Blind Owl Book Review

Blind Owl Book Review

8/14/2020

Blind Owl Blues: The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson

Blind Owl died from an overdose on September 3, 1970.

This was a good book about the life and death of Blind Owl, and it would have been better with a deeper look and more insights, but not very much information is available. It sounds to me like Owl did in fact commit suicide. He was supposed to get on a plane and fly to Europe for a tour with his band Canned Heat. The stress was too much for him. He was addicted to pills, and maybe he was worried it could not fly without a stash of Reds. He needed Reds to sleep and treat social anxiety. It’s very stressful to be a Rock Star. Instead of getting on the plane he goes back to Bob Hite’s home and wants to sleep in on the property outside alone and away from people, so it will be hard to find him and save him when he takes his overdose. Although he did sleep there routinely, if only someone had stopped him that night? Why would he waste the money for the fight to Europe and miss a plane? If he had better medical care instead of being feed pills, he may have become one of the greats. At least Owl made the 27 club, but that is little consolation for his fans because his output at age 27 was very low. His unique voice and clean style has never been duplicated, and his death is an extreme tragedy. Ironically, Bob Hite would also die from drug misadventure. The Bear took white powder given to him by a fan before a concert. Maybe he thought it was cocaine, but it was heroin and he died. Fans have found the house in which Bob Hite and his wife lived. The Death Location has been abandoned and vandalized. However, the house on the land is a mystery.  It’s not the same house Bob Hite lived in because that house was said to been burned in a fire. This house was build in the 90s and left unfinished. The reason for this could have been that it was bought by someone who started building a house and ran out of funds. The location is likely unlucky (cursed) and I would not feel comfortable there.