(Reviewed by Cathy Carey)
Wow! I want to thank the author for this sentimental journey. I was only on page 15 when I had already downloaded two albums from iTunes. Be prepared to have a whole new perspective listening to some classic oldies. Put your headset on and keep your smartphone close. You are going to be reminded of classic music from the 60’s.
Rockin’ Through Troubled Waters is a rare story about the music scene in Los Angeles during the 1960’s. The author tuned into the music scene but fortunately didn’t tune out. Many didn’t make it due to drug overdoses or PTSD from serving in the Vietnam War.
Don Jung was born in a farming/oil and gas town in the Central Valley of California. A third generation Chinese American growing up in redneck country motivated him to move to a more diverse city once out of high school.
He arrived in Los Angeles to attend UCLA during the most turbulent times. He provokes a new awareness of what it was like for young men during that time period with the fear of knowing they could be drafted into the Vietnam War and may never come back.
This story takes you on his journey of finding “his purpose in life”, while taking you on his firsthand account of the music scene in Los Angeles in the 1960’s. This was the birthplace of many famous groups that have become the soundtrack of the 60’s for many of us.
On one magical night the author witnessed what was the house band at the legendary Whisky a Go Go. Its name was “The Doors”. After that a group from Ireland that they never heard of was up. The name of the group was “Them”. The lead singer was a twenty-year-old with bushy red hair. His name was Van Morrison. As you turn the pages, Don vividly describes the energy and the history that was made that night. It wasn’t recorded or videotaped; it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that leaves you wishing you were there. That is just one instance that he describes in the book as he witnessed firsthand the eruption of the “West Coast Music Scene”.
Rockin’ Through Troubled Waters is a must- read for musicians and anyone who enjoys listening to the music of the 60’s. I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir.
