Gertrude and Me

B.B. King had 'Lucille', George Harrison had 'Rocky', Neil Young had 'Blackbird' and Willie Nelson had 'Trigger' ... I had Getrtude!'It's fifty years since Tony Burkys first blew my tiny mind. His memoir Gertrude and Me beautifully captures the beginnings of alternative culture in Australia in both Sydney and Melbourne. It was a critical time of adventure and romance that is too little documented. Tony does a wonderful job rendering the highs and lows. This is also a musician's book. It's the story of discovering jazz and navigating the jazz and blues scene in Sydney. To describe Tony as self-effacing is an understatement. Reading between the lines however you will hear a man who melded rock music with the swing of the Quintette du Hot Club de France in spellbinding performances and so of course, this book swings.' - Toby Creswell, May 2024