Willie Nelson: An Epic Life

Willie Nelson's craggy profile on this book's cover looks like it was carved out of granite. He appears like a man who has lived a rough life, one who has not taken particularly good care of himself. An Epic Life explores the reasons why Willie's face looks like that, and does a pretty good job explaining things.Author Joe Nick Patoski gives you all the down-and-dirty details of the fighting, drinking, womanizing, alleged tax cheating and drugs, as well as all the stories behind Willie's timeless songs. Patoski conducted hundreds of interviews with Nelson and his family and friends over 35 years of research, and it shows. He's crafted a true insider's view of an icon that's also a comprehensive biography, an interesting read filled with many personal glimpses, with the bonus of some fascinating profiles of other folks both known and unknown.A section of glossy pages in the middle has 26 black and white photos. They range in time from 1929 to 2007, from a vintage shot of Nelson's parents to a portrait of Willie and his sister Bobbie Lee from last year.Here's the chapter list:1. Somewhere in America, 20072. Abbott, 19383. East of Western Grove on Pindall Ridge, 19254. Abbott, 19335. Waco, 19526. San Antonio, 19547. Fort Worth, 19558. Vancouver, Washington, 19569. Fort Worth Again, 195810. Houston, 195911. Nashville, 196012. Los Angeles, 196113. Ridgetop, Tennessee, 196414. Tennessee to Texas, 196515. Coast-to-Coast, Border-to-Border, 196716. Lost Valley, 197117. Austin, 197218. Orange to El Paso, Dalhart to Brownsville, 197319. Garland to Hollywood, 197520. The Hill, 197921. The World, 198622. The Valley, 199123. The New World, 199324. Paradise, 200425. Home, 2006

Texas Favorite CitizenFor an unvarnished version of a life independently lived, then go ahead and tryto tackle this big book. It is probably the true story of his young life, his careerhistory and his ever-present drug problem. Some Texans can relate to the povertyexperienced in the small off the highway town of Abbot, others relate to his tentativeentry into the country western level of his music, and then others know the pain anduncertainty of addiction. But can all Texans identify with the force of thecompassion that drives the endless concerts that bring food, shelter and hope tothe homeless of the State? It seems to do just that, because he is one of the mostprolific fund raisers in the area. This book falls short in praise of this great man, a manof all seasons, a rare one who truly loves his home state.

This is a well researched and unbiased account of WN's life. The detail of research is worthy of the highest academic standards, yet the writing style is engaging and alive and at times gripping. I was not a WN fan when I started the book but when I finished I had tremendous respect for this man who is a true American success story. Patoski's writing is unbiased; he doesn't want the reader to love WN; he only wants to show the biographical events and details that made up his life. He succeeds very well. Long live WN.

I'd read this before reading any of Willie's autobiographies, just to get perspective. I loved learning about his blood family, where they came from, etc. Mine come from same place. My dad remembered "singing schools" from his childhood. I was also amazed at how much adult stuff Willie did as a child, had to do. Yet, he also had more fun and achievement in high school than most kids today. Patoski's book is well-researched and written with love from a fellow Texan. So if you love Willie, you will probably enjoy this book and be able to get Willie's chronology down before tackling his self-written memoirs, which tend to ramble a bit more. Not that there's a dang thing wrong with that!

I've always LOVED Willie Nelson's music and I enjoyed reading this book very much !!Its nice to know so much about his life all along the way, bought my 35 year old son a copy as well, he loves willie too !!! I also ordered a couple of willie's dvd's a few weeks ago and watched them and oh my goodness .... they are fantastic !! but back to this book, I highly recommend to any willie fans out there, you will love this book, its GREAT , I could hardly put it down til i finished it !!!

Not only the story of Willie's life but also examines the history of the origins of both Country music and Texas music spanning the last 60 years. Had a hard time putting the book down. Patoski goes a great job of separating the myths from the realities. Recommend it to anyone who has any interest in the "behind the scenes" stories of the Country Music industry. Very enlightening.

I love Willie and everything he is and stands for. I have read several of his books, but this one was way too long! It had entirely too much 'name-dropping' in it; I really wasnt interested in all the names of band members, former band members, former band members from other bands...etc; I lost interest after a few chapters but kept reading only for my love of Willie and was hoping it would get better. I would still read more about Willie even though this book was way too long and boring.

The language at times was not good but then it fit the character. I learned a lot about Willie & his life, passions, family, etc.

Enjoyed this but the endless list of country musicians that I'd never heard of made it hard going.The personal bits of Willies life were somewhat skimmed over.He seems like a nice guy but don't feel I know him any better after reading the book.

While Mr Patoski managed to chart Willies life and his ups and downs in a fairly entertaining way, there was far too much "filler" material concerning the other people around him. I found that I was speed reading through large chunks of the book, simply because of the rambling on about everyone else and their histories.

A thorough, detailed and entertaining account of a great musician's rowdy life. Did you know Morecambe and Wise's theme tune, "Bring Me Sunshine", was a hit for Willie in 1969? Nor did I!

Fantastic value for the money paid. Would recommend for anyone who likes Willie Nelson. My mum loved and I got a few more for her friends also!

I don't believe that willie is now 80! what a life! what a king man with thoughts always for others!