Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs, and many more. This well written book manages to
shine a bright spotlight on the man, the musi- cian and the damn near genius that was Guy Clark. She includes 113 photos taken from all phases of his life that help paint a vibrant pic- ture of the artist, whose wife Susanna is a great songwriter herself. Both of them were artists in every sense of the word. She was vi- sual artist and painter and guy was a master luthier.
While not a straight-ahead biography,
the author becomes an integral part of the story halfway through the book after meeting Clark when she was managing editor of Coun- try Musicmagazine in 1998. She later became his publicist. Saviano does an excellent job of writing about the relationship she developed with the Clarks, as well their strong connec- tion to Townes Van Zant, their best friend. Without Getting Killed or Caught is one of the finest music biographies I have read lately, and I have read a lot of them. As a fan of both Guy Clark and Townes Van Zant my- self, I consider this book nothing less than a sheer joy and essential reading for fans of good ol’ Texas music.
-Michael Buffalo Smith
Whisperin’ Bill An- derson An Unprecedented life in Country Music Bill Anderson with Peter Cooper (University of Geor- gia Press)
I grew up with Bill An- derson. Let me rephrase
that, I grew up in a home where it seemed that Bill Anderson was on the old three-chan-
nel television set every time I looked up from my comic book or Hit Paradermagazine. This is my favorite kind of read. Bill
Anderson does no mud-slinging, and says not a bad word about any of the hundreds/thou- sands of people he has worked with through- out his career, but instead tells his life story in a pleasant, understated way that only “Whis- perin’ Bill” could do. Bill writes with total honesty, even when discussing his failures in life, and his overall optimism is both infec- tious and inspirational. As a child, I always found his songwriting and totally unique singing voice to be one of the finest in country music, and it has remained that way into my adult years, when I still get a kick out of see- ing him on The Grand Ole Opry stage. Brad Paisley summed up my own feel-
ings when he said, “Very few songwriters or artists will be prolific or talented enough to enjoy two or maybe three decades of success. Bill Anderson is going on seven. His words and melodies are part of the very foundation upon which country music is built” It’s very true. Vince Gill added, “As a
lifelong lover of songs, I had no idea what a profound impact Bill Anderson would have on me. Still to this day when I hear one of my favorite songs, Bill undoubtedly wrote it.” It’s very high praise coming from a man
like Vince, but Mr. Anderson more than de- serves it, following a lifetime of awards and membership in the Grand Ole Opry. This book is much like Bill himself, easy going and quite interesting. Major kudos go out to his co-author and an old friend of mine since his days writing for the newspaper in my home town of Spartanburg, SC, Peter Cooper, who never ceases to amaze me. Cooper helps the country music superstar share his wonderful story and personality, making for an amazing read. Highly recommended.
-Michael Buffalo Smith
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