One Man's Music: The Life and Times of Texas Songwriter Vince Bell

By Vince Bell

Book Overview

Texas singer/songwriter Vince Bell's story begins in the 1970s. Following the likes of Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, Bell and his contemporaries Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, and Lucinda Williams were on the rise. In December of 1982, Bell was on his way home from the studio (where he and hired guns Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson had just recorded three of Bell's songs) when a drunk driver broadsided him at 65 mph. Thrown over 60 feet from his car, Bell suffered multiple lacerations to his liver, embedded glass, broken ribs, a mangled right forearm, and a severe traumatic brain injury. Not only was his debut album waylaid for a dozen years, life as he'd known it would never be the same. In detailing his recovery from the accident and his roundabout climb back onstage, Bell shines a light in those dark corners of the music business that, for the lone musician whose success is measured not by the Top 40 but by nightly victories, usually fall outside of the spotlight. Bell's prose is not unlike his lyrics: spare, beautiful, evocative, and often sneak-up-on-you funny. His chronicle of his own life and near death on the road reveals what it means to live for one's art.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1574412671
• ISBN13: 9781574412673
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: University of North Texas Press
• Length: 261 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Well worth the read for those who want to know more about the men behind today's music

There are some people who devote their existence to music. "One Man's Music: The Life and Times of Texas Songwriter Vince Bell" tells the story of a man who loves music and has dedicated himself to its pursuit with much success. He's created five folk and country albums appreciated by critics, and he's also stepped into other venues such as ballet and Broadway. In the process he has overcome much tragedy in his life to do what he loves. "One Man's Music" is well worth the read for those who want to know more about the men behind today's music.