Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting

From the Grammy-nominated folk singer and songwriter, ＂a treatise on making art.＂ (Bust)

Mary Gauthier was twelve years old when she was given her Aunt Jenny’s old guitar and taught herself to play with a Mel Bay basic guitar workbook. Songs became lifelines to her, and she longed to write her own one day.

Then, for a decade, while struggling with addiction, Gauthier put her dream away. Not until she got sober and went to an open mic with a friend did she realize that she not only still wanted to write songs, she needed to. Today, Gauthier is a decorated musical artist, with numerous awards and recognition for her songwriting, including a Grammy nomination.

In Saved by a Song, Gauthier pulls the curtain back on the artistry of songwriting. Part memoir, part philosophy of art, part nuts and bolts of songwriting, her book celebrates the redemptive power of song to inspire and bring seemingly different kinds of people together.

The Associated Press named MARY GAUTHIER one of the best songwriters of her generation. Her most recent release, Rifles & Rosary Beads, was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Folk Album, and Record of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Her songs have been recorded by dozens of artists, including Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Bettye Lavette, Kathy Mattea, Amy Helm and Candi Staton. Saved by a Song is her first book. She lives in Nashville.