Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer

by Chely Wright

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423499480
Publisher:	Hal Leonard
Publication date:	04/01/2011
Pages:	334
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

CHELY WRIGHT is an acclaimed singer and songwriter. Her seven albums have sold a million copies. Wright has given concerts around the world and has performed seven times for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. She lives in Nashville and New York City.

Table of Contents

Preface xiii

The Prayer 3

Learning to Hide 13

"House of the Rising Sun" 20

Bullies 22

Underwater 31

Let Me Sing for You 35

Salisbury Steak, Please 39

The Boy on a Tractor 41

The Ozark Jubilee 46

Opryland USA, 1989 51

Brenda 55

Scared Straight 66

My First Recording Contract, 1993 75

Julia 77

A Dream Come True 84

The Thin Line 87

We Found a Way 91

All-American Girl 93

"But Didn't She Date What's-His-Name?" 102

"Single White Female" 105

Fame 108

Knee-Deep in a River and Dying of Thirst 113

Brad 115

The Slow Climb 117

All the Way to Memphis 124

Bites and Stings 126

Love Is Love 134

In My Own Home 136

Rumors 139

"Hard to Be a Husband, Hard to Be a Wife" 141

Casualties 153

Try, Try Again 155

Beautiful People 156

Mice Don't Speak 159

From Sea to Shining Sea 164

Back to the Desert 176

My Sister, Jeny 182

A Great American 185

Steel on Steel: Master Sergeant Wright 194

Don't Ask, Don't Tell 197

Hannity and Wright 201

Love Everybody 207

Moving Out 213

Kristin 215

My Dad 222

The Boy Scouts of America 229

Run, Jeny, Run 232

Down on My Knees 239

Keep Your Friends Close, and Your Enemies Closer 244

One of My Angels 249

A Million to One 251

Choice 257

Stereotypes 260

My Mom, My Brother, and Others 265

Where Do I Fit In? 269

Hate Crimes Are Down? 272

Turning the Page 274

Learning to Say Good-bye 278

State of the Union 281

Afterword 285

Acknowledgments 315