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Legendary 'outlaw' of country music, Willie Nelson is more than just a star, a celebrity, a singer whose albums have captured the heart of America for more than 20 years and gone gold and platinum 23 times™he is also an authentic folk hero of our times, the nearest thing we have to the poet laureate of the hear and the Heartland. Willie Nelson's life is more than a rags-to-riches story of the transformation of a Texas good ol' boy into a national figure; it is a story of hardship, love, courage, friendship, and wisdom, told as only Willie Nelson could tell it, with earthy frankness, deep warmth, outrageous humor, and all the gifts of a born storyteller. Here it all is: his childhood in the Depression, picking cotton barefoot in the firelds; his early musical training by the beloved grandfather who raised him; his storym marriages; his impoverished early years as a fledgling songwriter when he sold the rights to such classics as "Family Bible" and "Crazy" for $50 to buy milk for the baby; his wild experiences with drugs, booze and women; the life of a country-music performer on the road; his long rise to superstardom, his career as an actor; and his search for spiritual wisdom. In his own words, "I am as simple as I look, as hard as that may be to understand I am an itinerant singer and guitar picker. I am what they used to call a troubadour. . . What I do for a living is to get people to feeling good. . . ." And always he does it in good company, having sung or recorded with a wide spectrum of performers including Waylon Jennings, Julio Iglesias, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Ernest Tubb, Merle Haggard, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Frank Sinatra, and Linda Ronstadt. Just as Willie Nelson's music has long since crossed over from country to a national audience, his autobiography will touch every one™from his fans to all those who enjoy reading about an extraordinary life. |