A few months back, we ran a poll asking which
Mark Bego rock and roll biographies we'd most like to see back in
print.
Well, now comes word that this may soon be a reality!
Bego's book on Jimmy Greenspoon, keyboardist of Three Dog Night, titled "One Is
The Loneliest Number", originally published in 1989, is one that meant a great
deal to Mark personally ... and he is working on restoring this manuscript right
now.
I'll let Mark Bego tell you all about it in his own words
...
Dear Kent
and Forgotten Hits:
It always amazes me when
there is some sort of convergence of events that happens in life, which makes it
clear that there is some sort of rhyme and reason to what you are doing.
At the moment I am in
Tucson, Arizona, retyping the entire book I originally wrote with Jimmy
Greenspoon of Three Dog Night back in 1989, "One Is the Loneliest Number." In
the middle of it all, last Saturday (August 22, 2015) who should come to
Tucson for a
concert but Three Dog Night! Well, that I take as some sort of sign that my
hunch was correct, and that I should be working once again on this book, and
putting Jimmy Greenspoon's entertaining and amusing rock and roll life story in
order for a new, updated reprint.
As I am sure you all know,
Jimmy tragically lost his battle with cancer last March, and ever since then I
have been deliberating on what to do, and how to do it, as far as this book is
concerned. In 1989, it was still six years before I bought a computer of my
own. However, for this book Jimmy rented a huge computer for us to use when we
did the original version, and it was all stored on 5 1/2 inch floppy discs.
Pack rat that I am, last winter I found those discs in my garage! However —
much to my horror — they were completely blank! So, several weeks ago I made
the decision to start retying the entire book, and putting it for the first time
in a proper and modern "Word" document. What a tedious
process!
I am sure that you are
wondering why I am not scanning this into a computer program and doing it that
way. Well, to be perfectly honest, in the 26 years since I wrote this book with
Jimmy, I had forgotten some of what I had written, and I type about as fast as I
read. Also, I am finding some details and punctuation was inconsistent the
first time, so I am correcting those stylistic things. And, on top of that, I
located the original "full version" of the book, and I am able to add some of
the highly amusing "never-before published" material back in the manuscript.
This will be the deluxe version, as my personal tribute to keyboard master
Greenspoon.
For me, the most important
aspect of this long typing process, is that for the hours that I sit at the
keyboard, I can see, feel, and envision Jimmy sitting right next to me dictating
these words to me just the way he did it the first time around. For me, for
several hours each day, my dear friend — the wild & crazy Mr. Greenspoon —
is alive once again through his words.
And now we come to the
Three Dog Night concert I saw last Saturday night. The band's "Suitable for
Framing" album (1969) was one of the first ten LP's I ever purchased as a
teenager, and I first saw them live in the 1970s at Michigan State University. Since then I have seen them
at least a dozen times, including one of Jimmy's last shows in Phoenix in
2014.
First of all, the concert
was entirely sold-out, which instantly was a very encouraging sign. Although I
lamented the fact that Jimmy Greenspoon was no longer at the keyboards, I was
really happy to see that Three Dog Night is sounding great, and still delivering
the infectiously joyful music that first made them true rock stars back in
1968. Danny Hutton and Cory Wells are still both in great voice, and their hits
like "Mama Told Me Not to Come," "Old Fashioned Love Song," "One," and "Joy to
the World" all come to life with all of their magical charm just the way they
always did. It was also great to hear and see that original Three Dog Night
guitarist Michael Allsup is just as lively, enthusiastic, and in fine form as he
has always been.
Although the rest of the
band (originally a septet) is now comprised of three replacement players, they
are all top-notch. And, as for my missing buddy Jimmy: I am happy to say that
he is reverently and lovingly mentioned several times amidst Three Dog Night's
current show. When Danny mentioned from the stage "I know that Jimmy is here
somewhere, causing some sort of mischief," I knew he was
100% correct.
And what is to become of
this latest updated incarnation of the "One is the Loneliest Number" book that
Jimmy and I wrote all those years ago? Stay tuned, Kent and Forgotten Hits: I
have a scheme up my sleeve for its re-publication, and you will be amongst the
first to know.
I can't tell you how much
I miss my friend Jimmy and his fun-loving sense of humor. However, in my mind,
thanks to this book — and the new material I am adding to it — Jimmy
Greenspoon's creative lives on!
Cheers,
Mark
Bego
This is GREAT news, Mark! I never got to read
the book the first time around and can't wait to read it now. And who knows,
maybe Cory Wells, Danny Hutton and Chuck Negron may wish to contribute some
brand new memories of their long-time friend and companion as an addendum to
your work! Please keep us posted! (kk)
Got a bunch of extra money you don't quite know what to do with?
You can pick up original pressings of Mark's Jimmy Greenspoon biography on Amazon.com ... but it's gonna cost you!!!
