Have a Little Faith: The John Hiatt Story

by Michael Elliott

"Have a Little Faith  is not merely a fan’s notes; this is a riveting book that tells the stories of one of our greatest roots musicians and the tenacity that’s grown out of his enduring passion for music." —  No Depression

A journey through an artist's quest for success, deep dive into substance abuse, family tragedy, and ultimate triumph

By the mid-1980s, singer-songwriter John Hiatt had been dropped from three record labels, burned through two marriages, and had fallen deep into substance abuse.
 
It took a stint in rehab and a new marriage to inspire him, then a producer and an A&R man to have a little faith. By February 1987, he was back in the studio on a shoestring budget with a hand-picked supergroup consisting of Ry Cooder on guitar, Nick Lowe on bass, and Jim Keltner on drums, recording what would become his masterpiece, Bring the Family .
 
Based on author Michael Elliott's multiple extensive and deeply personal interviews with Hiatt as well as his collaborators and contemporaries, including Rosanne Cash, Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder, and many others, Have a Little Faith is the journey through the musical landscape of the 1960s through today that places Hiatt’s long career in context with the glossy pop, college-alternative, mainstream country, and heartland rock of the last half-century.

Hiatt’s life both pre- and post- Family will be revealed, as well as the music loved by critics, fellow musicians, and fans alike.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 2021

About the author

Michael Elliott is a contributor to the pioneering roots music authority No Depression. His music writing has also appeared in PopMatters, Albumism, Americana UK, and The Bitter Southerner. Michael spent close to thirty years in radio as operations manager, music director, program director, and disc jockey in a variety of formats. He has interviewed and produced profiles on musicians as diverse as Isaac Hayes, Charlie Daniels, Delbert McClinton, Johnny Rivers, and Little Richard. He lives in Raleigh, NC where he and his wife, Elizabeth, volunteer for the NC Reading Service, a nonprofit radio service that delivers content to the blind and visually impaired.

Reviews

[Kerry Patton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could be a cliched tale of the talented yet troubled artist whose career and life are derailed by substance abuse and general irresponsibility, only to get clean and go on to fame and fortune. And yes, that's kind of the broad outline...but that wouldn't do the John Hiatt Story justice.

I first knew of John Hiatt as the writer of songs on Rosanne Cash albums (do yourself a favor, check out her version of "I Look For Love"); his own early albums were full of good songs but to my ears the production never quite seemed up to the material.

Until 'Bring The Family' in 1987, a perfect album recorded with three musicians in four days, one that has sat comfortably on my desert-island list ever since. Followed with 'Slow Turning', which was almost as good.

I'd lost track of his career since the 90s, until his excellent record with Jerry Douglas came out earlier this year. Reading this book I was surprised to see how many albums he has recorded since then - this man is a worker who doesn't like to rest for long. And, this book shows just how widely respected he is among his peers.

And for me, it's nice to know that I am not the only one who considers Ry Cooder's slide on "Lipstick Sunset" (from 'Bring The Family') to be as perfect as anything ever recorded.

All in all, a good read about a good guy who also happens to be one of our greatest songwriters, at it for nearly fifty years and still going strong.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any John Hiatt fan. There isn't much information out there about him and this book did a great job of filling me in. Now I'm down the rabbit hole of looking up his old videos and also other versions of his songs. Why he is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I have no idea (well I do but he still should be in).

[Richard Block · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hiatt Tales

John Hiatt is one of my favourite songwriters who has a gruff, unique voice. He is funny, wise, self deprecating and all together excellent. This blow by blow bio by DJ and fanboy tells the complete tale and only in later chapters, lurches into songs of praise that become, as they say nowadays. 'uncomfortable.'

Hiatt emerges from his broken home - his elder brother killed himself and his dad died at 47, exploding as he was morbidly obese. John himself was a fatty - he looks like a scarecrow now - and his demons grew until he broke down in his early 30's, a coke snorting alcoholic. You get the first real glimpse of greatness with Riding With the King in 1983, then the explosion when a clean and sober Hiatt released his live in the studio classic, Bring the Family. Prolific beyond anyone other than Dylan, Hiatt made it most as a writer, his odd looks and unique voice never broke him into the mainstream. The book takes most post-Family albums very seriously and is quite detailed about them. Fans only beyond this point, but I am a fan and I guess, so is anyone who picks up this book.

I'll admit to learning a few things about Hiatt - and a few others, like Ry Cooder - that I found entertaining. John is 2 years younger than me, still writing and recording, but his voice is shot to pieces at this point - like Dylan. Will it stop him? No way. A pretty good read about one of my favourites.

[Sylvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Elliott is one of the best journalists to have written about Hiatt, and he's done a superb job of pulling together stories from John's life, observations on the music industry that has completely transformed over the course of Hiatt's career, and (best part) quotes from John himself and his family.

John's powerful lyrics take on an even stronger punch when you learn some of the life events that likely inspired them. Elliott has done a great job at pulling the personal, professional, and universal together. I loved the chapter titles and got a little thrill each time I came to a new one with that hint of what was to come. Whether you are only somewhat familiar with John Hiatt's music, or (like me) have stockpiled reviews and interviews for years, this book is a great investment and will undoubtedly make you appreciate the singer-songwriter at an even deeper level.

I can't quite give it 5 stars only because I'm greedy and wanted more! Hope you are working on the sequel.

[T. Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an artist.


This is a fine overview of a true artist's career. And what an artist. It faithfully covers John's musical endeavors from his childhood. It so fun reading about the construction of each album from the very first to the last. If the book has any shortcomings it is surely that I wish there was more about the man himself and what makes him tick. Oh there is some of that but like his music I just want more.

[Stephen Jordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic biography, which unlike a lot of bios on musicians, really focuses on his songwriting and music-making with his life story as the setup in the background. If you are a John Hiatt fan then this is a must-read!

[Jan Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Et must for alle Hiatt-fans!

[ROBERT · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3. This was very good. It was only 240 or so pages. Despite that, it covered a lot of his life, his youth, musical beginnings and the making of his many albums.

The author called his music Amercana and Roots music. I listened to a lot of his albums as I read. It was a very enjoyable reading and listening experience.

I recommend it.

[Ed Mckeon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing to find out about the dark chapters in Hiatt's early life as a formative effect on his immense creativity. The author confesses to not discovering the musician until late in his musical output, and the depth and texture of the chapters holds that to be true. As an album-by-album accounting of a life, the narrative leaves a bit to be desired.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the candy in “Winn-Dixie” the delicious sweets are laced with sorrow. The same magic is at work in John Hiatt’s writing and in his weathered voice. I had no idea the roots of the sadness, but this book written with Joh. And his wife’s cooperation reveals how deep that darkness has been. As always a music bio is a deeper joy when one listens along to the music, and the music is oh so good. Some of my very favorite songs. Brilliant writer. Well done bio.

[Steven Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

I have been a fan for only 20 years of my 55 years of loving and listening to music. I discovered John’s music later in life. I have every recording he has made and have never been disappointed. However I found it hard to find much information on John. This book follows a chronological time line with details on each albums recording. My only complaint would be I wish more personal information on John’s life was included.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT FIX FOR A SONG JUNKIE

Which I am, being a songwriter and musician but mostly just music lover. I found Hiatt because I loved School of Fish-worked backwards and found out he was a Hoosier like me and I bought EVERYTHING he did. This great Canon filled in all the dotted lines and backstories - going to have re-read as I am now going through the album's, listening chronologically in a pseudo rediscovery, though never forgotten.

[jboyg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written bio of one of popular music's most unsung heroes, John Hiatt. A singer. Songwriter and ferocious guitar player who has written some of the best songs of the past few decades: Riding With The King, All the lilacs In Ohio, Borderline. The man is, and I don't say this lightly, a genius. This book may tell you more than you want, but is quite a good read.

[John Vancil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into a real American treasure. If you are a John Hiatt fan this book will resonate with you!

[Timothy Swartout · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, mainly through interviews with the artist and his family and a multitude of the artists he’s worked with over the years, paints a riveting of one of our most prolific and underrated singer-songwriters. It even-handedly tells of the the ups and downs of a life lived mostly on the road and the pitfalls that come with that life. It also tells of the journey through that darkness and all the love and success found on the other side of it. This is a very well-researched book. And it gives great reviews and backstories of every single John Hiatt album. I lost track of him in the early 90’s and I’m ashamed to admit I did not realize how many quality albums he’s released since then. Do yourself a favor and pick one to start with and go from there. “Bring the Family,” or “Slow Turning,” are great ones to start with but you simply won’t go wrong with any album released after these two, as well.

[Dawn Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of music industry inside baseball for someone who just likes to listen to John Hiatt & wanted to learn a little more about him. But, I did learn some of the background of some of his songs & albums that I like (that's a large body of work and a lot of information to be had), learned a little bit about how gig musicians & song writers work, got a little more familiar with some other artists (Townes VanZandt & Ry Cooder), and had it confirmed that he does seem to be just a really good guy (early marriages & past addictions aside-- and he always seems to be the first to lament this, both in lyric & in interview, which in turn, speaks to his likeable character).

[Michael Paquette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving tribute to one of our finest singer songwriters. Michael Elliot is also a contributor to the roots music newsletter No Depression and a columnist for Bitter Southener. His website is also filled with interesting archives. This is a thoroughly engaging and fascinating account of the life and tribulations of one of the founders of Americana musican and the numerous artists who he infulenced and inspired and covered his songs over the years.

[Jeff Koepke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched biography with many comments from Hiatt's musical collaborators. Includes many quotes from Hiatt, mostly regarding his family life and recording processes. Surprisingly absent: Hiatt's thoughts about his songs and their inspirations as well as his thoughts on the songwriting process.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently learned about the existence of this book and decided to request it from the library; I'm glad I did. I was very into Hiatt's music in the 90s, but have lost touch with it in the last couple decades. I also knew nothing about his life beyond his songs, so this was enlightening. It's also inspired me to dig back into his catalogue and push beyond where I left of. Looking forward to it.

[Max E Gainey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful facts about Hiatt but failed to get at what makes this artist tick.

Bios for Elvis and Garcia get you inside the heads and times of their subjects. This does a great job with the music but the man is a little opaque.

[Astrid Råberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Äntligen i mål! Maratonläsningen av denna autistiskt faktaspäckade redogörelse av allt och alla som varit i kontakt med John Hiatt är nu efter tre månader avslutad.
Jag älskar John Hiatts texter och musik och hade förväntningar om att få veta mer om hur hans liv och erfarenheter präglat skrivandet.
Istället: minutiös redovisning av amerikansk musikindustri från 70-talet och framåt med varenda i texten förekommande persons hela karriär beskriven, varje producent, varje musiker, varje bolag, allt om vilken utrustning som använts vid varje inspelning i varje studio.
Visst finns det någon slags storyline som beskriver Hiatts liv, men det är kanske 10% av texten, och insprängt, och det blir splittrat. Tur att han överlevde sin ungdom och tidiga vuxenliv då han tydligen gick konstant på kokain, heroin och alkohol. Hans talang verkar medfödd och det finns inga tydliga händelser som förlöst hans skapande,
Det är som en forskningsrapport eller ett examensarbete där ingen detalj är för liten för att få sitt eget kapitel.
Författaren försöker hålla en kronologisk tidslinje, men det är mycket korsvis refererande.
Sen saknar jag att denna noggranna redogörelse ändå missar att nämna den svenske skådespelaren Lars-Göran Perssons insats som uttolkare av John Hiatt i föreställningen Strindberg, Hiatt, hunn och jag.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for any John Hiatt Fan!

[Matt Mesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

He’s my hero. I had to read this book. It was wonderful to read an album by album, tour by tour, and personal life account of Hiatt. A must read for his fans.

[Chip Rickard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great biography about an underrated artist. For the uninitiated, he is the writer behind a great deal of songs others have had hits with. But he's a fantastic performer in his own right.

I liked how Elliott traced the family history from when they came to America. Interesting details about his immediate family and how John and his father were obese and how his brother (who eventually killed himself) sexually abused John. I had read somewhat else that John was a heroin additct but really just used it for a short time. Sobering up seemed to be a turning point for him both personally and professionally. Elliott narrated how Hiatt came up with his material - much of it from personal tragedy.

The last part of the book saw Hiatt getting his just due from the industry. I wish there were a discography but there was a bibliography, notes and an index.