during the London Blitz, to his discovery of black American music, to the sexual revolution, to the musical and social upheaval of the 1960s and 70s, and to his eventual happy retreat to the tranquility of Canada's Pacific Coast.