Philip Norman uses his unique skills to recreate the impetuous yet shy, modest yet steely willed Texan who was his first musical hero. He has gained exclusive access to an extraordinary archive of never-before-seen letters, contracts, and personal memorabilia, which dispel the many mysteries still lingering around Buddy's name and allow the reader to share some of the most intimate moments in his short but crowded life.

Buddy's family and close friends have also spoken frankly about him - notably his widow, Maria Elena, giving her first in-depth interview in more than twenty years. Commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of Buddy's birth, Rave On is a revealing, sometimes shocking, but always warmly affectionate portrait of America's mythical rock'n'roll era and its brightest and most enduring star.