Country music is brimming with inspiration — from the lyrics and melodies down to the personal lives of country musicians. Even Dierks Bentley agrees, saying: “Country music has always been the best shrink that 15 bucks can buy.”
I’ve loved country music for as long as I can remember. Whether I’m feeling down or ecstatic, country music has always cradled me through every emotion. Beyond the songs, country musicians themselves have inspired me to fuel my passion. Every now and again, I stumble upon country music autobiographies that have helped me every step of the way.
It’s truly amazing to discover both the little and big things that have made an impact on the singers I admire the most. That’s why I’m compelled to share with you, which I think, are the best autobiographies of country artists ever written. So if you’re curious or simply want to get out of that creative rut, these books are a must-read.
- Lovesick Blues: The Life of Hank Williams / Paul Hemphill
No country music list would be complete without Hank Williams. He is, after all, one of the genre’s first biggest stars with hits like “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” before his untimely, tragic death at 29. After growing up in a house that didn’t make much money, along with a spinal condition called spina bifida, Hank Williams is the very definition of a man who made his dreams come true.
The publisher’s description wrote; ‘Hank Williams, the quintessential country music singer and songwriter, died alone in the backseat of his cadillac on New Year’s day 1953. He died much as he had lived – drunk, forlorn, suffering from a birth defect, wondering when the bubble would burst, having sprouted out of nowhere, like a weed in the wilds of South Alabama, he was gone at the age of twenty-nine. With this definitive biography of the man and his music, Paul Hemphill takes the reader on a journey through Hank Williams’s life and times.’
- From this Moment On / Shania Twain
Hers is the star that shines brightly up to this day. Shania Twain is among country music’s finest female talents — and a highly resilient human being at that.
In her autobiography, the legend describes how it was to be one child in a family of five who grew up in a highly impoverished area of rural Canada. In the moving masterpiece, she tells the tales of how she helped her mother and young siblings with their escape to a battered woman’s shelter. She also recalls how, as a 22-year-old, she tried to keep her family together after her parents died in a traumatizing car accident. A true heroine indeed!
- Still Woman Enough: A Memoir / Loretta Lynn
This memoir is one of the most loved by country music fans from all over the world. Thanks to the book and film adaptation, “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, everyone highly anticipated this next book by the country music legend, and it didn’t disappoint.
There’s something about her brutal honesty, wit and charm that draws me into this autobiography. How she presents her stories in a different perspective just shows how strong and empowered she really is.
In the publisher’s note, the book reads: “The celebrated country singer discusses her turbulent relationship with Doo, the man she married at the age of thirteen, revealing a woman whose loyalty, spirit, and determination allowed her to triumph in the face of adversity.”
- Willie: An Autobiography / Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson is among the most colorful people country has ever known. He’s not just another American singer/songwriter. He also happens to be a poet, author and an activist. As interesting as he is, he carefully captures his life with frankness, warmth and humor in his self-titled autobiography.
In the book, he shares how he dealt his with depression, his wild marriages, his dependence on alcohol, drugs and women, his lengthy rise to stardom as well as his unforgettable times together with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Linda Ronstadt and George Jones.
If this book isn’t going to make you love Willie even more, I’m not sure what will.
- Cash: The Autobiography / Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash’s name resounds throughout the industry. The “Man in Black” grew up in Dyess, Arkansas but rose to stardom in Music City, Nashville, Tennessee. In his autobiography, Cash dispels a handful of myths as well as openly discussed his battles with addiction, his devotion for his wife along with other revealing tidbits. Included in the book are different accounts of his friends such as Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Kris Kristofferson.
What about you? Which autobiographies would you include in your list?
Jade Mya 