Table of Contents
Preface xiii
Chapter 1 First Things First 1
Chapter 2 School Days and the Real World 9
Chapter 3 That's a Big Ol' World Out There 18
Chapter 4 Three Chords that Changed My Life 21
Chapter 5 Finishing Up and Starting Over 28
Chapter 6 Another Move, and This One Hurt 30
Chapter 7 Paying Dues on the Installment Plan 34
Chapter 8 Sometimes Fate Just Walks Right through the Door 39
Chapter 9 Blast from the Past 47
Chapter 10 Midnight Madness and Wild Oats 52
Chapter 11 Burned Fingers and Burned Bridges 55
Chapter 12 New Beginnings or Last Stand 58
Chapter 13 Just a Stop Along the Way 63
Chapter 14 Tonight I Met the Girl of My Dreams, for Real 66
Chapter 15 The Show Not Only Must but Will Go On 68
Chapter 16 Happiness Comes in Swaddling Clothes 71
Chapter 17 Oh the Joys of Living the Honkytonk Life 76
Chapter 18 Music City, Here I Come 78
Chapter 19 Opportunity Knock, Knock, Knocking on My Front Door 81
Chapter 20 The View from the Other Side of the Control Room Window 84
Chapter 21 Bird on a Wire 86
Chapter 22 Youngblood and New Ground 89
Chapter 23 What Goes Around Comes Around 92
Chapter 24 Gearing Up for the Long Run 97
Chapter 25 A Long Road and a Little Wheel 101
Chapter 26 Red Hot Chicken and the Advent of the Volunteer Jam 105
Chapter 27 Always Works Out for the Best 109
Chapter 28 Demise of the Uneasy Rider: New Rides 112
Chapter 29 Decisions, Decisions 118
Chapter 30 It Was October in St. Louis Town When We Heard that the Free Bird Had Fell to the Ground 123
Chapter 31 A Million Miles, A. New Face, and the Devil Went Down to Georgia 126
Chapter 32 Urban Cowboy 130
Chapter 33 Big Show, Big Crowds, Big Crew 132
Chapter 34 Broken Arms and Grammys 135
Chapter 35 Just a Hill with Some Tall Trees Where a Creek Comes Bubbling By 138
Chapter 36 You Never Did Think that It Ever Would Happen Again 143
Chapter 37 Talk to Me Fiddle, Tell Me About the Time When You Came Across the Sea 148
Chapter 38 Cardboard Critics 152
Chapter 39 High Lonesome, Our Little Piece of Tennessee 154
Chapter 40 Heart of My Heart, Rock of My Soul, You Changed My Life When You Took Control 161
Chapter 41 Many, Many Years Ago God Came to Abraham, He Said I've Chosen You to Carry Out My Plan 171
Chapter 42 Falling Down and Getting Up and Digging Out 175
Chapter 43 Homesick Heroes 181
Chapter 44 Next of Kin and Simple Men 184
Chapter 45 The Door 189
Chapter 46 Saying Goodbye to Momma 193
Chapter 47 Changes Going and Coming 196
Chapter 48 I Ain't Nothing but a Simple Man, They Call Me a Redneck, I Reckon that I Am 199
Chapter 49 There's a New Train Coming, Get On Board or Just Keep Walking 202
Chapter 50 The Cowards Came by Morning and Attacked Without a Warning, Leaving Flames and Death and Chaos in Our Streets 206
Chapter 51 A Friend Who Affected My Life 212
Chapter 52 Close Call in the Rockies 216
Chapter 53 Ain't It Good to Be Alive and Be in Tennessee 221
Chapter 54 This Is a Righteous Cause, So Without Doubt or Pause I Will Do What My Country Asks of Me 223
Chapter 55 A Heart's Desire Answered on the Stage of the Ryman Auditorium 232
Chapter 56 Ain't No Fool Like an Old Fool 235
Chapter 57 And the Lonesome Boy from Dixie Made It Home 245
Chapter 58 The Way I See It 247
Chapter 59 Another Blip on the Screen 251
Chapter 60 There Are Some Things in This World You Just Can't Explain 253
Chapter 61 I'll Always Remember that Song 256
Chapter 62 We've Traveled Our Highways and Toasted Our Times in Rotgut Whiskey and Fine French Wines, Old Friend We've Been a Mile or Two Together 262
Chapter 63 Icing on a Very Special Cake 264
Acknowledgments 269
Notes 271
