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 and has taught for 29 years on the grammar, high school and college levels.
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. In the course of his research for his current John Lennon book, he was given exclusive access to the Dakota building, from basement to roof.
O'Donnell has appeared frequently on CNN Radio and has done many television interviews. His biggest TV moment came when he didn't appear on the screen at all, but rather had his name show up in a Jeopardy question. The contestant answered correctly for $400.
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. His articles and books are sourced for biographical data by online websites, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
He is the editor of The Rock and Roll Journal and is a member of the Authors Guild, the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Council of Teachers of English, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 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 read, surf, play with his kids, and watch the sun rise over the ocean.
