Smart ass: the music journalism of Joel Selvin

California breed. Merle Haggard : Country music's last true cowboy ; Barroom Bard's next round ; Over the wall! The mad past and strange present of Mr. Wall of Sound ; Bill Graham's tangled legacy ; Ralph J. Gleason : apostle of jazz and rock

Rock & roll noir. More than 'the piano player' : Kevin Gilbert ; Reborn as a rocker : producer Bill Bottrell ; Sly and the Family Stone : Lucifer rising ; Vince Welnick lived the dream

Fillmore sunset. Jefferson Airplane : still a bumpy ride ; Former Airplane drummer struggles with hard times ; Bill Graham recalls two decades of rock ; The long strange trip ; The psychedelic super highway : Texans in San Francisco

The Dead. Garcia returns to a first love ; The Grateful Dead decides to try a guiding hand ; "Mars Hotel" ; The Grateful Dead at Winterland ; Jerry Garcia's guitars ; Bob Weir : Dead man talking ; Bob Weir's guitar ; Mickey Hart marches to his own beat ; The Other Ones take it furthur [sic] ; Other Ones reunite ; Owsley talks ; Ramrod

The Boys. For the Beach Boys, fun, fun, fun, began in humble Hawthorne ; 15 big ones, part one ; 15 big ones, part two ; Dennis Wilson : Manson and drugs, a Beach Boy's troubled life ; Out of his shell : Brian Wilson emerges for solo tour

Creedence and beyond. "Bayou country" ; "Pendulum" ; Big wheels stop turning : the end of Creedence ; John Fogerty on threshold of big comeback ; The fortunate son returns

Blues and soul. John Lee Hooker : a true bluesman ; Charles Brown : a blues legend passes ; Sugar Pie DeSanto : the fire killed her husband and destroyed everything ; Richmond's Jimmy McCracklin : he never left ; Mike Bloomfield, superstar : had it, all, didn't know it ; Elvin Bishop : one tough journey ; Rodger Collins : a taste of fame ; It's back to school for soul great Booker T. ; Taj Mahal

Rock classics. CSNY2K : ask your parents ; Neil Young : lost and found ; Captain Beefheart a success? ; Mimi Farina's new struggle ; Linda Ronstadt : singing what she wants to sing ; Steve Miller : fly like an eagle ; Boz sings the blues ; Sammy ; Bonnie Raitt : "I don't want to be a star" ; Bonnie Raitt : secure at heart ; Nilsson ratings: injured, brilliant

California classics. Eddie Cochran ; Dick Dale : Tribal thunder ; Glen Campbell : the legacy

San Francisco in the '80s. Huey Lewis & the News : local boy makes good ; Journey : Infinity ; Journey may be year's rock comeback story ; Chris Isaak : still blue after all these years ; Metallica nearly fades to black ; Joe Satriani chases perfect 'rock moment'

Backstage secrets. Third Eye Blind : blind ambition ; Eddie Money fights back after 'the accident' ; The last waltz : the day the music lived

Behind the scenes. Chris Strachwitz : music man ; Financier's love of bluegrass leads to concert.