Willie Nelson: Behind the Music

by Clint Richmond

Profiles the life and career of one of country music's pioneers, based on an original VH1 broadcast, covering his songwriting, family, tax problems, and Farm Aid.

Genres: Music

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2000

About the author

CLINT RICHMOND, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, has more than thirty years' professional experience as a nonfiction book author, newspaper reporter, and freelance magazine journalist. He has published on a wide range of topics, from domestic terrorism and true crime, to pop psychology and celebrity biography.

FETCH THE DEVIL: The Sierra Diablo Murders and Nazi Espionage in America is his 10th published nonfiction book (2014 by the University Press of New England's ForeEdge imprint).

His current books in print include a contemporary true crime, THE GOOD WIFE, and a Cold War espionage history, RED STAR ROGUE, coauthored with veteran submariner Ken Sewell.

His book SELENA (1995, Pocket Books) about the murder of the beloved Tejana singer, opened at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.

Prior to becoming a book author, Richmond (writing under the name Jerry Richmond) was an award-winning reporter for the Dallas Times Herald, one of Texas's leading metropolitan dailies of that time. He was on the team assigned to the visit of President Kennedy to Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Consequently, he was one of the key reporters to cover the assassination of the president, the capture of Lee Harvey Oswald, and the killing of Oswald. He was that paper's lead criminal courts reporter during the Jack Ruby murder trial.

Later, as a freelance journalist, he was a Rocky Mountain regional correspondent for People Weekly, and has contributed to numerous other magazines and major daily newspapers.

Reviews

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Willie Nelson: Behind the Music by Clint Richmond (VH-1/Pocket Books 2000) (782.4216) (3686).

This is a companion volume to a VH-1 television documentary special about His Red-Headed Greatness Willie Hugh Nelson from Abbott, Texas. Many think that Willie Nelson would make a much better king of the world than the right-wing bozos currently trying so desperately to cement their tenuous influence over Those Who Get Their Info From Television.

Much additional water has rolled under the bridge since author Clint Richmond penned this little paean to Willie in 2000. Willie was sixty-seven years old when this volume was published and is thus now eighty-nine years old in 2022 and still going strong.

Much of this volume focuses on Willie’s charitable efforts on behalf of family farmers, most notably his tireless work on the annual benefit concert “Farm Aid.” The book also features a thorough dissection of Willie’s IRS travails (now resolved) and Willie’s loyalty to his family, friends, and even strangers.

This is cheerful and very light reading. Willie Nelson makes me proud to be a native Texan!

I purchased a used PB copy in fair condition for $1.00 at McKay’s Books on 9/2/22.

My rating: 7/10, finished 10/2/22 (3686).
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