 The Left-Handed Guitar Players That Changed Music 
John Engel
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Left Field Ventures is proud to present UNCOMMON SOUND, the definitive and one-of-a-kind book on popular music, seen through the music, times, and creative musings of left-handed guitar players.
The proverbial labor of love, and seven years in the making, UNCOMMON SOUND is an exhaustively researched anthology featuring in-depth portraits of those mavericks and legendary artists as the exemplary representatives of the waves and currents of worldwide musical genres: folk, blues, jazz, rock, reggae, pop, R&B, country, and other forms like salsa, bossa, samba, Hawaiian, rai, shaabi, gnawa, gypsy, flamenco, etc.
UNCOMMON SOUND not only covers popular music with insight and detail, it is the first-ever book to look at music from this angle. But this massive two-volume 920-page work is so comprehensive and far-reaching as to utterly explode the boundaries of its subtitle. It is a human tale, a tapestry of popular music, meant for the music lover at large.
Each artist is given a chapter that recounts his life, comments on his music, and quotes him on subjects close to his heart, from songwriting to the occasional ‘cause.’ The book explores the pains, triumphs, and intimate creative struggles of musicians who have in big or small ways affected the music we listen to. Some are big stars, others may have little-known names but played on recordings or penned songs that are widely familiar. Others yet contribute to the fabric of the world’s music and impact its evolution, even if their work never enters charts or hit parades.
To that extent, the book is also a tribute to all the musicians who make a difference but whose names don’t reach the ears of the general public. Their pursuits are discovered, sometimes glorious but mostly passionate, sometimes enviable but mostly admirable.
John Engel has pulled all the stops, gathering innumerable reference materials, listening to thousands of records, talking with and interviewing hundreds of artists and industry people, and then finally composing thorough and entertaining texts on 150 artists.
The illustrations alone are staggering: more than 2500 photographs, including pictures taken by legendary photographers and many other
 images published here for the first time, such as those drawn from the performers’ own archives.
Illuminating commentary on the artists’ music only makes this book more of a page-turner, while many of the tall tales surrounding the players are set straight – in some cases, for the first time ever.
UNCOMMON SOUND presents a remarkable and unique look into the world of these captivating artists. Their stories are so compellingly told, their creative passion so communicative, that the little-known artists are in some ways more interesting to read about than the well-known stars. All the same, even when discussing Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix and the like, the book unravels new threads and enlightens new angles on their amazing legacies.
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