"The Story of a Life with Strings Attached"
Brad Paisley is one of country music's leading men--admired as a recording artist, a performer, a songwriter, and a guitar slinger. This was not always so. In "Diary of a Player," Paisley for the first time fully retraces his entire musical and personal journey to date. And it all began with a loving grandfather who gave eight-year-old Brad Douglas Paisley a Sears Danelectro guitar--the Christmas gift that would alter Brad's life forever. In Brad's own words, we read his emotional tribute to his late great "Papaw," Warren Jarvis, who sparked his dream come true:
"When I was eight I got a gift from my grandpa. No coincidence that around that time I also got an identity. See, no matter how I have changed, learned, and evolved as a person, the guitar has been a major part of it, and really the only constant. A crutch, a shrink, a friend, love interest, parachute, flying machine, soapbox, canvas, liability, investment, jackpot, tease, a sage, a gateway, an addiction, a recovery, a temptress, a church, a voice, veil, armor, and lifeline. My grandpa knew it could be many of these things for me, but mostly he just wanted me to never be alone. He said if I learned to play, anything would be manageable, and life would be richer. You can get through some real tough moments with that guitar on your knee. When life gets intense, there are people who drink, who seek counseling, eat, or watch TV, pray, cry, sleep, and so on. I play."

Jackie O. wore them, as did John Lennon. Icons as diverse as Bruce Springsteen, Julia Roberts, Sarah Jessica Parker, wear them today. They are the timeless Frye boots! In 1863, John A. Frye opened the doors of a small shoe shop in Marlboro, Massachusetts. the shoes he made were to ease the everyday life of factory workers in that small New England town. Over a century later, the Frye Company has become the oldest continuously operating footwear brand in America. The boots Frye made weren't meant to be icons of fashion, yet somewhere along the line, they became just that. FRYE: THE BOOTS THAT MADE HISTORY is a 150-year anniversary album that celebrates the early history of the brand, its cultural takeover in the early 1970s, and the artisanal methods that make its craftsmanship unique. Frye boots are captured in all the ways they are worn: rocked out and urbanized, accessorized and envied, worked and roughed up, flaunting their inimitable style and all-American cool. This book takes the reader through the style and personality of the distinctive designs and handsome detailing of Frye's most popular products, from its tough, treasured and instantly recognizable Harness Boot to the exclusive line dedicated to the American flag debuting this fall. With the strongest leather-enough to withstand 20 lbs. of pressure-and dozens of designs, the quality of Frye has always remained the same, making the brand not just a business but a way of life.