The untold story of Willie Nelson and his sister, Bobbie, who, over the course of their lives together, supported each other through personal tragedies and triumphs and forged an unbreakable bond through their shared love of music “Tender and intimate.”—The New Yorker “Poignant, beautiful, heartfelt.”—New York Journal of Books ONE OF THE BEST MUSIC BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Rolling Stone, Kirkus Reviews Abandoned by their parents as toddlers, Willie and Bobbie Nelson found their love of music almost immediately through their grandparents, who raised them in a small Texas town. Their close relationship was the longest-lasting bond in both their lives. In alternating chapters, this heartfelt dual memoir weaves together both their stories as they experienced them side by side and apart. The Nelsons share powerful, emotional moments from growing up, playing music in public for the first time, and facing trials in adulthood, as Willie pursued songwriting and Bobbie faced a series of challenging relationships and a musical career that took off only when attitudes about women began to change in Texas. This is Bobbie’s only memoir, and in it she candidly shares her life story in full. Her deeply affecting chapters delve into her personal relationships and life as a mother and as a musician with technical skills that even Willie admits surpass his own. In his poignant stories, Willie shares the depth of his bond with his sister, and how that bond carried him through his most troubled moments. Willie and Bobbie supported each other through unthinkable personal heartbreak, and they always shared in each other’s victories. Through dizzying highs and traumatic lows, spanning almost nine decades of life, Willie and Bobbie always had each other’s back. Their story is an inspiring, lyrical statement of how family always finds the way.
Download and start listening now!
“Celebrates more than eight decades of love, family, and music…Their split narrative covers their many marriages as well as the challenges and heartbreak that Bobbie has faced…Willie calls her a ‘heroine’,” and readers will agree with that assessment. A shift in perspective makes a familiar story seem fresh all over again.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“[A] humorous, nostalgic dual memoir…Nelson’s many fans will enjoy these cheerful and loving stories.”
— Publishers Weekly“Though Willie weighs in, this memoir is really about Bobbie, as she tells her story for the first time, an often tragic tale that reads like an old Tammy Wynette song…[A] down-to-earth yet inspiring account of an unbreakable bond between brother and sister.”
— Library JournalBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Willie Nelson Willie Nelson is one of the most popular, prolific, and influential songwriters and singers in the history of American music. He has recorded more than one hundred albums over six decades, appeared in several films, and written two New York Times bestsellers, It’s a Long Story and The Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes. He was inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993.
David Ritz is the author and coauthor of many acclaimed autobiographies of entertainers, including Ray Charles, Etta James, Scott Weiland, Grandmaster Flash, and more. Five of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, and he has won the Gleason Award for Best Music Book of the Year four times.
David Ritz is the author and coauthor of many acclaimed autobiographies of entertainers, including Ray Charles, Etta James, Scott Weiland, Grandmaster Flash, and more. Five of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, and he has won the Gleason Award for Best Music Book of the Year four times.