It's a Long Story: My Life

I really enjoyed this book and learned so much about Willie Nelson. He is very good at telling stories and has a long full life full of great stories to tell. Highly recommend.

Interesting story of a country music icon. You can almost hear Willie telling the story. Enjoyed the book very much.

'Night Life, 'Crazy' and 'Hello Walls, three of Willie Nelson's most wonderful and long lasting songs were almost sold for five dollars a piece. Willie was down on his luck, looking for work, and needed money. Thankfully, the man he wanted to sell them to, would not buy them,but offered him an opportunity to move on. This is but one little bit of info we learn about this wonderful, musical man. From a young age Willie had the music in him. Brought up by his grandparents in the little Texas town they lived in, he and his sister had a wonderful childhood. Not much money but love, hard work, and perseverance. Willie was always active, an athlete, loved the music he learned from Church, but when he was offered money to play honky tonk in a bar, he took it. Eight dollars a night, more than he made in a week picking cotton. He moved around a lot, every small and large town in Texas, Oregon, California, and then he traveled to Nashville where his life turned around. Willie makes it clear that family and friends come first. However, Willie was a ladie's man, and was out every evening playing his music. With three marriages behind him and several children, Willie admits he cheated, many times. He liked to drink, smoke pot, and play his music, but he loves his family, dearly. We hear all the stories, the people he met who helped him on his way from birth to this present day. He is now 82, still going strong, loves his ranch in Abbott, Texas, and that is where his journey begins and ends. He talks about his problems with the IRS and the multi millions he ended up owing. He glosses over his financial manager who he said extended the IRS claims. Willie refused to declare bankruptcy, and worked for years to pay off his debt. Willie is good to everyone, and it seems whatever came in went to those he knew. Lessons learned, however, and his money is now looked after very carefully. Willie gives his love of pot several chapters. He no longer smokes it, but he does inhale it. We hear of the times he has been picked up in his traveling bus. One thing Willie was adamant about, no hard drugs in his brand, none. He had a friend who liked cocaine, but that was his business. We hear about and meet all the musicians he played with, famous and not so. He has known them all, played with most of them, gone to the White House several times, and met the famous and infamous. One interesting point is that Willie does not remember several stories in the book. David Ritz, his co writer may have put the book together after hearing Willie talk about his life, and Willie may not have read the book of his life. No matter this is a rollicking, good read by a musician and song writer extraordinaire. To hear his music is to love him. Recommended. 05-05-15

An enlightening read

Well written, Willy is an honest man, tells stories that are sometimes not showing himself in the best light but because he is genuine, and is sharing the good bad and ugly. I enjoyed this book through and through. Willy is not only an excellent musician, he is a good man and cares about people.

We love Willie Nelson and this book was a great look into his life. A reasonable short read!

I am a big fan of Willie Nelson, enjoying the creativity with which he sings and the manner in which he can take a standard and change it into something else. I had bought his earlier book Roll Me Up which I found a bit boring to be honest. Nevertheless, I was keen to buy this book and read about his life. It is a fantastic unputdownable book that I enjoyed from the first time I opened it, completing half the book in the first session itself. Its well written, lucid and reasonably fast moving. It is quite an incredible life, what with his marriage to a 16 year old girl, having three children with her at a time when he hardly had any money, his long struggle and hustling to sell his songs and finally his success. He certainly took a long and struggling journey to come where he has. The story also covers his numerous moves to Oregon, California and around Texas before he finally settled in Hawai and also, the story of his wives, children from different wives and how he managed to keep it all one happy family (or so it seems). Obviously, there is the cheating and notorious side to him that is told somewhat matter of factly. There isn't a negative or unpleasant slant to his description of anyone and what shines through is a positive human being also looking to do good in the world. I enjoyed the book thoroughly, its an incredibly story that anyone would enjoy, but particularly anyone who is interested in the world of music. I had the pleasure of watching him perform in 2012 and 2013 including a concert in which at the age of 79, he sang and performed standing up for 90 minutes continuously. Perhaps its the pot. As America slowly moves towards liberalising the use of pot, Willie stands as an example of someone who seems to have thrived on it, not just in terms of creativity but longevity as well. Live on Willie Nelson!

First off let me say I’m not a fan of Willies’ politics, that aside this is a wonderful book. To paraphrase Frank Sinatra, “Willie did it his way!” And at times it might not have looked like the right way as the Nashville, execs would say, but it was his way and I’d say it’s been the correct way. He grew up in the little town of Abbot, Tx and never, ever forgot his roots, his family or his friends. How many of us can say that? I can probably count them on two, maybe three fingers. We get caught up in everyday life and forget our passions and our dreams. Willie came close to this a couple of times when he had to take an assortment of odd jobs to help support his family. Many times he succeeded and many times he failed. From selling encyclopedias to vacuum cleaners he was on the hustle. If it weren’t for his first wife Marth, I doubt if the world would have known his music as we do today. Her ability to always find a job waitressing kept the lights on, some food on the table and a place for him rest his bones, that is, when he came home. Was his rise to stardom easy? Hell no. Was it painful? Did it take a toll on his family life? Absolutely. But despite set-backs and heartaches he never blamed anyone but himself for how his life was moving forward or backward. Did he marry several times and fail? Yes. But he never felt angst for his exe’s. He understood he was a difficult man to live with. Did the failed marriages affect relationships with his children? No. Because he was a family man through and through and wished all of them best in the world. His biggest thrill wasn’t playing with Waylon, Kris, Johnny, Bonnie, Dolly, Ray or Merle, it was with his kids and his sister. How many of us have wished we could stay close with our kids and not only pass on our talents and gifts but also share with them in the spotlight? That to me is his greatest accomplishment to date and I think he would agree. An even stronger message is stay true to your roots. No matter how much money he made or lost, no matter how many homes he had, he never forgot where he came from to the point he bought the Old Methodist Church and his Doctor’s house in Abbot. He did it to keep his past in the present and the present in the past. What an excellent tribute to growing up in small town America. I could go on praising his accolades and accomplishment but I believe that not be in staying with the truth. . When you read this biography, you’ll get the feeling he’s sitting right across from you; a joint in one hand and trigger (guitar) in the other composing another hit while still carrying on a good conversation. Who will like this? Anyone who wants to enjoy a down-to-earth yarn about one the most successful musicians or our time. Four and-a-half stars