Robert Greenfield
Robert Greenfield began his career writing about sports. He moved from that foundation to freelance work for Eye magazine and Cavalier. A 1969 article in Eye covered early free-form radio at WFMU in East Orange, New Jersey. The piece described a place on the dial as a state of mind filled with new sounds. This early journalism laid groundwork for his future interviews with musicians.
Greenfield joined Rolling Stone's London bureau between 1970 and 1972 as an associate editor. He conducted interviews with Jack Bruce, John Cale, Neil Young, Elton John, Nico, and the Rolling Stones. Jackie Lomax, Leon Russell, and Stone the Crows also sat for him during this period. Woody Allen and Germaine Greer appeared in his notes alongside rock stars. His 1971 interview with Keith Richards took place at Villa Nellcôte in Villefranche-sur-Mer. That conversation later appeared in Exile, a collection of photographs by Dominique Tarlé published in 2001.
He served as an adjunct professor of composition and literature at the University of San Francisco. Greenfield also taught at Chapman University and Cabrillo College. Boston After Dark hired him to write popular music criticism while he held these academic posts. Esquire, Playboy, and GQ have published his short fiction pieces over the years. These roles allowed him to bridge the gap between academic study and pop culture observation.
His first novel Haymon’s Crowd arrived in 1978. Temple followed five years later in 1983. This second book is a semi-autobiographical story about a young man who is the grandson of a Holocaust survivor. The character becomes obsessed with soul music throughout the narrative. Temple won the National Jewish Book Award in 1983. The work blends personal history with fictional storytelling to explore identity and heritage.
Greenfield wrote S.T.P.: A Journey Through America With the Rolling Stones in 1974. He documented the band's travels across the United States during that tour. His 1992 biography Bill Graham Presents: My Life Inside Rock and Out was co-written with the promoter himself. Dark Star: An Oral Biography of Jerry Garcia appeared in 1997. Timothy Leary: A Biography came out in 2006. Exile on Main St.: A Season in Hell with the Rolling Stones was published in 2006. Bear: The Life and Times of Augustus Owsley Stanley III arrived in 2016.
His one-man play Bill Graham Presents ran at the Canon Theater in Los Angeles in 2000. Ron Silver played the role of Bill Graham in this production. Greenfield co-wrote the Emmy-nominated mini-series The '60s for television. He also produced three short documentary films now on permanent display at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. These projects expanded his storytelling beyond books into live performance and visual media.
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Common questions
What was Robert Greenfield's first career focus before writing about music?
Robert Greenfield began his career writing about sports. He later moved to freelance work for Eye magazine and Cavalier.
Where did Robert Greenfield interview Keith Richards in 1971?
Robert Greenfield conducted his 1971 interview with Keith Richards at Villa Nellcôte in Villefranche-sur-Mer. That conversation later appeared in Exile, a collection of photographs by Dominique Tarlé published in 2001.
Which book won the National Jewish Book Award in 1983 written by Robert Greenfield?
Temple won the National Jewish Book Award in 1983. This second book is a semi-autobiographical story about a young man who is the grandson of a Holocaust survivor.
When did Robert Greenfield publish his biography Bill Graham Presents: My Life Inside Rock and Out?
Robert Greenfield co-wrote Bill Graham Presents: My Life Inside Rock and Out in 1992. The book was created together with the promoter himself.
At which university did Robert Greenfield serve as an adjunct professor of composition and literature?
Robert Greenfield served as an adjunct professor of composition and literature at the University of San Francisco. He also taught at Chapman University and Cabrillo College.