Diamond in the Rough: A Memoir

by Shawn Colvin

Overview

After learning to play guitar at the age of ten, Shawn Colvin was determined to make a life in music. Diamond in the Rough recounts this passionate musician's coming-of-age, from the prairies of South Dakota to dark smoky bars in Austin, Texas, to the world stage at the Grammys. With the wit, lyricism, and empathy that have characterized Colvin's performances and inspired audiences worldwide, Diamond in the Rough looks back over a rich lifetime of highs and lows with stunning insight and candor. In its pages, we witness the inspiring story of a woman honing her artistry, finding her voice, and making herself whole.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061759291
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/30/2013
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Shawn Colvin is a singer-songwriter and musician. She began performing in bands in the late 1970s, and after years of polishing her skills in Austin, Texas, and the New York folk scene, Colvin released her debut album Steady On in 1989, earning a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Her breakthrough success was the album A Few Small Repairs in 1996, featuring the song "Sunny Came Home," a top-ten hit that won Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Colvin has released ten albums, won three Grammy Awards, and been nominated for seven others.

Table of Contents

Prologue 1

1 Light the Sky 5

2 A Vengeance 21

3 She Opened a Book 33

4 Get the Kids 41

5 Small Repairs 49

6 Walking on a Wire 59

7 Out There on Her Own 67

8 Dry Is Good 73

9 Wind Is Better 83

10 Go On and Do It 89

11 A Mission 105

12 She's All Right 115

13 Days Go By 131

14 You Always Knew It 141

15 Sunny Came Home 149

16 Hold on Tight 161

17 A List of Names 175

18 Bring a Sweater 181

19 I'm Hypnotized 189

20 Out of My Mind 195

21 Her Favorite Room 203

Epilogue 219

Acknowledgments 223

Editorial Reviews

[Colvin is] a gifted conversational writer with a wicked and unabashedly goofy sense of humor ... Her buoyant spirit fairly leaps off the stage, and her self-deprecating wit is as keen and quirky in recalling her brief brush with superstardom as it is applied to an ill-fated relationship.” — USA Today

“Colvin’s fans will devour her behind-the-scenes stories; single mothers will relate to her struggle to do right by her child. And those who have suffered depression — or loved someone who has — will find much to inspire in this compelling redemption story.” — People

“Charming . . . Colvin chronicles an impressive array of accompanists and backup, two husbands, and myriad awards such as her gold record with the 1997 hit “Sunny Came Home,” all while maintaining a low-key, sweet humility that is truly endearing.” — Publishers Weekly

“Dspite the many personal disasters that have beset Colvin, DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH is no misery-fest. It’s with an impressive absence of self-pity and a dry, unassuming style that she teases humour out of the most unpalatable episodes . . . Absorbing.” — The Independent on Sunday

“Engaging . . . .The many admirers of Colvin’s music will appreciate this honest memoir.” — Booklist

From the Publisher

[Colvin is] a gifted conversational writer with a wicked and unabashedly goofy sense of humor ... Her buoyant spirit fairly leaps off the stage, and her self-deprecating wit is as keen and quirky in recalling her brief brush with superstardom as it is applied to an ill-fated relationship.

USA Today

Colvin’s fans will devour her behind-the-scenes stories; single mothers will relate to her struggle to do right by her child. And those who have suffered depression — or loved someone who has — will find much to inspire in this compelling redemption story.

People

Dspite the many personal disasters that have beset Colvin, DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH is no misery-fest. It’s with an impressive absence of self-pity and a dry, unassuming style that she teases humour out of the most unpalatable episodes . . . Absorbing.

The Independent on Sunday

Engaging . . . .The many admirers of Colvin’s music will appreciate this honest memoir.

Booklist

Engaging . . . .The many admirers of Colvin’s music will appreciate this honest memoir.

Booklist

[Colvin is] a gifted conversational writer with a wicked and unabashedly goofy sense of humor ... Her buoyant spirit fairly leaps off the stage, and her self-deprecating wit is as keen and quirky in recalling her brief brush with superstardom as it is applied to an ill-fated relationship.

USA Today

"Dspite the many personal disasters that have beset Colvin, DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH is no misery-fest. It’s with an impressive absence of self-pity and a dry, unassuming style that she teases humour out of the most unpalatable episodes . . . Absorbing."

The Independenton Sunday

"Colvin’s fans will devour her behind-the-scenes stories; single mothers will relate to her struggle to do right by her child. And those who have suffered depression — or loved someone who has — will find much to inspire in this compelling redemption story."

People Magazine

A chatty, but only occasionally enlightening, life story from the confessional singer-songwriter. Three-time Grammy winner Colvin's life has long been a source for her songs, but it wears thin in her memoir. She's frank about the many ups and downs of her personal life and career, where the slow climb to commercial and critical success meant overcoming a series of personal disasters: alcoholism, anorexia, clinical depression, panic disorder and numerous broken romances. In perspective, it's an inspiring story, as Colvin spent years of paying dues and saw her first album, Steady On, win a Grammy. She has overcome a lot, and is apparently content with her life as a respected singer and devoted mother. Unfortunately, the book too often bogs down into the territory of many numbing addiction chronicles, padded with daily affirmations, mad shopping binges and the usual dreary details of life on the road. At times, the book feels like a therapeutic chore. For patient readers and close listeners of her music, there is some payoff when Colvin discusses her songs and the writing process: how "Diamond in the Rough" put her in the odd position of co-writing "a song with someone about breaking up with that someone" or how "if you can get one good line or verse right at the beginning, the song will be set up well for you." Also: "the act of performing a new song in front of people is the ultimate bullshit detector." Ultimately, there's too much "Of Meds and Men" and too little of the music that made Colvin popular.

Kirkus Reviews