Like Me Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer

by Wright, Chely

• ISBN13: 9781423499480
• ISBN10: 1423499484
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-04-01
• Publisher: Hal Leonard

Summary

Chely Wright, singer, songwriter, and country music star, writes in this moving, telling memoir about her life and her career; about growing up in America's heartland and about barely remembering a time when she didn't know she was different. The youngest of three children, Wright would ascend the ladder to the top of the country-music world, only to find herself trapped in a place she hadn't foreseen, but had to face. From high-school homecoming queen to successful recording artist with her first hit single, "Shut Up and Drive," Wright's journey was dictated by keeping the truth of who she was closeted in a world in which country music stars had never been - and could not be - openly gay. Working with the biggest names in Nashville, she navigated these treacherous waters until the charade took too great a toll. Ultimately, as she reveals in this candid and outspoken work, Wright found the courage to untangle herself from the image of the country music star she'd become, an image steeped in long-standing ideals and notions about who - and what - a country artist is, and what fans expect that artist to be.

Author Biography

Chely Wright, singer, songwriter, and country music star, writes in this moving, telling memoir about her life and her career, about growing up in America's heartland, and about barely remembering a time when she didn't know she was different. The youngest of three children, Wright would ascend the ladder to the top of the country music world, only to find herself trapped in a place she hadn't foreseen but had to face.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xiii
The Prayer	p. 3
Learning to Hide	p. 13
ôHouse of the Rising Sunö	p. 20
Bullies	p. 22
Underwater	p. 31
Let Me Sing for You	p. 35
Salisbury Steak, Please	p. 39
The Boy on a Tractor	p. 41
The Ozark Jubilee	p. 46
Opryland USA, 1989	p. 51
Brenda	p. 55
Scared Straight	p. 66
My First Recording Contract, 1993	p. 75
Julia	p. 77
A Dream Come True	p. 84
The Thin Line	p. 87
We Found a Way	p. 91
All-American Girl	p. 93
ôBut Didn't She Date What's-His-Name?ö	p. 102
ôSingle White Femaleö	p. 105
Fame	p. 108
Knee-Deep in a River and Dying of Thirst	p. 113
Brad	p. 115
The Slow Climb	p. 117
All the Way to Memphis	p. 124
Bites and Stings	p. 126
Love Is Love	p. 134
In My Own Home	p. 136
Rumors	p. 139
ôHard to Be a Husband, Hard to Be a Wifeö	p. 141
Casualties	p. 153
Try, Try Again	p. 155
Beautiful People	p. 156
Mice Don't Speak	p. 159
From Sea to Shining Sea	p. 164
Back to the Desert	p. 176
My Sister, Jeny	p. 182
A Great American	p. 185
Steel on Steel: Master Sergeant Wright	p. 194
Don't Ask, Don't Tell	p. 197
Hannity and Wright	p. 201
Love Everybody	p. 207
Moving Out	p. 213
Kristin	p. 215
My Dad	p. 222
The Boy Scouts of America	p. 229
Run, Jeny, Run	p. 232
Down on My Knees	p. 239
Keep Your Friends Close, and Your Enemies Closer	p. 244
One of My Angels	p. 249
A Million to One	p. 251
Choice	p. 257
Stereotypes	p. 260
My Mom, My Brother, and Others	p. 265
Where Do I Fit In?	p. 269
Hate Crimes Are Down?	p. 272
Turning the Page	p. 274
Learning to Say Good-bye	p. 278
State of the Union	p. 281
Afterword	p. 285
Acknowledgments	p. 315
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.