"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 such as Pete Townshend find a harder, crunchier sound. And so Marshall's tone obsession began, with Jim constantly improving his amp 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 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 music-instrument 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."--Jacket.