I realized I was writing about getting sober, about coming alive, about claiming myself and uncovering these gifts that had been obscured by both outside and internal forces, about this veil of confusion and dysfunction and addiction being peeled away, bit by bit. Shawn Colvin had found her voice. From age ten, Shawn Colvin was determined to make a life in music-a decision that influenced every choice she would make. In 1997, two decades after she started, she got her big break. Like the troubled would-be arsonist and survivor of her smash hit "Sunny Came Home", Colvin knows a thing or two about heartache - and setting fires. "Diamond in the Rough" recounts this passionate young musician's coming - of - age from prairie small-town South Dakota to bar sets in Austin and New York City to the world stage at the Grammys. "Diamond in the Rough" captures her years touring cross-country in vans full of boys, falling in and out of love; making music of all genres with lifelong friends; meeting heroes like Joni Mitchell; becoming addicted and staying sober, weathering divorce and raising a daughter-and learning to channel those experiences into song. Through its pages, we witness the maturation of a woman finding her voice, and learning to care for a child as well as herself. With the rich lyricism, wit, frankness, and deep empathy that have characterized her songs and inspired audiences worldwide, Colvin's memoir looks back over a rich lifetime of highs and lows with stunning insight and candor.

About the Author
Shawn Colvin is a singer-songwriter and musician. She began performing in bands in the late 1970s, and after years of polishing her skills in Austin, Texas, and the New York folk scene, Colvin released her debut album Steady On in 1989, earning a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Her breakthrough success was the album A Few Small Repairs in 1996, featuring the song "Sunny Came Home," a top-ten hit that won Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Colvin has released ten albums, won three Grammy Awards, and been nominated for seven others.

Reviews
"[Colvin is] a gifted conversational writer with a wicked and unabashedly goofy sense of humor ... Her buoyant spirit fairly leaps off the stage, and her self-deprecating wit is as keen and quirky in recalling her brief brush with superstardom as it is applied to an ill-fated relationship." -- USA Today "Colvin's fans will devour her behind-the-scenes stories; single mothers will relate to her struggle to do right by her child. And those who have suffered depression -- or loved someone who has -- will find much to inspire in this compelling redemption story." -- People "Charming ... Colvin chronicles an impressive array of accompanists and backup, two husbands, and myriad awards such as her gold record with the 1997 hit "Sunny Came Home," all while maintaining a low-key, sweet humility that is truly endearing." -- Publishers Weekly "Dspite the many personal disasters that have beset Colvin, DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH is no misery-fest. It's with an impressive absence of self-pity and a dry, unassuming style that she teases humour out of the most unpalatable episodes ... Absorbing." -- The Independent on Sunday "Engaging ...The many admirers of Colvin's music will appreciate this honest memoir." -- Booklist



Book Information
ISBN 9780061759598
Author Shawn Colvin
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint William Morrow
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Weight(grams) 384g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 147mm * 22mm