Bus Fare to Kentucky: The Autobiography of Skeeter Davis (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Like the life it describes, Mary Frances Penick's story of her rise to prominence as country-and-rockabilly star ``Skeeter Davis'' (best known for her crossover hit ``The End of the World'') has its share of excitement and of tedium. Davis, offspring of poor Appalachian farmers, endured a family history of alcoholism, incest, and murder: Many of the most gripping moments here come early on, as we learn of the murder of the author's grandfather by an uncle, and of her mother's attempted suicide. Davis writes with clarity and understanding about her parents' struggle with alcohol, her early career with singing partner B.J. Davis, and her virtual imprisonment by her mother in the wake of a friend's accidental death. Perhaps because she's so sympathetic, the author proved a magnet for some highly disturbed men: Few will watch former husband Ralph Emery's TV talk show with the same eyes after reading of Davis's marriage to him. There's also insight here about country's evolution--including evolution of the twin-necked pedal steel guitar, built to imitate Davis's unique harmonic style (a style that influenced the Everly Brothers and, by extension, many others), and of Chet Atkins's recording innovations. But despite Davis's good will, later chapters--with their domestic scenes and descriptions of travel and interactions with admirers, including a patronizing account of an evangelical tour of Africa--will appeal only to hard-core Davis fans; nor do consecutive accounts of the deaths of Davis's mother, father, and youngest sister lighten the load. Despite the reservations: an absorbing memoir by an appealing woman. (Photographs) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Description

The country music star tells her own intriguing story, from her Depression-era childhood in Kentucky to international fame and stardom, detailing two ill-fated marriages and several dramatic twists of fate. 40,000 first printing. $40,000 ad/promo.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 338 pages
• Publisher: Carol Publishing Corporation; second printing edition (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155972191X
• ISBN-13: 978-1559721912
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #608,901 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A monument, November 15, 2004

By	Rodney Rawlings "rodny" (Toronto) - See all my reviews

This is one of the best, most moving biographies I have ever read. Mary Frances Penick, better known as Skeeter Davis, is an excellent writer, and the tale she tells of her rise from poverty to world renown is devastatingly heartbreaking, and yet tremendously inspiring.

I came to this book wanting to know more about one of my favorite records of all time, 1963's "The End of the World." From my first hearing of it as a teenager, I identified on many levels. Much later, when I had taught myself how to read music and write songs of my own, I came to understand just how good the song was. Let's face it: if you're going to call a song something so cosmic as "The End of the World," it had better be worthy. Even in my teens, I could sense the excellence of the melody and the lyric, and how appropriate both were to the theme; as I learned more about songwriting, my appreciation only increased.

When I found out about this book, I rushed to borrow it so that I could find out more about the background of this record I so admired. I did not expect to be so enthralled by the twists and turns of a story so full of tortured struggle as to make me wonder how the protagonist could have survived, much less achieved so much.

Many of Skeeter Davis' achievements were not made alone. With Betty Jack Davis, her soul mate and "blood sister," she performed and recorded under the name The Davis Sisters. Their innovative harmonies inspired many that came after them, including the Everly Brothers and the Beatles, and was even responsible for the invention of the double-necked steel guitar. As she describes it, instead of singing in alto below the melody, Skeeter--completely by instinct--sang above the melody. This was something apparently not done in this type of music before.

To hear the beauty of the result, listen to an Amazon clip of "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know." Or listen to the middle section of "The End of the World":

I wake up in the morning and I wonder
Why everything's the same as it was.
I can't understand, no I can't understand,
How life goes on the way it does.

One can only speculate how far the duo might have gone, had not Betty Jack suddenly died in an automobile accident on August 2, 1953.

The title of the chapter dealing with that tragedy is "The End of the World and the Day After," and it begins with an epigraph consisting of the lyrics I have just quoted. (The late author, however, erroneously wrote "Why" rather than "How" in the last line, contrary to what she sings on the record and contrary to the sheet music.) Skeeter Davis has said that she had Betty Jack in mind while singing the song, since it expresses so exactly how one feels when someone has died.

This book will make you understand why the depth of loss expressed in that record is signally appropriate to the case of the Betty Jack. It is not just that the love between Mary Frances Penick and Betty Jack Davis was so profound and so crucial to the survival of both, especially Betty Jack who had so little in life besides her music and Mary Frances. As the creator and the driving force of The Davis Sisters, Betty Jack had the seeds of greatness and was denied her full flowering. This fact becomes clearer and clearer as one reads her story.

True, Skeeter Davis achieved a greatness of her own. But I am sure she would rest with an extra measure of peace if she could know that "The End of the World" is not the only monument she has erected to Betty Jack's memory. The other one is this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST autobiography by any Country Female Star!!, February 20, 2004

By	"Tee" (LA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I have read them all (Loretta, Tammy, Dolly, Reba, Naomi Judd, Barbara Mandrell, even the rarer ones like Jan Howard and Jeannie C. Riley) and hands down Skeeter Davis' autobiography is the most moving and personal of the bunch of country music star autobiographies (I enjoyed most of the others too by the way). It is truly rare for anyone who is writing an autobiography to be the intimate and personal, quite a few are of the self-infatuated "and then I made this movie" or "my big #1 record at the time was" level. Skeeter's life is so much more than show business and it's wonderful to see a star with their feet both on the ground.

I was dumbstruck by that negative review posted, the only one I have ever read for this book anywhere. The usually jaded PEOPLE magazine as I recall referred to this book as "moving". I don't know why this person was so defensive especially considering Skeeter's religion which is such a active and vital part of her life. There are not many entertainers who when their mainstream careers are starting to crumble a bit who will spend most of their time on traveling the world spreading the good news of Jesus, most I suspect would have spent every waking hour trying to climb back to the top!! If Skeeter's brand of religion is not yours, why complain about it especially since this is HER autobiography!! Skeeter herself is a wonderfully open-minded person, writing with awe of the lovely Buddahist temples she had seen on her travels and pointing out it is not for her or anyone to judge anyone and their religious beliefs (or about anything), that alone is for God to do.

As far as her comments on ex-husband Ralph Emery, Emery himself first wrote negatively about Skeeter in his first (of several!) autobiographies, it certainly seems reasonable to expect Skeeter to air her side of the story. She does indeed have some shocking information about him but to have deleted it from her life story would have given a false picture of what was going on in her life.

Skeeter Davis is truly a beloved person and proved to be an outstanding writer with this book. Her followup book was a children's book THE CHRISTMAS NOTE that received rave comments from many acclaimed writers including Lee Smith, Rebecca Wells, and Terry Kay. Skeeter is one of the most talented people Nashville has ever produced.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE BEST BY ONE OF THE BEST!!, April 26, 2005

By	a viewer "a viewer" (antioch, tn United States) - See all my reviews

Skeeter Davis was one of a kind! You never had to worry about where you stood with her because she stood her ground and stuck to her principles! This autobiography ranks among the best and I, like many have read many great Country Music Autobiographies, some great like Loretta Lynn's, Tammy Wynette's, Jeannie C. Riley's, Jan Howard's, Brenda Lee's and some downright stinkers and self promotion like Reba's and Barbara Mandrell's. Only Loretta's comes close to matching Skeeters point for point. Skeeter's story is moving and poignant without being overly sentimental and syrupy. I was riveted to her story from page one living her life with her as she rose from the depths of Kentucky poverty to Country and Pop stardom of the highest magnitude. She weathered many, many storms along the way, most particularly the loss of her dear friend and blood sister, Betty Jack Davis and her disastrous marriage to "devil incarnate" Ralph Emery. Her final battle was lost to cancer last September and the heaven gained a new angel for its angel band. Betty Jack and Skeeter are at last reunited in Hillbilly Heaven. Through it all Skeeter never waivered in her faith and she received the ultimate reward. The one reviewer who posted a one star review here obviously missed so much of Skeeter's witness that one has to wonder if he/she even read the book at all. Skeeter was truly one of a kind and this autobiography will make you laugh, cry, and rejoice all at the same time. Skeeter's music still stands the test of time and her autobiography should be updated by someone who knew her during the last few years of her life. I am sure there are many who were close to this loving, caring and god-fearing woman. We are richer for having had her with us!