Honky Tonk Hero

Willie Nelson says, "Billy Joe Shaver may be the best songwriter alive today." And legions of fans agree. "Honky Tonk Hero" is the story of a man who not only walked on the wild side and lived to tell about it, but also got it all down in songs that many people consider to be some of the finest country songs ever written.

He didn’t know it at the time, but Tim Ghianni’s love affair with Nashville and its musical artists began on a steamy night in 1972, when the twenty-year-old author had unsolicited help from honky-tonkin’ legends Bobby Bare and Shel Silverstein during an after-midnight “salvation” of the city. It was the beginning of a lifelong urban romance that Ghianni would pursue during a career as a journalist in Middle Tennessee, interviewing Nashville’s biggest stars and developing friendships with musicians of all kinds. With a preface by Bobby Bare and a foreword by Peter Cooper, Pilgrims, Pickers and Honky-Tonk Heroes is Tim Ghianni’s love letter and nostalgic swan song, recounting the storied musical history of Nashville as well as the dramatic changes the city has seen over the course of fifty years. The Nashville of today—with one hundred newcomers a day from places like Los Angeles and New York and fresh waves of musicians making up a new modern soundtrack—is not the same city he made his home in 1972, for better and for worse. Time changes everything, even a beloved American city, but this briskly told and warmly remembered book recounts the countless friends, adventures, and anecdotes that capture the essence of Music City across a half-century.

Discover the surprising beginnings and humble origins of the charismatic pioneers who helped shape the country-and-western scene into the influential musical empire it is today. Included among this collection of legends are Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, and more unforgettable people who changed the face of music forever!

Waylon Jennings relates the story of his life as a country music star. His beginnings were poor but he became Buddy Holly's protege before sinking into drug abuse and 3 failed marriages. His success came when he met his present wife, Jessi Colter.

Newly expanded to include work from recent years, Honky Tonk is as evocative and irresistible as the music itself.

One cowboy, one bar, one hell of a holiday! Praise for Carolyn Brown's country music romances: "You won't want to miss this boot scootin' contemporary full of sexy cowboys and sassy women."—The Romance Studio (My Give a Damn's Busted) She means business... Sharlene Waverly is determined to have the "new and improved" Honky Tonk up and running before the holiday. For that, she'll need Holt Jackson, the best darn carpenter in the state. But his warm, whisky-colored eyes make her insides melt, and before she knows it, she's sharing her darkest secrets and talking about the nightmares... He's determined to keep things professional... Holt Jackson needs the job at the Honky Tonk, but is completely unprepared to handle the beautiful new bar owner he's working for. Sharlene and Holt try like crazy to deny the sparks flying between them, but their love may just be the best Christmas present either one of them ever got. Praise for I Love This Bar: "Heart...sass...a lot of sparks and romance...country music. What more can I say? I really had fun with this book."—Red-Headed Book Child "Guaranteed to leave you countrified and satisfied!"—Love Romance Passion

The ideal handbook for every rock-n-roll pilgrim, Music USA tours the musical heritage of America, from New York to Seattle, stopping at all the shrines of sound in between. Coverage includes background on the development of local music styles, with details on clubs and venues, radio stations and record stores nationwide.