Bet My Soul on Rock 'n' Roll

Diary of a Black Punk Icon

Jean Beauvoir, John Ostrosky, John Ostrosky

• Publisher: Chicago Review Press
• Year: 2022
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781641604796
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music Biographies

The life and career of Haitian American musician Jean Beauvoir, a member of the legendary New York City punk band the Plasmatics
Jean Beauvoir joined the Plasmatics in 1979, playing bass and keyboards for the most notorious band to emerge out of the New York City punk scene. By 1982, he was a member of Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, a retro-rock revival act headed by Steven Van Zandt. The Disciples of Soul videos played on MTV during the network's earliest years, making Beauvoir one of the first Black recording artists to cross the start-up music channel's "color line." 
Beauvoir went on to become a multi-platinum artist, producer, and songwriter.  Bet My Soul on Rock 'n' Roll follows his ride through the American music industry, detailing his encounters with rock stars such as Bruce Springsteen, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Lita Ford, as well as the actor Sylvester Stallone, the billionaire executive Richard Branson, and even Donald Trump. Beauvoir also considers the manner in which his Haitian heritage has shaped his public image, his music, and his role as an activist for the dispossessed and the poor.
 
Beauvoir's collaborations —and stories— span genres, including work with KISS, Debbie Harry, Lionel Richie, and the Ramones
 

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Praise for Jean Beauvoir
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents
• Foreword by Kermit Blackwood
• 1 - Growing Up
• 2 - The Apprentice Years
• 3 - The Plasmatics
• 4 - Yearning to Be Solo
• 5 - Disciples of Soul
• 6 - KISS—“Thrills in the Night”
• 7 - Richard Branson—The Virgin Deal
• 8 - “Feel the Heat”—Sly Stallone & Cobra
• 9 - Self-Expressing—Mohawk & Blue Eyes
• 10 - The Gift
• 11 - Drums Along the Mohawk—On Tour
• 12 - Rockin' with Royalty
• 13 - The Ramones—Picking Up the Pieces
• 14 - Jacknifed & Voodoo X
• 15 - Crown of Thorns
• 16 - Women
• 17 - Key West & the German Years
• 18 - Renegade
• 19 - Dad's Influence & Our Connection to the Arts
• 20 - Recent Years
• 21 - Family
• 22 - Racism, Role Models, & Setting Examples
• Acknowledgments
• Photos Insert