Country Music Changed My Life: Tales of Tough Times and Triumph from Country's Legends By Ken Burke Chicago Review Press 2005 352 Pages ISBN:  1-556-52538-9

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In this book of original interviews, some of country music's greatest stars share personal moments of redemption, inspiration, and heartache related to the music that shaped their lives. Brenda Lee explains how her childhood singing gift raised her entire family out of dire poverty, and Pat Boone speaks about the spiritual influence of his father-in-law, Red Foley. Barbara Pittman talks about her childhood friendship with Elvis Presley, while Little Jimmy Dickens divulges how Hank Williams came to write a song for him and why he never recorded it. Mickey Gilley talks about gladly living in, then gladly escaping, the shadow of his cousin Jerry Lee Lewis, and Hank Thompson reveals how his background in electrical engineering helped revolutionize country music. Freddie Hart shares how he overcame a jail-cell beating to become Mr. Easy Lovin', and Marty Martel talks about how the troubled Johnny Paycheck redeemed himself during his final sad days. More stories pour forth from Glen Campbell, Don Williams, Johnny Legend, Chris Hillman, and many others. About the Author Ken Burke has contributed to more than a dozen books on music including the MusicHound album guides and the Contemporary Musicians reference series. He has written feature articles for numerous publications including Blues Access, Country Music Live, Country Standard Time, Goldmine, and Roctober.