Randy Travis is one of my favorite performer's. I greatly enjoyed reading his story and getting a look into the life of this country music legend.

Full disclosure: I have loved Randy Travis since I was eight years old. Forever and Ever, Amen was the first cassette tape I bought on my own and I played it until the tape was worn so thin. I also vowed to own all Randy Travis' music for the rest of my life, which I have lived up to in all its formats as music progressed from records and cassettes to CD's and iTunes.

Forever and Ever Amen, the memoir is a great book for any Randy Travis fan. Randy shares a bit more behind the scenes of his life growing up, how he got into the music business, his life with Elizabeth Hatcher, his current wife, his medical issues that nearly took him from us, and how he views his future.

Because I've been a huge fan and followed his music career, I already knew a lot of this story. I was most interested in his relationship with Hatcher, as I have always thought it was a little wonky, his current relationship and of course, his stroke. The memoir delivered on this.

There is a bit of repetition in the book and I was disappointed that it did not include any pictures. I thought that was odd. A biography I read many years ago by Don Cusic had a lot of pictures and I found out that when you listen to the audio, they send you a PDF of photos. Perhaps future publications of the book will include them.

That being said, if you are interested in Randy Travis' life, this book will not be a disappointment.

Bookworm Rating: 🐛🐛🐛🐛

A book filled with the joys and heartaches of a superstar. Well written and a few twists and turns along the way.

Forever and Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith, and Braving the Storms of Life by Randy Travis was the memoir of a musician I grew up listening to. I can remember our summer road trip to Washington D.C. where we alternated his cassette with Alan Jackson's as we drove cross country. That said, I honestly knew zero things about him other than the songs I liked. I saw this on NetGalley and thought I'd see what it was all about. It was really interesting to learn how he came up in the business and worked to stay true to his sound in that process. He also spoke very honestly about two topics - his finances and his struggles with substance use. In talking about finances, he just wasn't aware of what was happening. He put his trust in people, and they just weren't doing what they said they were. Additionally, he's struggled with substance use, and some of those experiences have very much been in the public eye. He was honest about this throughout. He didn't offer excuses, rather he talked about what it was like to struggle. He also talked about his stroke which was a devastating experience, and he's also worked incredibly hard in the rehabilitation process. I appreciate a honest memoir and also know that's a lot to put out into the world. This was a great glimpse into the life of a man who has changed country music.

As a country music fan, I was very interested in reading Travis' memoir. He has had some "issues" that have been widely covered in the news over the past few years, and his career prior to that put him squarely in the category of "STAR". His memoir is at times wonderfully candid, heartwarming, and heartbreaking. At other times, it's pretty boring -- just an almost categorical listing of songs, concerts, and albums. Occasionally the narrative seems to ramble, as if he's just carrying on a conversation and something new occurred to him. That being said, it's a must read for any Randy Travis fan.

He fills in some gaps about his childhood and the early days. The fact that he was deemed "too country" for Nashville in the 80s, is shocking and appalling to country fans, but fits the narrative portrayed in Ken Burns' documentary on country music. His partnership/marriage was always a point of puzzlement for many fans, and he addresses that here. He doesn't shy away from his brushes with the law as a young person and more recently, and he is very clear about his Christian faith. Although the writing is not in the category of "great literature", most celebrity memoirs aren't, and his voice comes through loud and clear on every page. I enjoyed reading about the motivations behind the music, and I was brought to tears when reading about his near death and recovery from heart issues and a stroke. I admire him even more after reading this book, even if it's not the "best" book I've read this year.

I have always loved Randy Travis’s music. And he has always seemed so humble to me. This book proves that he is truly a humble person and he lived his music and truly loved Country music. I’m glad he wrote this book and told his story. It explained a lot of what happened during that period of him crashing his car and ending up in the road. When all that happened the media made out like he was drunk or on drugs or something and that wasn’t even the case. Yes, he had made some mistakes with drinking prior to that, because he was going through a lot of things at one time and he started drinking again, but friends talked to him and helped him realize what was going on and he stopped the drinking heavily. But he explains all that in the book and what his manager/wife, Lib, did to him as well.And most of all, I love all his talk of his faith in Jesus!! That was inspirational and uplifting!! This is a great memoir and it’s written well. I’m glad he decided to write this. If you like traditional Country music and Randy Travis, you will love this book. Thank you to #NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review #ForeverandEverAmen .

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy.

I have been a fan of Randy Travis for years so when I saw he had a new memoir out I was excited to read it. He has had a storied career topping the country music charts with down home hits for decades. His memoir takes readers through the many superstar ups of his career and some of the crushing lows from his personal life. He is still recovering from a debilitating stroke but his spirit and Faith are truly inspiring. It is an easy read and just feels like your sitting down having a conversation with Randy himself. This is a great read for his fans. Thank you Randy, forever and ever, Amen.

I don't normally read non-fiction, but being a huge Randy Travis fan I had to,

Putting this book down just was not on the table; it's so interesting to know more about one of your fave celebrities and their lives. You will no be disappointed!

I received a complimentary copy of Forever and Ever, Amen from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

First, I should state that I am not a huge country fan. Though I was familiar with and appreciated a few of his songs, I certainly was under the impression that Randy Travis was way "too country" for me. Interestingly enough, I like to read--including biographies, so I read this one. This book was beautifully written from Randy's perspective, which made it an easy and intriguing book to read. Randy comes across as a genuinely good human-being, with God leading his charge most of the time. I empathize with his current situation and looking back, wish I had been a fan during his formative years! I can now honestly say that I am a Randy Travis fan and that I will be purchasing this book in support of a truly wonderful man.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Randy Travis is one of America’s most loved country music singer/song writers. The story of his life from his difficult childhood in North Carolina to his battle with drugs and alcohol, to his successful music career, to his near death experience after suffering a stroke kept me alternately laughing and crying. His strong faith helped him to fight back from the severe stroke after doctors had given Mary, his wife, no hope. You don’t have to be a country music fan to read and enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.

I received a copy of Forever and Ever, Amen from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This is a book that I loved from beginning to end. My first concert ever was by this author. I was excited to read this book and loved it. It is engaging and hard to put down. It is a great story about the life of this author. I was surprised with somethings and sad with other situation. This is a story of courage and strength on top of going from nothing and working hard to get to the great entertainer that we know this author to be. I highly recommend this book.

I am a huge fan of Randy Travis! When I saw his book, I just had to read it, so glad I did. The only negative thought I have, there is a lot of repetition. I sure hope everything in Randy's life continues to improve for him. Writing his story, I am sure, has been good for him, I definitely have enjoyed reading about his life. He is a good person in so many ways. I think God thinks so too. Thank you for an advanced copy of this book.

Forever and Ever, Amen is a very enjoyable memoir from not only a legendary artist, but a legendary Christian, and legendary human being. Randy Travis opens up about his early rough beginning, his determined rise to fame, his personal tragedies and ultimately his resilience, his perseverance, and reconnection with his faith.

Mr. Travis’ trials and tribulations reveal the underlying facets of character that undoubtedly play a huge part in his success in music and in life. We are treated to a front row seat of the career of a man who wanted to be true to his art form of pure Country music. In divining that truth, Travis remained in awe of his professional predecessors as well as his fans. The book is rich with anecdotes of the very humble Mr Travis being awe inspired by the many closet celebrity country music fans’ awe of him.

This book takes the reader behind the scenes of the evolution of the Randy Travis catalog of country hits from the creator’s perspective. I found myself further engrossed, as I felt compelled to cue up that very catalog to step through the audio and reconnect with it musically as I read. While that took some extra time and slowed my reading pace some, it was well worth the investment.

Read Forever and Ever, Amen, and not only will you learn more about the stellar career of a legend and sometimes tragic life episodes he endured, you may end up with a new and very worthy hero. The world would be a far better place with more people like Randy Travis.

I am not a really big fan of biographical books, but when I saw this one available on Netgalley, I requested it right away because I am a fan of the music of Randy Travis. I couldn’t wait to learn more about his life and this autobiography was a great resource to do that. The style of the book was like sitting in my den and having the author tell me the story of his life. There was a lot of information and so many trivial facts that it made my head too full at times. I had no idea how many great Nashville musicians has influenced him and how difficult his life has been. He had to overcome a divorce, alcohol abuse, and a massive stroke. He is definitely a survivor and an inspirational example of how to seek and find redemption in a life that spiraled down once success was achieved. I liked his honesty and his ability to enthrall me with all of the name-dropping and details. I must admit that when he started going through all of the recording studios that he tried to interest in his music, I skimmed because it got a bit too much for me there. All in all, this was an enjoyable and educational autobiography of an icon of country music.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Randy Travis has always been one of those "larger than life" country music legends. I was not a huge fan - but my sister was - so I kept up with his career through her.

One of a kind voice and definitely a life well lived! This was a great read and walk down memory lane. His strength and tenacity are to be envied.

If you have always loved Randy Travis and his unique musical sound, you will enjoy reading this book. Having lived near his hometown, I was familiar with the story of his life and career. Through hard times and good, his perseverance and his musical talent have assured him an honored place in country music history indeed.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book to read and review. A solid 4 stars.

#foreverandeveramen#netgalley

I'm always excited to read a good memoir, and I was intrigued to read this one since I've been a fan of Randy's music since I was a kid.

I'm disappointed to see that it didn't get more coverage or advertisement and that it has so few reviews on Goodreads. I think this booked must have lacked good marketing since I feel like the pool of people who would be interested in reading this should be much larger than it appears to be.

This really put me in the mind of many other biographies I've watched or read on singers, like Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn. Randy was a beautiful soul!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Randy Travis' successes and failures in life. Being a country music fan, I would truly love to one day see and hear him sing once again in concert "On the Other Hand" and "Forever and Ever, Amen."

I had vaguely heard of Randy Travis but didn't know anything about him or his music but really enjoyed this book. I found the stories of his childhood and his adult relationships with his two wives, Lib Hatcher and Mary Davis very interesting. There were some sections in the middle which felt a bit like a diary of every record he'd recorded and person he'd worked with. I'd not heard of many of these people so those sections dragged for me but I am sure would be of more interest to someone familiar with the country music scene.

Randy has been very honest about all of his life, warts and all, in this book. He really has had quite an amazing life coming from very humble beginnings in Marshville, North Carolina to being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1986 at the age of 27. When he was 17 he moved in with Liz Hatcher who was 16 years older, his manager, later wife. On one hand, she rescued him from a damaging family situation where Randy and his brother Ricky were in serious trouble with the law but, on the other hand, she was very controlling and eventually moved on to yet another younger man and a lot of Randy's money. It's all a sad situation which I hope works out well for him health wise and finance wise going into the future. The latter third of the book was quite gripping with the relationships and health issues.

The author, Ken Abraham, has done an amazing job in putting together this book written as though it were by Randy and I see many say it indeed sounds like his voice. Not knowing Randy and his story beforehand I just assumed that it was his writing until, after reading the book, I watched some recent videos of him and realised that when this was written, 7 years after his major stroke, he can barely more than a few words. Maybe this explains why there is not a lot of detail on his childhood which I felt could have given a lot more material for the book. Hopefully one day Randy will get stronger and maybe write about that, Ken Abraham is to be applauded for the research and writing with the material he did have.

With thanks to NetGalley and Nelson Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful book that fans of Randy Travis will definitely enjoy. He is one of my favorite country singers and I really learned a lot about his life from reading this.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.