“An Outlaw and a Lady” by Jessi Colter

The Amazing Life of Jessi Colter and Waylon Jennings!

Waylon Jennings. Even if you think you don’t know his music, if you ever watched the television show, The Dukes of Hazzard, you heard him sing the theme song, and play the part of the narrator.  In this book, his wife Jessi Colter (also known as Miriam Eddy) tells what life was like living with him.  She also shares her life story as well.

Waylon was a trial to live with, and he didn’t try to hide the one night stands he sometimes indulged in—especially when he was on the road.  He was a drug user, especially “pep” pills and cocaine.  Although Jessi loved him deeply, and he loved her, that wasn’t enough to give her the strength to be married to him.  In fact, she did separate from him once, and spent much time in prayer about whether or not to stay in the relationship.  Jessi knew that if she went back to him, she would be going back to stay with him for life.

Ultimately, she did make the decision to reunite with Waylon.  She returned to a life that had some amazing experiences but also some really rough times.   Jessi credits two things for getting through it.  Number one was having faith in God along with His help.  The other thing was expressing her feelings through music that she was creating.

Jessi is a singer and composer in her own right.  She might be best known for the song, “I’m Not Lisa,” which was a huge hit in the 1970’s.  But she is a prolific writer of many other songs, and has recorded a number of albums.  She was part of albums that included Waylon and many of their famous friends.  Many well-known people have also sang her songs.  Over the years, they often rubbed shoulders, along with calling them friends, with such people as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson—just to name a few.

The journey Jessi was on after she made the decision to stay married to Waylon would include his attempts to give up using drugs, and his great desire to have a child with her.  Waylon had some very big musical successes during this time, and she often toured with him around the world.  However Jessi’s one desire was that Waylon would accept Jesus Christ as his savior, and become a born again Christian.  This book tells the story of whether or not Jessi got her heart’s desire, along with a whole lot more about their life together–because when she returned to Waylon, she stayed married to him.

I was intrigued by the story of Jessi and Waylon’s relationship, and believe anyone else would be as well.  I really appreciated the Christian aspect that Jessi included in this book, and the importance she placed on Waylon’s salvation.  Anyone who likes biographies, stories about popular entertainers, or literature written from a Christian viewpoint will enjoy this 5-star book.    

Thomas Nelson Publishers has provided bookreadingtic with a complimentary copy of An Outlaw and a Lady, for the purpose of review.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Author’s Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJessiColter/

The Author’s Twitter:  https://twitter.com/jessi_colter?lang=en

The Author’s Website:  http://www.officialjessicolter.com/index-alt.html

 

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