My Side Of Life

PREFACE  

By Hank Thompson

  Over the past several years people have asked me, “When is your biography coming out?”  I never thought the time was ripe until about three years ago when Warren Kice told me he would be interested in doing it.

        I readily accepted Warren’s offer since he’s been a fan and a friend of mine for over fifty years and knows my music as well as anyone.  Although Warren made it clear that he had never before written a book, I had observed his writing ability first hand when, as a lawyer, he represented me in several legal matters.  With this knowledge, I was confident that he could make the transition from lawyer to biographer.

One thing we agreed on at the outset was that we didn’t want to simply do a “textbook” biography, replete with facts, but with little style or humor.  One of the reasons for this was that several very humorous events transpired over the course of my career that I have enjoyed relating to fans and friends, and we both very much wanted to feature them in the book.

Warren and I met once or twice a month for over two years for taping sessions in which I outlined my entire career starting from age five.  In each of the sessions I would sprinkle in one of the humorous events that left us both howling with laughter.

        Warren went to work on the book and transcribed the tapes, researched my music, and interviewed several people that were very important in my life and my career.  

The results speak for themselves.  When I read his first draft I realized that he had exceeded my highest expectations.  The book is very reader–friendly, yet it accurately and completely captures the history of my career.  In fact, when I read it, it brought back many pleasant memories–especially with respect to the music–that I had simply forgotten. 

Just as important, Warren also captured the humor and frivolity of the humorous events mentioned above, including many colorful adventures of The Brazos Valley Boys.  I should add that, in those days, most of  The Brazos Valley Boys were good-looking, young, single and/or between steady girlfriends and marriages.  Therefore it was natural for them to pursue friendships with the opposite sex, and vice versa.  And it’s a good thing that it was this way–otherwise our human race would fade into obscurity, like the age of the dinosaurs.

I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as Warren and I enjoyed putting it together.

        Have a good time.

        Hank

        October, 2007