Jim O'Donnell received his first professional newspaper byline for a sports story in 1969. Since that time, his features, profiles, columns and essays have focused mostly on rock and roll. His work has been syndicated in newspapers ranging from the San Francisco Chronicle to the Cleveland Plain Dealer to the Boston Herald.

He holds a Master's Degree from St. Peter's College and studied journalism under New Journalism pioneer Richard Goldstein at New York University. He has also completed graduate courses in Creative Writing and The Teaching of Writing at Harvard University.

O'Donnell has written several books, including THE ROCK BOOK (Pinnacle, 1975), BORN TO ROCK (Peacock, 1981), WONDERFUL TONIGHT (Hall of Fame, 1993) and THE DAY JOHN MET PAUL (Penguin, 1996; Routledge, 2006).

THE DAY JOHN MET PAUL has been published in several languages, ranging from Japanese to Czech to French, and is available on an audiotape read by Rod Davis, a personal friend of John Lennon.

Whether sitting front-row-center at an Eric Clapton concert in New York City, or standing front-row-center at the gates of Stawberry Field in Liverpool, O'Donnell has traveled the globe as a journalist for over 30 years, searching out stories.

He is the editor of The Rock and Roll Journal and is a member of the Authors Guild, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He lives with his wife and three children at the Jersey Shore, where he likes to surf, play with his kids, and watch the sun rise over the ocean.

Jim O'Donnell

Author bio: "I live in an old beach house with 5 dictionaries, 4 guitars, 3 kids, 2 surfboards, and 1 wife. I am currently working on a book about writing. I'm also putting together some old and new material for a rock anthology. If you want to talk with me about something I wrote and can't get to the beach anytime soon, email me at odonnell@rockandrolljournal.com. If you're Jack Johnson, how about playing at my daughter's birthday party?"