Black Tooth Grin: The High Life, Good Times, and Tragic End of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott

by Zac Crain

Overview

Black Tooth Grin is the first biography of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, the Texas-bred guitarist of the heavy metal band Pantera, who was murdered onstage in 2004 by a deranged fan-24 years to the day after John Lennon met a similar fate.Darrell Abbott began as a Kiss-inspired teenage prodigy who won dozens of local talent contests. With his brother, drummer Vinnie Abbott, he formed Pantera, becoming one of the most popular bands of the '90s and selling millions of albums to an intensely devoted fan base. While the band's music was aggressive, "Dime" was outgoing, gregarious, and adored by everyone who knew him.

From Pantera's heyday to their implosion following singer Phil Anselmo's heroin addiction to Darrell's tragic end, Black Tooth Grin is a moving portrait of a great artist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306815249
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	06/02/2009
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	247,327
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Texas-based author Zac Crain was music editor for the Dallas Observer, and currently is an editor at American Way and a regular contributor to Spin.

Editorial Reviews

The Bookseller, 3/2/09
“This long-awaited account of a hard rocking life cut short has real cult sleeper potential.”

Booklist, 6/1/09
“Crain describes the career of an accomplished and influential guitarist…Crain’s iteration of the man and his career…is a fitting memorial.”

Texas Monthly, June 2009
“[Crain] captures the essence of the band's virtuoso guitarist, who was revered by musicians and fans alike for his outrageous skills and everyman persona.”

Dallas Morning News Texas Pages blog, 5/30/09
“Chronicle[s] Abbot’s life and career with careful detail and just the right amount of appreciation.”

From the Publisher

Darrell Abbott, known to fans of rock band Pantera as "Dimebag Darrell," was shot to death by a deranged fan while playing a show in Columbus, Ohio, in 2004. This horrific event, recounted in nightmarish detail and replete with gratuitous comparisons to September 11, bookends Crain's reverential but superficial chronicle of the highly regarded heavy-metal guitarist's career. As narrated by Crain, Dallas Observer music editor, Darrell is a hard-drinking mama's boy who, growing up in Arlington, Tex., refined his guitar chops by walling himself up in his room for hours instead of going to high school. With his brother, Vince, and other neighborhood musicians, Darrell formed the band Pantera. Under the influence of Metallica and with the addition of a rough-edged singer named Phil Anselmo, the band evolved into a major force on the metal scene with its original blend of technical skill and Southern attitude. Pantera achieved massive success in the '90s with the release of a few albums, including the "heaviest album to hit No. 1 on the charts," Far Beyond Driven, and toured the world. Crain dutifully recounts the addictions and intra-band squabbling that inevitably shadow rock success, but the cheerful strangeness and decency of "Dimebag," perhaps best exemplified by his collaboration with the eccentric country musician David Allen Coe, manages to shine through, even in the darker corners of the narrative. (July)

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