Country Music legend Freddy Powers, credited with introducing Dixieland Jazz into Country for the first time, is affectionately known as the 'Ol Blue Eyes' of Country Music, according to the L.A. Times, and if you were to "ask country superstars Willie Nelson, George Jones or Merle Haggard (they'll)...tell you that he's one of country music's best-kept secrets." That secret is spilled for the first time on paper in Powers' highly-entertaining and emotionally-touching page-turner "THE SPREE OF '83 - The Life and Times of Freddy Powers (with Exclusive Commentary from Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard)." Taking readers from the plains of West Texas into the Marine Core in the 40s before winding up in Arlington, TX alongside Willie Nelson as undiscovered artists in the early 50s before Freddy's career as one of Nevada's TOP performing acts exploded over the 1960s and 70s before landing in the studio with Willie Nelson to produce the Grammy-winning 1980 Over the Rainbow album. His career got even hotter in the 1980s when he joined forces with another country music superstar Merle Haggard, moving up to Lake Shasta in Northern California, where the two lived a truly rock & roll lifestyle on houseboats during the height of the roaring 80s, writing # 1 hit after # 1 hit, including "Natural High," "Let's Chase Each Other Around the Room Tonight," "I Always Get Lucky With You," among many more. After moving back to Austin, Texas onto Willie Nelson's golf course in the 1990s, Freddy hosted his own TV show, Rogers & Hammerhead, and mentored a new generation of country stars, including John Rich of Big & Rich, Pauline Reese, Mary Sarah. In the 2000s, just as Freddy was beginning to be acknowledged on a legacy level with induction in to the Texas Music Hall of Fame among many others, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. In the 2000s, just as Freddy was beginning to be acknowledged on a legacy level with induction in to the Texas Music Hall of Fame among many others, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Battling over the next decade while founding his own Foundation, Freddy became an inspiration to others suffering from the disease, staying in the spotlight front of sold-out crowds even as his condition worsened. Presently in film production, the screenplay adaptation of The Spree of '83 is as cinematic as the book, and sure to be a hit with Freddy's legions of fans!
About the Author: Award-winning Music biographer Jake Brown has written 50 published books since 2001, featuring many authorized collaborations with some of rock's biggest artists, including 2013 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Heart (with Ann and Nancy Wilson), living guitar legend Joe Satriani, blues legend Willie Dixon (authorized w/the Estate), country music legends Merle Haggard/Freddy Powers, heavy metal pioneers Motorhead (with Lemmy Kilmister), country rap superstar Big Smo, late hip hop icon Tupac Shakur (with the estate), celebrated Rock drummer Kenny Aronoff, legendary R&B/Hip Hop Producer Teddy Riley, late Funk pioneer Rick James, and Mopreme Shakur. Brown is also author of a variety of anthology series including the superstar country music anthology 'Nashville Songwriter' Vol I and II; the all-star rock producers anthology 'Behind the Boards' Vol. 1 and 2; all-star Rock & Roll drummers' anthology 'Beyond the Beats, ' and the 'Hip Hop Hits' producers' series among many others. Brown recently released the audio books BEYOND THE BEATS, DOCTORS OF RHYTHM and forthcoming SCIENTISTS OF SOUND Record Producers series and PRINCE IN THE STUDIO - The Hits 1977 - 1994 under a long-term deal with Blackstone Audio, and has also appeared as the featured biographer of record on Fuse TV's Live Through This series and Bloomberg TV's Game Changers series, in all 6-parts of the BET "The Death Row Chronicles" docu-series. His books have received national press in CBS News, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone Magazine, USA Today, MTV.com, Guitar World Magazine, Billboard, Parade Magazine, Country Weekly, Fox News, Yahoo News, etc and writes for regularly for Tape Op Magazine (including the 2015 cover story feature with Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan). In 2012, Brown won the Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards in the category of Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research.Catherine Powers is co-author and screenwriter/producer of the forthcoming biopic "THE SPREE OF '83," and late country star Freddy Powers longtime wife, creative partner and caretaker over his 15 year battle with Parkinson's Disease. Catherine co-founded and operated the Freddy Powers Parkinson's Foundation, and is to date an admired figure in the Parkinson's Disease community for her advocacy on Freddy's behalf.The Los Angeles Times affectionately referred to late, great Country Music star Freddy Powers, a "lauded songwriter" in the esteemed opinion of Rolling Stone Magazine, as the "Ol Blue Eyes' of Country Music" and wrote that if you were to "ask country superstars Willie Nelson, George Jones or Merle Haggard (they'll)...tell you that he's one of country music's best-kept secrets". The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame inductee has been to the top of the charts as both a producer for Willie Nelson's Grammy-winning LP Over the Rainbow and a songwriter for many of country music legend Merle Haggard's number one hits, including "Natural High," "Let's Chase Each Other Around the Room Tonight" and "I Always Get Lucky With You", taken to the top by both Merle Haggard and George Jones, among many others. Freddy's life story is now in production for adaptation to the silver screen, due to begin shooting in the fall of 2020.