The two-time Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter bares her heart
and soul in this intimate memoir, a story of music, stardom, love,
family, heritage, and resilience.
She inspired songs--Leon Russell wrote "A Song for You" and "Delta Lady"
for her, Stephen Stills wrote "Cherokee." She co-wrote
songs--"Superstar" and the piano coda to "Layla," uncredited. She sang
backup for Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, and Stills, before finding fame as
a solo artist with such hits as "We're All Alone" and "(Your Love Has
Lifted Me) Higher and Higher." Following her story from Lafayette,
Tennessee to becoming one of the most sought after rock vocalists in LA
in the 1970s, Delta Lady chronicles Rita Coolidge's fascinating
journey throughout the '60s-'70s pop/rock universe.
A muse to some of the twentieth century's most influential rock
musicians, she broke hearts, and broke up bands. Her relationship with
drummer Jim Gordon took a violent turn during the legendary 1970 Mad
Dogs & Englishmen tour; David Crosby maintained that her triangle with
Stills and Graham Nash was the last straw for the group. Her volatile
six-year marriage to Kris Kristofferson yielded two Grammys, a daughter,
and one of the Baby Boom generation's epic love stories. Throughout it
all, her strength, resilience, and inner and outer beauty--along with
her strong sense of heritage and devotion to her family--helped her to
not only survive, but thrive. Co-written with best-selling author
Michael Walker, Delta Lady is a rich, deeply personal memoir that
offers a front row seat to an iconic era, and illuminates the life of an
artist whose career has helped shape modern American culture.
