Willie: An Autobiography [Paperback]

Willie Nelson (Author), Bud Shrake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 29, 2000

Willie Nelson is more than just a singer whose albums have captures this country's imagination for more than thirty years: he is the nearest thing we have to the poet laureate of America's heart and the heartland. Told with frankness, warmth and earthy humor, here is Willie's story: his depression ere childhood; his stormy marriages; his will experiences with drugs, booze and women; his long rise to stardom; his musical and personal experiences with Waylon Jennings, Julio Iglesias, Kris Kristopherson, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Frank Sinatra and Linda Ronstadt.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nelson, self-proclaimed "outlaw" of country music, is depicted from many angles in this rambling account of his trajectory into celebrity. Written with freelancer Shrake in salty and sometimes vulgar language, Nelson's reflections on his three wives, children, his country music peers and others in his large, floating entourage reveal a hard-living man. The singer toiled in the fields as a child during the Depression, was left by his teenage parents with grandparents who raised him and his sister in Texas. The experience was pivotal to his career: "My desire to escape from manual labor started in the cotton fields of my childhood and cannot be overstated." Nelson began his road life as "an itinerant singer and guitar picker" on trips punctuated with alcohol, drugs and sex as he climbed to eminence in the world of country music. Now "crossed over," popular with national audiences, Nelson notes that he enjoys all the personal perquisites of his success. Among his revelations here, the singer recalls smoking pot on the roof of the White House after entertaining at a Carter state dinner. Photos not seen by PW. BOMC and QPBC alternates; first serial to Texas Monthly and Golf Digest; paperback rights to Pocket Books.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Wille Nelson's impact on American music is indelible. He stands at the crossroads of all the sounds and colors of this country. (Carlon Santana )

WIllie Nelson is a profound, original songwriterin a class with Stephen Foster who contrives to enrich our lives with classics. (Kris Kristofferson )

If America only had one voice, it would be Willie's. (Emmylou Harris )

Refreshingly free of bitterness, pettiness and finger-pointing, Willie: An Autobiography is chock full of delightful, hilarious, self-effacing and often revelatory anecdotes. (Bob Allen Country Music )

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Cooper Square Press (August 29, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815410808
• ISBN-13: 978-0815410805
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #565,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Proof: Better than Fiction!, July 26, 2002

By 

S. A. MCCLELLAN (Arlington, Or. United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Willie: An Autobiography (Paperback)

I bought "Willie" years ago (and I like the old cover with the flag..don't know why they changed that) It's a big, thick book that's just crammed with proof that real life - if it's Willie's - is a whole lot better than any fiction novel. I loaned my copy out one too many times and it came up missing, so was glad to see it on here so I could get another one...only I had my old one so dog-earred, highlighted, etc...I hate having to go buy all those markers again, to do over;) When you get your copy, go to the index and ck it out....grab that highlighter pen before you even get started, here. I'm a truck driver, so I read this and that and here and there, before having a chance to read cover to cover. Then it turned into a reference book of Willie's Wisdom and all sorts of good stuff to good to forget. I kept it handy just to re-read some parts over and over. It's more than one book, somehow or other...yes, it's his autobiography - an All-American tale of rags to riches and all that; but, it's a whole lot more than that, too. If you like Willie, buy it. If you don't, I don't know why you're in here looking at it...but, if you like a dynamite story, or to read real-life accounts at all - you won't put this down, easily. What leaves me amazed is how anyone could cram that much living into the time period that book covers...he's lived nearly 20 more years since then...so I bought his new one, "Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes", to see what he's been up to since the "Willie" book. It's a hoot..sort of a grass-roots type of wisdom, interjected with lots of "mind-f.r.ts" and takes on his varied accumulation of friends and family, to date. Better buy it too, while you're at it...for dessert.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No one like Willie!, January 30, 2006

By 

Ms. Connie L. Mullins (Hillsboro, Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Willie: An Autobiography (Paperback)

This was even better than I thought it would be, and Willie's my favorite singer/songwriter. Not only did I discover how spiritual Willie is, but he treats people with sincere compassion,loves his audience even more than I think most people realize. Also, he doesn't make excuses for himself, and it takes someone with heart like Willie to admit his mistakes, and he keeps on bringing people back for more great music and he loves to make his audience happy. Right on, Willie

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, September 21, 2005

By 

Goose (Stokesdale, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Willie: An Autobiography (Paperback)

This was very informative on the life of the man. Chapters from members of his band, family and ex-wives was fantastic. A look deep inside the man and his music, and worth the purchase by any true fan of country music and the "outlaw movement". Really shows his deep spirtual feelings about life. Worth every penny of the cost, and I'm glad I purchased it.