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When the lads in Jim Marshall’s shop built the prototype JTM45 in the early 1960s, the drum teacher/music-store owner was just trying to help a bunch of scruffy local rock guitarists find a harder, crunchier sound. One of those kids was Pete Townshend, who had a brash new guitar sound in his head and worked with Jim until they came up with an amp that could produce it. And so Marshall’s tone obsession began, with Jim constantly improving his designs, listening to players’ needs­­, and inventing new ways to satisfy them. Since the ’60s, his amps have attracted some of the greatest guitarists in rock history, from Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page to Billy Gibbons, Eddie Van Halen, Slash, and Zakk Wylde.

This exclusive biography tells the incredible success story of Jim Marshall, from his days as a young boy––diagnosed with a rare bone disease and confined to a body cast for nine years––to his stage success as a crooner and big-band drummer, to the development of the “Marshall stack” and Jim’s ultimate rise to the forefront of the amplifier business. Detailed information on important Marshall amps past and present; inside glimpses at amplifiers, cabinets, and the Marshall factory; and a fascinating collection of “Marshallabilia” round out this look at the man who changed the sound of rock ’n’ roll.

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Rich Maloof is an editor, writer, musician, and former editor in chief of Guitar magazine whose work has appeared in numerous publications and Web sites. Co-author (with HP Newquist) of Backbeat Books’ The Way They Play series, Maloof has also penned Joe Satriani: Riff by Riff and The Alternate Tuning Reference Guide. He has been playing guitar for more than 25 years. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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What the players say…

“What Jim Marshall did . . . was provide English heavy metal and blues players of the mid ’60s and early ’70s with these weapons.”  —Pete Townshend

“Jim and Les Paul are the forefathers of the whole thing.”  —Zakk Wylde

“When I stand in front of my rig, if my nuts ain’t shaking then I ain’t satisfied...and the only stuff that can do that is my Marshalls!”  —Kerry King

“I introduced Marshalls to my backline in 1970. I’ve used them ever since and probably always will.”  —Jimmy Page

“If you want to get a little bit rude and loud, you’ve got to have a Marshall. . . . It’s the big daddy.”   —Jeff Beck

[Backbeat Books logo, ISBN 0-87930-803-6, $29.95, bar code]