Grace Notes: My Recollections

by Katey Sagal

Gripping, singular, and gorgeously reflective, Grace Notes is a memoir told in essays by beloved actress, Hollywood veteran, and singer/songwriter Katey Sagal.

Popular and award-winning star Katey Sagal chronicles the rollercoaster ride of her life in this series of evocative and beautifully written vignettes, resulting in a life story recounted unlike any other Hollywood memoir you’ve read before.

Sagal takes you through the highs and lows of her life, from the tragic deaths of her parents to her long years in the Los Angeles rock scene, from being diagnosed with cancer at the age of twenty-eight to getting her big break on the fledgling FOX network as the wise-cracking Peggy Bundy on the beloved sitcom Married…with Children .

Sparse and poetic, Grace Notes is an emotionally riveting tale of struggle and success, both professional and Sagal’s path to sobriety; the stillbirth of her first daughter, Ruby; motherhood; the experience of having her third daughter at age fifty-two with the help of a surrogate; and her lifelong passion for music. Intimate, candid, and offering an inside look at a remarkable life forged within the entertainment industry, Grace Notes offers unprecedented access to the previously unknown life of a woman whom audiences have loved for over thirty years.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Autobiography, Biography Memoir, Music, Tv

245 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 2017

About the author

Catherine Louise "Katey" Sagal is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is best known for her role as Peggy Bundy on Married... with Children from 1987-1997 and for her Golden Globe award winning role as Gemma Teller Morrow on the FX series Sons of Anarchy. Katey resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Kurt Sutter and their three children, Sarah, Jackson, and Esmé.

Reviews

[Jaidee · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 "myopic, overly indulgent, dimestore wisdom" stars !!

2nd Most Disappointing Read of 2017 Award

This is a painful review to write. I am a fairly devoted Katey Sagal fan. I also happen to think that she is sexy and sultry and super HOT!!

I have followed both her acting and singing career for many years. I find her acting (both comedic and dramatic) to be quite excellent and she has a beautiful husky alto that she uses to great effect in her music (both her own and covers). When I got her CD entitled "Well" it was on my playlist for a number of years and I also own her two other albums. I adored her as Peg in Married with Children and her rawness as Gemma in Sons of Anarchy and I am very happy that she won the Golden Globe for acting in that show.

Here is a clip of her in Married with Children:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OXqu...

Here is a little of her rawness in Sons of Anarchy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ4FB...

Finally a clip of her singing Dusty Springfield wonderful hit, Son of a Preacher Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g2lR...

This is why it pains me to give this memoir only two stars but I honestly cannot rate it any higher.

Despite being a great actress, excellent singer and very good songwriter she is not a talented memoirist/writer. She wrote this for her children and it should have stayed that way. Her life is interesting. She worked with Etta James and Bette Midler. She had a number of celebrity romances and went to school with Pee Wee Herman. Her mother was a depressive and her father was a volatile director. She is oldest of five children and grew up very affluent but lived like a bohemian in her teens and twenties. She got hooked on drugs and alcohol and went through rehab. She has had two marriages and the loving mother of three children. She comes across as insecure but loving and genuine.

This, however, does not a good memoir make. Katey's writing is repetitive, self-indulgent, and full of dime store wisdom. I empathize with her insecurities but this is what she focuses on over and over again. I realize that chronic insecurity is a form of narcissism as the emphasis is always on the self. The book needs to be edited in a major way, polished and not left like a teenage girl's diary.

I remain a fan of Ms. Sagal's but I am not a fan of this memor.

[TeriLyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Katey Sagal and the characters she's portrayed on television. I love her voice and her music. I love her talent and free-thinking, no BS ways. And now I love her candid and humble memoir. It's honest, reflective, poignant, and deeply personal. She brilliantly wrote Grace Notes as a series of essays on certain points and people in her life in a completely engaging and interesting way. Her reflections of her past highlight her own thoughts and musings on the kind of upbringing she had and how she once led herself astray. Her comments on overcoming such things were very open. Her take on life and moving forward is bare and raw I just loved the reading experience she provided. Definitely recommended.

[Francesca]

Only found out about this book last night and immediately pre-ordered it! Can't wait to read about this absolute queen!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the form of candid and sometimes heartbreaking essays, Sagal does an amazing job of encapsulating her entire life into this short memoir. She also did a credible job of proving she is no longer just "Peg Bundy." And who knew she started her career as a rock singer?

Thanks to the publisher for the advance digital reading copy.

[Marika · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all know that Katey Sagal is not your ordinary actress and this memoir is anything but ordinary. Told in the form of essays that she's written, she lays bare her life in and out of Hollywood. It's mesmerizing and refreshing to read of an actress who is so humble and so uncomfortable with the fame that being a celebrity brings. Refreshing and quick read.


Note: I received a free review copy of this book and was not compensated for it.

[Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this. It's more about who she is than what she's done & it's beautifully written. My favorite memoir I've ever read.

[Lois R. Gross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love Katey Sagal and have since her days as a Bette Midler "Harlette." This is a combination memoir and long rumination on her life, career, and the detours she's taken along the way. She doesn't hold much back. From her childhood as a privileged Hollywood child (her father, director Boris Sagal, was killed in a freak helicopter accident on location), through a fifteen year addiction to pills and alcohol, through high weight and low self esteem, Ms. Sagal does not hold back. Her low points are truly heartrending. Her mother, who was chronically depressed, died young of thyroid cancer. Katey, who spent her adolescence and young adulthood rebelling and trying to establish her independence, got the bad gene, and also had thyroid cancer. Although she still considers herself a musician, her breakthrough as an actress came on the raunchy Fox comedy, Married with Children. It ran for eleven years giving her security and a base. An early marriage broke up quickly. A second marriage lasted long enough to have two children and one stillborn child. The loss of this child (which I clearly remember in the news) was a watershed for the actress. One more marriage and a baby by surrogate brings readers to the present day. I read the book thinking that she would mention 8 Simple Rules and co-star John Ritter's death on set in chronological order. However, she saved this tragic death to the end of the book and echoes most people's comments that he was a loving, generous man. Definitely a lumps and all story of a hippie chic who matured as a solid talent. Very readable and an easy recommendation for fans of the actress.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a very quick read. At times her musings are poetry. i loved the chapters about being a mother and the very few parts about acting. I wish there was more about her career as an actress. She has had a very interesting life filled with tragedy, addiction and music. All the stories felt honest and real and I appreciated her willingness to share.

[Danimay Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this stunningly written autobiography, Katey Sagal takes a look back and the highs and lows of her life. Katey Sagal is well known for her iconic roles such as Peggy Bundy (Married With Children) and Gemma Teller Morrow (Sons Of Anarchy). As well as being a sensational actress, Katey is also an extremely talented musician and singer/songwriter. But how well do you really know someone? Written in an essay style form, Grace Notes is sure to take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Katey starts with her childhood, where she writes descriptively about her relationship with her parents. This carries on to tell the story on how she discovered her love for music and learning how to read, write and play music. Katey also goes into depth about her weight struggles, loosing her parents at a young age, her short battle with cancer, her unfortunate addiction to drugs and alcohol and her heartbreaking stillbirth . Reading this book, Katey has proven that she is a warrior. She has had many ups and downs, tears and heartbreak in her life yet she always got back on her own two feet and carried on fighting. It's moving, it's touching, it's heartwarming and it's not just for fans. You truly do think you know a lot about someone, until you read about their life. She is the definition of a strong, independent woman and someone I will always look up too.

[Carlos Pelaez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember the last time a memoir left me so damn shook. Is there anything this woman cannot do?! Wife, Mother, Badass, Singer, Actress! Get to know the real Katey Sagal, the enchanting human behind some of televisions most iconic female characters. I will be gifting this iconic piece of work to all my friends this holiday season along with her criminally underrated debut album "Well...". BRAVO!

[Mediaman · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can a woman star in three big TV shows of the past 30 years and have so little to say about them? Sagal instead uses this book to meander through her life, revealing very little about her relationships with others and instead focusing on her self-doubt. It's a melancholy mess that is incredibly repetitive (some feelings are stated over and over in just about every chapter) and padded with a lot of nothing. There is way too much about her kids, and a whole chapter about a guy named Johnny Starbuck. If she revealed as much about herself as she does about others the book would be more successful.

However, she does write a few things that are substantive, surprising, and interesting. Her addictions to smoking, drinking and drugs started in her mid-teens, and she admits to being wasted for most of her early career that was devoted to music. It's a pretty strong message that is pro-rehab and pro-AA. She went clean right before Married With Children and bluntly states that substance abuse gives a creative person a false sense of artistry. Good for her to tell it like it is.

She also eventually reveals in the book that she had a few abortions in her teens and now regrets giving up those children. It's a subtle pro-life message while she proclaims herself pro-choice.

The problem is that she accepts none of the blame for the consequences of her choices. She ends up having many health issues and miscarriages and a child with mental/physical problems--but she makes sure we know she doesn't think she's responsible for any of it. The truth is that dumping drugs and alcohol and nicotine into her body for over 15 years resulted in her health and birth problems--it's kind of obvious to the reader, so why can't she accept it?

She goes off onto a Buddhist-like spiritual tangent at times, and tries too hard to wrote poetry to express her feelings. What we want to hear is about Married With Children (which she tired of and doesn't like to discuss, working hard to get rid of her image as Peg Bundy), 8 Simple Rules (she does open up a bit about John Ritter's death), and Sons of Anarchy (very little other than her husband creating a dramatic role for her since she didn't want to be "pegged" as a comic actress).

Then there are the famous people she met or bedded or worked with--she mentions them but barely. There are a couple of major surprises here but she has a big wall up and doesn't want to let people in too far, which is a disappointment. The editors should have pushed her to write much more about her real life and less repetitively about her insecure feelings.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a great retelling of a complicated life. I was lucky enough to pick up an uncorrected proof of this book and I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love this memoir. From the very first chapter to the end it was just all really good. Katey has lived such an interesting life so far and this retelling is concrete and complex and it really highlights her adventures and her life and her strife. So much of this story and her life is tethered to art and music. If you're a Californian at all you'd probably enjoy reading this book. Katey grew up in California and spent a lot of her time in Hollywood and specifically Laurel Canyon. In the book she talks about her parents and her teen years and how she went from being a chubby insecure girl to the beloved actress that she is. I highly recommend this book and already know a few people I want to send this to. My mother, for one, will surely enjoy this. Because of tv, Katey Sagal has always been a person existing in the background of my life so it's great to get a full story of her life and how she got to certain places and what it was like to be her at certain points in her life. Her struggles were dark and complex and a lot of the things she went through were hard and she talked about how she ignored dealing for most of her life before working it all out. It's a great retelling of her personal tragedies, her dance with music, and her eventual path to accepting herself and healing deep wounds. I definitely recommend this memoir! Plus, if you don't already love Katey Sagal you're missing out!

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was slightly disappointed in Katey's recollections. Not because they weren't fascinating, but I was looking forward to reading about her last 30 years of life, not (primarily) her first 30 years.

I am curious about her life when she portrayed these characters: Peg and Gemma, maybe some hot stuff about her latest beau, Kurt, etc....

Yes, she does brush over these topics, but I want detail, stories, drama!! Lol

I like Katey Sagal, a lot! She's down to earth and "home body-ish".

I think her brother Joey's review was harsh and unjust. Joey feels like Katey is disrespecting her parents by stating how she remembered them to be.

That is why this novel is called, Grace notes: MY RECOLLECTIONS. "My" being Katey Sagal's recollections, not Joey Sagal's recollections*!

Just saying....



*Recollections: suggests the recalling of usually pleasant incidents, experiences, or feelings from a remote past.

[Jeannette]

I get her. Not everyone is going to like the book but, I like the way it's written; simple. Just like me.

[Joey Sagal · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am Katey Sagal's brother, Joey Sagal. I have to come to my dear dead mother’s defense. I am mortified by what my sister has written in this slanted, dishonest recollection. It is important to me that anyone who reads this book knows what our mother was really like. Sara Sagal was not like what you read in this mean spirited book.
My mother was like Katherine Hepburn/Blythe Danner. She was “Another Mother for Peace.” She rallied and campaigned for people like Eugene McCarthy. She was an amazing, loving mother who gave her all for her children. She was the smartest woman I ever met. She smelled like Channel No. 5. She never slept in her clothes. She had clean, beautiful hair. She would have never dreamed in her worst nightmare, that her daughter, whom she brought into this world and loved as much as she could, would write something this insulting 42 years after she passed away.
Katey was born into privilege, into the top 1 percent, given everything most of the world will never get. Cars, trips all over the world, she was put into movies by my mother and father. We lived in a house on Rockingham Ave in Brentwood with 56 bedrooms. She was given anything she wanted yet she was never happy!!!! My sister does not honor my mother and father. She bashes and insults them, more than 35 years after their unfortunate, untimely deaths. My parents were the greatest parents I could of wished for. Please Katey, why would you write such an awful piece about people who gave you so much??? These are my parents too. Why can't you let them rest in peace, especially when they can't defend themselves?

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katey Sagal is one cool lady and without seemingly trying this vibe comes across loud and clear in her book.
Grace Notes takes the reader back to her childhood growing up in LA, the music she loved, the bands she played in (who knew she sang back up for Etta James and Bette Midler), her diagnose of cancer to getting her big break on FOX network as the ever memorialized Peggy Bundy on the beloved sitcom Married…with Children and finally to her Emmy award in 2013 for her role of Gemma Teller Morrow in Sons of Anarchy.

My only small complaint about the book, that is all too common with female memoirist (I'm talking to you Diane Keaton) was her need to write three separate chapters extolling the wonders of her three children and her love of them. I don't doubt any of the words written in these chapters; however they always come across as self-serving, not much interest to the reader, and better kept in a diary.

[Laurie • The Baking Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grace Notes is group of essays that look at Sagal's life as a musician, an actress, an addict, and most especially, a mother. She's a proud mom of three and candid about her struggle with addiction and her struggle to make it big. I was surprised at some of her celebrity connections including singing back-up for some famous women, her celebrity romances and a friendship with a certain awkward and, at one point, sensational star of children's TV and movies.

And yet I can't say that I loved this memoir. It's much drier than I had expected and while she touches on some serious issues, it felt like she kept her readers at an arm's length even though it has an inner monologue feel to it. In these essays, she has snippets of lyrical, almost poetic, one-line prose scattered throughout but these one-liners felt a little odd - like she was adding song lyrics to her life story - and quickly became overdone.

Grace Notes details Sagal's youth as the eldest of five kids growing up with a depressed mother and a erratic director father as well as her rise to fame as a musician and later actress. Some parts were interesting but others I struggled to get through. If you're looking for an insider's look at life on Married, With Children or Sons of Anarchy sets you'll be disappointed. She just touches on her experiences on-set with much of the book being devoted as a love note to her three kids. That is lovely and a touching way to honour her children -- but not necessarily interesting for people outside of her family.

Her life has been filled with tragedy and loss as well as fame and success. I applaud her for sharing her personal losses and struggles with her readers. That takes guts and Sagal has proven she has that in spades. She has led an interesting life and while I'm still a fan of her acting work I can't say I feel the same about this book.

[Jamie Sariyavong · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and fun book to read.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I won a copy of Grace Notes from the Goodreads giveaway. Thank you to Gallery Books for the copy. This is my honest review.**

I was only slightly familiar with Katey Sagal when I won this book. I remember watching a little bit of 8 Simple Rules when I was younger, but in no way did I know about Sagal's life.
I really enjoyed her memoir and learning more about her. She touches on many parts of her life, although there are some parts I wish she would've described in more detail. She talks about her addiction but does not really go into depth about the recovery process. I understand this is personal, but I think it would have made the book stronger. I also wish that she talked about her time on set more. She barely covered it. Still, I was impressed with how well-written Sagal's memoir is. The language is beautiful, and it didn't take me long to read since I was so drawn to it. I highly recommend it regardless of if you are her fan or not.

[Kelli Oliver George · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited about this because I have been a huge Katey Sagal fan since the beginning of Married With Children. However, this ended up being way too much inner monologue for me. Still, I came away being an even bigger fan of her and I do not regret reading this, hence the 3 stars.

[Gary Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sagal has had an interesting life & an interesting story but, for this reader, there are 2 drawbacks to the book. She tends to over dramatize many of her thoughts with the extensive use of 1-sentence paragraphs (in fact, many are not even sentences) and nearly constant foul language.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Katey Sagal is an actress and singer/songwriter and this is her story in her words.

Katey is the oldest of five children born to singer, Sara, and director, Boris. Her mother had health issues and passed away when Katey was about 20. Her father passed away five years later, in a helicopter accident.

Katey's dream was to be a singer but took some acting jobs to get her in the union so she'd have health insurance. She eventually landed the role of Peg Bundy in Married ... With Children and has had major role since while still pursing her love of singing and songwriting.

In the book, Katey tells of her childhood and teenage years ... turning to drugs and booze which helped her get a better self-image of herself. She talks about some of her relationships along the way, of her three marriages and her three children (the first two when she was about forty and the third when she was in her early fifties using a surrogate). She became sober and drug-free just before Married ... With Children.

I liked this book and found her story of where she came from and who she is today interesting (I like reading bios/autobios). I watched her in Married ... With Children (groundbreaking for its time) but haven't seen her in the series she's been in since (I don't watch as much TV as I used to).

Readers will find the writing style different but I liked it. It's not overly detailed but gave me enough to get the gist of who she is and her story. As a head's up, she likes to swear a lot (the F-bomb is one of her favourites) but I was okay with that. I think it lent to the honesty and authenticity of who she is.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2017/05...

[Kassyreadsalot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally read this book! I bought this book last year because I heard she was doing a book signing for it! Which I had to go to! Despite the fact that the signings was short and she didn’t have long to talk because she had to go somewhere else she was amazing! A year later I have finally read the book! It’s very sad and she talks about her life. How it was hard and all of her insecurities. She wrote about being more than Peg Bundy and she sure is just by the way she wrote about her life! I didn’t know she started off as a Rockstar before she even considered acting! It was very enjoyable and I highly recommend for anyone to read this book if you are a fan of Katey Sagal!

[Hubert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a super eloquent writer, but reads as purposefully sincere. Most of the book discusses both her strained upbringing by parents (the mother died young too), and her battles with drug and alcohol addiction.

I was perplexed by her distinction between a being career musician and an actor - she felt that she would not be taken seriously when she transitioned from being a musician to an actor. But historically there are precedents for this shift (think Elvis, Whitney Houston).

Wish more time were spent on her professional pursuits. Learning that she backed up Etta James was cool. Learning that she played in dramatic TV series Lost and Sons of Anarchy also cool.

Her descriptions of how she relates to her kids were quite touching.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. If you are looking for an in-depth account of Katey Sagal's life this probably is not the book for you. This was written as an essay and she did a great job with getting to the point on each story within the story. I was fascinated with her early years and her dream of always wanting to be a rock star. She provided a very candid account of her struggles with alcohol. A little long on the chapters about her children, but overall an interesting read.

[Season · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good read. I already thought I knew a lot about Ms. Sagal but after reading this book I felt like I met and friend of coffee and listen to her stories. It was a really interesting read. Her ups and down were very real and I felt like I got to know her even better.

It was also a quick read. Very short and to the point, which I like in these types of books.

[Lisa Mcbroom · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Peg Bundy to Gemma on Sons o Anarchy, Katey Sagal has had many struggles ... cancer at 28, still birth of child, and addiction. Filled with poems and musings, Sagal exaimnes the mysterious death of her mother, the love hate relationship of her director father Boris Sagal, finding love and her immense love for her children.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a well written memoir. Her emotions are all out on display for everyone to read. From her childhood to today, it was hard to put down. I loved her writings on being a mom. They really hit home for me. I have felt so many of those feelings, especially as they grow up and leave the nest.

[Edmund Davis-Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good honest and heartfelt memoir of a life well lived. I think I would like to hang out with Katey Segal or hear her sing.

[Bridgett Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy of Grace Notes from the Goodreads giveaway.
I was so happy to receive this book because I have been a fan of Katey Sagal since she was on Married With Children. She is very candid in her writing when it comes to her life, she lost her parents young. Finding her love for music at a young age and never giving up on that passion for it no matter what anyone said. she writes about her struggle with body issues and then the years with addiction and alcohol. There were many highs and lows in her life, but Katey never let it get her down, she kept going forward. Overall I really liked this book. I feel like I learned alot about her.