Allen & Unwin The Last Holiday book Biography English Paperback 336 pages

'Leave it to Scott-Heron to save some of his best for last...He's a real writer, a word man, and [The Last Holiday] is as wriggling and vital in its way as Bob Dylan's Chronicles: Volume One' New York Times

Raised by his grandmother in Tennessee, Gil Scott-Heron's journey from humble beginnings to becoming one of the most uncompromising and influential songwriters of his generation is a remarkable one. In this, his heartfelt, beautifully written and posthumously published memoir, we are given bright insights into the music industry, New York, the civil-rights movement, modern America, governmental hypocrisy, Stevie Wonder and our wider place in the world. It is also a fitting testament to the generous brilliance of Gil Scott-Heron and to the Spirits that guided him.

In a musical career spanning five decades, from Small Talk at 125th and Lenox to I'm New Here, Gil Scott-Heron (1949-2011) released twenty albums and many seminal singles including 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,' 'Home Is Where the Hatred Is,' 'Winter in America,' 'B Movie,' 'Johannesburg,' and 'Lady Day and John Coltrane.' He was also the author of three previous books: two novels, The Vulture and The Nigger Factory and Now and Then: The Poems of Gil Scott- Heron.