MAYBE WE’LL MAKE IT

A Grammy-nominated musician chronicles her long struggle to make it as a musician while refusing to sacrifice her artistic integrity.

“I picked up the shattered pieces and started again,” writes Price (b. 1983) after chronicling yet another moment of crushing defeat on her journey to a successful career. This determination to persevere after a major setback—whether it was another blow from her struggle against addiction or a disappointing run-in with an industry insider—is a recurring theme in this engaging and beautifully narrated quest for personal fulfillment and musical recognition. The author takes us from her humble beginnings in Aledo, Illinois (pop. 3,600), to the stage of Saturday Night Live and details all of the gigs, concerts, campfire jam sessions, dive-bar escapades, love affairs, struggles with alcohol and drugs, grief, and heartache in between. Through all the highs and lows, Price has remained loyal to her craft, refusing to compromise her artistry despite industry pressure to conform. Like many great artists, she is able to transform her most challenging experiences into art, and she grants readers deep insight into the stories behind some of her most powerful songs. This is a fast-paced tale in which music and love always take center stage. In Price’s world, her talent takes precedence over commercial success, and people are far more important than material possessions. “Looking back, there was a romanticism in knowing that we might be failures but we were talented failures in a business that championed mediocrity,” writes the author. “Even in the lonely shadows of the burning spotlight, beyond the endless roads to the sprawling cities and trash towns, between the empty gas tank and the underattended gigs, we were spreading the true gospel of meaning­ful music and the lost art of poetry and songs. We would not sell out.” A truly gifted musician, Price writes about her journey with refreshing candor.

A brutally honest and at times heart-wrenching account of one musician's struggle to make it in a challenging industry.