Once A King, Now A Prince: Wild rock and roll music memoir by New York agent Ira Blacker

Case study: Music agency founder on surviving the mob to representing Rod Stewart, ZZ Top and The Eagles

Once A King, Now A Prince: The true tale of family dysfunction, the mob, sex, drugs & Rock N Roll by Ira Blacker is a unique, startling and sometimes heartbreaking story.

This newly released memoir tells how Blacker grew up in New York and went on to start his own music agency that represented Rod Stewart, ZZ Top, The Eagles and many more.

Although Blacker is referenced in books by or about Kiss, Rush, Kraftwerk and others, he hadn’t intended to write his own.

So keep reading to find out more about how he began his life-story project and tips for your own creating…

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Ira Blacker’s Once A King, Now A Prince

A story of survival

Once A King, Now A Prince is a book about family dysfunction and an accurate tale of  “the mob, sex, drugs and rock and roll”.

It is the combination of growing up in a highly dysfunctional family and an abusive environment.  

Then, as an adult, and not without danger and failure, I founded one of the most successful rock and roll music agencies in the world, American Talent International.

Among many famous American celebrity bands, I was personally responsible for importing half of the British rock and roll bands coming to America in the 1960s and 1970s.

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Why start this memoir?

I did not intend, at first, to write a story and to have my memoir Once A King, Now A Prince released for all the world to see, warts and all.

With a bit of encouragement from some of my friends, I finally did convince myself that I should, in fact, write a story, the story of my life as a memoir.

I then set out on the journey to actually complete it, which saw my memoir published in January.

How Once A King, Now A Prince came together

Turning a journal into an autobiography

Ten years ago, I started writing a journal about my feelings regarding my life as a whole and how my early years affected it, both for good and for bad.  

As time passed, my ‘journal’ grew larger and somewhere after the midpoint it became my autobiography Once A King, Now A Prince.

Then I decided to do a better job of organising it and putting it into a more readable format, based on my age at the time. 

Overcoming fears

Even with encouragement, I struggled to write Once A King, Now A Prince.

After all, I thought, who would want to read it? 

Also, was I prepared to “march in the parade, totally naked, for all the world to see” if I did write a story and made it available to the public?

Somewhere along the timeline of my life, I made the transition from referring to my memoir as a “self-help journal” to sitting my butt down in a serious fashion, head down and plowing ahead.

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Learnings from Once A King, Now A Prince

Favourite part of the memoir?

In Once A King, Now A Prince there is a chapter on Rush and the promotion I created to secure them a record deal, airplay and a tour. 

Also my signing of Deep Purple to a three-year exclusive contract, only to lose them at the end of the agreement to an agent who worked for me. 

Tips for writing a raw and honest memoir

You can’t fake truth and you can’t ghostwrite soul. 

A celebrity autobiography might sell because of the name on the cover but a real rock and roll book sells because it bleeds. 

Once A King, Now A Prince doesn’t hide behind PR polish. 

It’s stripped down, raw and messy – like an unmastered demo that somehow hits harder than the finished track!

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Final say

Once A King, Now A Prince: The true tale of family dysfunction, the mob, sex, drugs & Rock N Roll by Ira Blacker is a wild ride through the ups and downs of celebrity and fame.

With heart and truth it traces how Blacker is transformed by his upbringing, working with mobsters and the music industry.

So pick up a paperback or ebook version from Amazon and booksellers everywhere.

Also read more and connect with Blacker through his website. 

Happy writing!

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