A Guitar And A Pen, Stories By Country Music’s Greatest Songwriters

NASHVILLE (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — This unique collection presents, for the first time, the literary work of some of the best storytellers in the world: the songwriters who cut and polish tales down to sparkling three minute gems. A blend of fiction and nonfiction, humor and poignancy, these tales cover a wide range of styles and country artists.

Nashville, Music City USA, is a place where entertainment and artistic fortune are built on the bedrock of songwriters. It has been said in Nashville over and over that “It all begins with a song.” Country music’s wordsmiths have shaped and molded some of the greatest stories ever told into three and a half minutes that fit neatly on the radio. The editors of A Guitar and a Pen set out to answer the question, “If they can put all that into a song, what could and would they do with a blank piece of paper and a pen?” The answer lies in this remarkable collection of creativity and insight.

Co-edited by Robert Hicks, New York Times bestselling author of The Widow of the South, and by John Bohlinger and Justin Stelter, A Guitar and a Pen features a stunning array of talent. This collections features contributions by Charlie Daniels (“The Devil Went Down to Georgia”), Tom T. Hall (“Harper Valley P.T.A.” and “Song of the South”), Tia Sellers (“There’s Your Trouble,” “I Hope You Dance”), Gary Nicholson (“One More Last Chance,” “She Couldn’t Change Me”), Mark D. Sanders (“Daddy’s Money,” “It Matters To Me”), Bob DiPiero (“Cleopatra, Queen of Denial,” “You Can’t Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl”), Kris Kristofferson (“For The Good Times,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down”), Hal Ketchum (“Hang In There Superman,” “Sure Love”), Bobby Braddock (“He Stopped Loving Her Today”), and Janis Ian (“Society’s Child”) to name a few.

In “A Rock,” Kris Kristofferson tells the insightful and humorous story of how an explicit natural rock formation brings chaos to a small farming town out west. “He Always Knew Who He Was” reveals the true story of Bluegrass founder Bill Monroe meeting Frank Sinatra, as told by Hazel Smith. Collection editor Robert Hicks presents “Gathering Together,” a quirky contemporary story of a Southern family. This is just a handful of the wonderful contributions to this entertaining collection.

Story listings for A Guitar and a Pen: Stories by Country Music’s Greatest Songwriters

Foreword by Vince Gill

The Day Jimmy Killed the Rabbit by Tom T. Hall

Career Day by Robbie Fulks

How I Stayed a Boy by Tia Sillers

Whitey Johnson by Gary Nicholson

Cybersong by Bobby Braddock

Gathering Together by Robert Hicks

The Point by Monty Powell

Mr. Munch Has a Murmur by Mark D. Sanders

Fork by John Hadley

The Box by Kevin Welch

A Rock by Kris Kristofferson

The Care and Treatment of Camp Cooks by Bob McDill

A Big Batch of Biscuits by John Bohlinger

Shiny, Like New by Dony Wynn

The Clock Struck Nine by Hal Ketchum

Of Guitars and Righteous Men by Janis Ian

The River by Tim Putnam

Lucky Boy by Klem Hayes

Cheeseburger Boogie by Bob DiPiero

A Burning Bush Will Do by Marshall Chapman

Born and Raised in Black and White by Don Cook

He Always Knew Who He Was by Hazel Smith

Curtis Loach by Charlie Daniels

The Elk Hunters by Tim Johnson

Will It Ever Happen Again by Michael Kosser

–by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers