The Spree of 83, Freddy Powers
The Spree of 83, Freddy Powers
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Synopsis

The Los Angeles Times affectionately referred to Freddy Powers as the “Ol’ Blue Eyes of Country Music,” and wrote that if you were to “ask country superstars Willie Nelson, George Jones, or Merle Haggard (they’ll) … tell you that he’s one of country music’s best-kept secrets.” The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame inductee has been to the top of the charts as both a producer for Willie Nelson’s Grammy-winning LP Over the Rainbow, and as a songwriter for many of country music legend Merle Haggard’s number one hits.Now, for the first time, Freddy recounts the entertaining and emotional stories behind his decades-long roller coaster ride through the music business; his voyage to the top of the charts, and his inspiring battle against Parkinson’s disease. Helping Freddy tell his story are exclusive interviews from fellow country music legends Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, John Rich, Tanya Tucker, The Voice finalist and Powers’ protégé Mary Sarah, along with a host of other Nashville luminaries.

About Freddy Powers

Freddy and Catherine Powers have been married for over twenty-five years, with Catherine managing Freddy’s career as a prolific performer and Texas Country Music Hall of Fame songwriter, where he is most celebrated for cowriting numerous hits for Merle Haggard, including fan favorites like “Let’s Chase Each Other around the Room Tonight,” “I Always Get Lucky with You,” “Natural High,” and “A Place to Fall Apart.” Freddy is the recipient of Lifetime Achievement Awards by the Nashville Songwriter’s Association International, the Texas Music Academy, and the Texas Guitar Association, the CMA Triple Play Award, and the BMI #1 Song Award among other coveted distinctions and honors.

About Catherine Powers

Freddy and Catherine Powers have been married for over twenty-five years, with Catherine managing Freddy’s career as a prolific performer and Texas Country Music Hall of Fame songwriter, where he is most celebrated for co-writing numerous hits for Merle Haggard, including fan favorites like “Let’s Chase Each Other Around the Room Tonight,” “I Always Get Lucky With You,” “Natural High,” and “A Place to Fall Apart.” Freddy is the recipient of Lifetime Achievement Awards by the Nashville Songwriter s Association International, the Texas Music Academy, and the Texas Guitar Association, the CMA Triple Play Award, and the BMI #1 Song Award among other coveted distinctions and honors.

About Jake Brown

Jake Brown is an award-winning Nashville based music biographer of over 40 books including authorized collaborations including Joe Satriani, Heart, Moorhead, 2Pac, and author of the trademarked “In the Studio” book series (Rick Rubin, ACDC), the Nashville Songwriter book series and others including Beyond the Beats, HIP HOP HITS and Behind the Boards.

About Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson Willie Nelson is one of the most popular, prolific, and influential songwriters and singers in the history of American music. He has recorded more than one hundred albums over six decades, appeared in several films, and written two New York Times bestsellers, It’s a Long Story and The Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes. He was inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993.

About Andi Arndt

Andi Arndt is a professional voice actor, the winner of a 2017 Audie Award for Best Romance, and winner of two Earphones Awards.

About Carrington MacDuffie

Carrington MacDuffie is a voice actor and recording artist who has narrated over two hundred audiobooks, received numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards, and has been a frequent finalist for the Audie Award, including for her original audiobook, Many Things Invisible. Alongside her narration work, she has released a new album of original songs, Only an Angel.

About Donald Corren

Donald Corren is an audiobook narrator and a New York actor with leading credits on and Off-Broadway, as well as numerous television appearances. On Broadway, he costarred with Judy Kaye in the critically acclaimed production of Souvenir, and replaced Harvey Fierstein in the seminal production of Torch Song Trilogy. His Off-Broadway appearances include The Soap Myth, Dietrich & Chevalier, The Last Sunday in June, Stephen Sondheim’s Saturday Night, and the original New York production of Tomfoolery. His television credits include eight seasons as forensic tech Medill on NBC’s Law & Order, as well as his current role as Dr. Kurian on Syfy’s Z Nation.

About Eric G. Dove

Eric G. Dove is a multiple Earphones Award–winning narrator, and his credits include more than one hundred audiobooks. He is also an accomplished musician and a budding author, who published Ghosts of Royston in 2013. He is a graduate of Ohio State University.

About John McLain

John McLain is an actor, professional voice talent, and Earphones Award–winning narrator. He has been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. On stage, he has appeared in The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Amahl & the Night Visitors, and The Music Man.

About Rebecca Gibel

Rebecca Gibel (a.k.a. Kasha Kensington) is a audiobook narrator and stage actress who has performed in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Camelot (IRNE Award nomination), Urinetown (Denver Post Ovation Award nomination), and Othello. She won the Denver Post Readers’ Choice Award for Best Year by an Actress. She is a graduate of the Brown University Trinity Rep MFA acting program, where she was the Stephen Sondheim Fellow.

About L. J. Ganser

L. J. Ganser is a multiple Audie Award–winning narrator with over six hundred titles recorded to date. Prized for versatility, his work ranges from preschool books to crime noir thrillers, from astronomical adventures in both science and science fiction, to Arctic Circle high school basketball stories. He lives in New York City with his family and dog, Mars.

About Marguerite Gavin

Marguerite Gavin is a seasoned theater veteran, a five-time nominee for the prestigious Audie Award, and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones and Publishers Weekly awards. She has been an actor, director, and audiobook narrator for her entire professional career. With over four hundred titles to her credit, her narration spans nearly every genre, from nonfiction to mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance, and children’s fiction. AudioFile magazine says, “Marguerite Gavin…has a sonorous voice, rich and full of emotion.”

About Mark Bramhall

Mark Bramhall has won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration, more than thirty AudioFile Earphones Awards, and has repeatedly been named by AudioFile magazine and Publishers Weekly among their “Best Voices of the Year.” He is also an award-winning actor whose acting credits include off-Broadway, regional, and many Los Angeles venues as well as television, animation, and feature films. He has taught and directed at the American Academy of Dramatic Art.

About Renée Raudman

Renée Raudman is an actor and Earphones Award–winning audiobook narrator. She has performed on film, television, radio, and on stage and can also be heard in several video games and hundreds of television and radio voice-overs.

About Lloyd James

Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been a working professional actor in theater, film, television, and voice-overs for more than thirty years. He has narrated over one thousand audiobooks and won numerous Earphones Awards and nominations for the Audie Award and the Voice Arts Award. He holds a BFA degree in acting from Santa Fe University, New Mexico. 

About Traber Burns

Traber Burns worked for thirty-five years in regional theater, including the New York, Oregon, and Alabama Shakespeare festivals. He also spent five years in Los Angeles appearing in many television productions and commercials, including Lost, Close to Home, Without a Trace, Boston Legal, Grey’s Anatomy, Cold Case, Gilmore Girls, and others.


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Quotes

“In this candidly informative memoir, Freddy recounts first-hand the highly entertaining and emotionally touching story behind his decades-long roller-coaster ride through the music business, to the top of the charts, and his inspiring struggle in recent years battling Parkinson’s disease, all while his legacy endured through generations of fans. An inherently compelling read from beginning to end.” Midwest Book Review

“Powers’ name stands alongside some of country music’s most enduring classics.” Austin Chronicle

“Anybody that don’t like Freddy Powers, I put ’em under immediate suspicion.” Merle Haggard

“One of the most creatively rambunctious artists in the history of country music.” Saving Country Music

“Freddy’s strongest suit, I always thought, was his rhythm guitar playing. He was a great rhythm guitar player, and he wrote some great songs with and for Merle.” Willie Nelson

“He’s a great a writer, and I think he’s one of the least-recognized of the great country songwriters, and doesn’t really get his credit due.” Tanya Tucker, award-winning country music singer

“A freewheeling, often poignant oral history of one of the unsung heroes of Country Music, told colorfully by Powers and a cast of familiar characters who knew and loved him best.” Stephen L. Betts, Nashville music journalist, Rolling Stone Country