Título: Honky Tonk Hero
Autor: Billy Joe Shaver, Brad Reagan
Sinopse: Billy Joe Shaver was the real deal. Many agree with him that his songs are pure poetry. Shaver sang about a life that was full of hard times, wild living, and a forty-year-long passion for his late wife Brenda. His songs are raw, honest, and so true that people hear the story of their own lives in his music. No wonder, then, that his songs have also been recorded by artists such as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, George Jones, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Patty Loveless, John Anderson, Tom T. Hall, the Allman Brothers, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Tex Ritter.
In this compelling autobiography written with the assistance of Brad Reagan, Billy Joe Shaver looks back over a life that some might call a miracle of survival. His father abandoned the family before Billy Joe was born. Troubles in school and in the military turned him into a fighter, and a sawmill accident claimed two fingers and part of a third on his right hand. Yet his innate musical talent and the encouragement of an English teacher set him on the road to being a songwriter―and he never looked back. Shaver recounts his long struggle to break into the music business in Nashville and the success that came when Waylon Jennings recorded his songs on the 1973 album Honky Tonk Heroes, which became a landmark of outlaw country music. Shaver movingly describes his own up-and-down career as a singer-songwriter in Nashville and Texas; his bouts with alcohol and drugs; his pleasure in touring with his son, Eddy, and their band, Shaver, during the 1990s; and the pain of losing Eddy, Brenda, and Billy Joe's mother all within the year 1999–2000.
As full of life, heartbreak, and drama as any of Billy Joe Shaver’s songs, 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 music ever written.
Contexto da obra
Como livro em inglês, esta obra costuma ganhar também uma camada própria de interesse editorial e linguístico. “Honky Tonk Hero”, de Billy Joe Shaver, Brad Reagan, publicado pela editora University of Texas Press, em 2020 e com 208 páginas, integra a categoria Livros em Inglês. Por isso, o interesse da obra tende a se ampliar quando o leitor considera também a relação com a língua em que ela circula.
Editora: University of Texas Press
Páginas: 208
Ano: 2020-11-17
Edição:
Linguagem: en
ISBN: 1477323961
ISBN13: 9781477323960
Sobre a editora
Os livros da editora University of Texas Press exploram temas que cruzam história, cultura e identidades, frequentemente a partir de perspectivas críticas e interdisciplinares. A experiência de leitura é marcada por narrativas que combinam análise acadêmica com elementos de memória pessoal, estudos culturais e relatos documentais, revelando tensões sociais e políticas. O catálogo apresenta obras que abordam desde a história afro-americana e os conflitos de fronteira até a cultura gastronômica texana e a representação do cinema global. Há tanto títulos que oferecem estudos aprofundados e reflexivos quanto outros que trazem um tom mais acessível e envolvente, como guias culturais e ensaios que dialogam com públicos variados. A diversidade de temas sugere uma editora que privilegia o diálogo entre passado e presente, abordagens críticas e a pluralidade de vozes na construção do conhecimento.
