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An Epic Life
Copyright © 2008 Joe Nick Patoski
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-316-01778-7
Somewhere in America, 2007
The sea of humanity swells and roils all the way to the horizon, thousands of eyes fixed on him, thousands of hands clapping, a chorus of voices cheering and yelling, lips whistling, feet stomping, smiles everywhere, all because of him. Lone Star flags and arms thrusting skyward, hands clutching cigarette lighters and cans of beer above heads bobbing like buoys because of the music. The old man with the wild white eyebrows and wrinkled skin, his long white hair pulled back into two braids, tries to make eye contact with as many eyes as he can in ten seconds before glancing offhandedly over his shoulder at the musicians standing and sitting in place behind him. He straps on his guitar and steps to the microphone with a casualness that betrays a lifetime of going through the very same ritual night after night, year after year. He half sings, half talks five magic words that trigger a sonic roar.
Whisk-key Riv-verrr take my miiiiiind.
Abbott, 1938
Eyes had been gazing at him wherever folks tended to gather ever since he could remember. His first audience was a group of families at the Brooken Homecoming, an allday reunion, picnic, and songfest in a shadygrove by the small community eight miles southeast of Abbott, Texas. His grandmother had dressed him up in a white sailor suit with matching shorts. The stage was the back of a flatbed truck. The five-year-old boy showed little sign of nervousness other than picking his nose, as young boys are known to do. There was praying, singing, eating, visiting, more singing and more praying, and so much nose picking that when it was his turn to stand and recite the psalm his grandmother had taught him, his white sailor suit was splattered with blood redder than the boy's hair. The boy acted like the nosebleed was no big deal. He followed the prayer with an original poem he recited while holding one nostril shut with his hand. In a voice that was small but not shy, he said:
What are you looking at me for? I ain't got nothin' to say. If you don?t like the looks of me, You can look some other way.
The audience clapped and cheered. The boy beamed. He'd remembered all the words. The people seemed to like him. He liked the attention, all eyes on him. He liked making them smile. The people listening felt like family. He flashed a not-so-shy grin of gratitude. From that moment forward, Willie Hugh Nelson, who earned the nickname "Booger Red" for his bloody nose, was determined to give a good show.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Willie Nelson by Joe Nick Patoski Copyright © 2008 by Joe Nick Patoski. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Somewhere in America, 2007 3
Abbott, 1938 4
East of Western Grove on Pindall Ridge, 1925 6
Abbott, 1933 13
Waco, 1952 43
San Antonio, 1954 48
Fort Worth, 1955 58
Vancouver, Washington, 1956 71
Forth Worth Again, 1958 81
Houston, 1959 95
Nashville, 1960 104
Los Angeles, 1961 126
Ridgetop, Tennessee, 1964 145
Tennessee to Texas, 1965 165
Coast-to-Coast, Border-to-Border, 1967 196
Lost Valley, 1971 213
Austin, 1972 225
Orange to El Paso, Dalhart to Brownsville, 1973 259
Garland to Hollywood, 1975 294
The Hill, 1979 350
The World, 1986 390
The Valley, 1991 404
The New World, 1993 425
Paradise, 2004 451
Home, 2006 461
Author's Note 495
Notes 499
Selected Discography 541
Index 545
Anonymous
Posted May 4, 2008
On the road again, I can¿t wait to get on the road again,¿ is an appropriate theme for Willie Hugh Nelson. His spirit is restless. While Abbott, Texas is his hometown, he seems to be most comfortable on the move and ¿he was at home on the stage.¿ His grandparents, Alfred and Nancy Nelson, raised Willie. Music was always a large part of his life. Willie¿s parents hit the road singing when he was three days old. Songwriter, singer, musician, Willie is multitalented. An Epic Life Willie Nelson is filled with stories of Willie¿s life. Joe Nick Patoski interviewed numerous people in researching this biography. He included several pages of photographs I wish there had been more. An Epic Life Willie Nelson recounts the life of Willie from childhood to stardom. The title Epic is apt there are over 500 pages of Willie information. Fans of Willie Nelson will enjoy An Epic Life Willie Nelson.
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Posted April 19, 2008
¿Each page reads as entertainingly as a novel¿ 5 stars When I first received this book, I could not get over the size. There are 498 pages, plus notes, plus an index. It sort of seemed like a text book. I was wrong. Each page read like a novel. The quotes from Willie Nelson were hilarious. I am now convinced that he would be a great guy to befriend. His humble beginnings contrast drastically with his present life as a legend. This is truly a fun book. Anyone interested in Willie Nelson, the Grand Ole Opry, Hank Williams, and other country legends would love this book. Joe Nick Patoski is such a gifted writer. This is must reading for the country music fan.
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Posted October 1, 2010
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Posted January 24, 2011
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Posted April 16, 2009
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Posted November 24, 2008
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Overview
From his first performance at age four, Willie Nelson was driven to make music and live life on his own terms. But though he is a songwriter of exceptional depth - "Crazy" was one of his early classics - Willie only found success after abandoning Nashville and moving to Austin, Texas.Red Headed Stranger made country cool to a new generation of fans. Wanted: The Outlaws became the first country album to sell a million copies. And "On the Road Again" became the anthem for Americans on the move. A craggy-faced, pot-smoking philosopher, Willie Nelson is one of America's great iconoclasts...