Have a Little Faith The John Hiatt Story

"Have a Little Faith is not merely a fan’s notes; this is a riveting book that tells the stories of one of our greatest roots musicians and the tenacity that’s grown out of his enduring passion for music." — No Depression

A journey through an artist's quest for success, deep dive into substance abuse, family tragedy, and ultimate triumph

By the mid-1980s, singer-songwriter John Hiatt had been dropped from three record labels, burned through two marriages, and had fallen deep into substance abuse.
 
It took a stint in rehab and a new marriage to inspire him, then a producer and an A&R man to have a little faith. By February 1987, he was back in the studio on a shoestring budget with a hand-picked supergroup consisting of Ry Cooder on guitar, Nick Lowe on bass, and Jim Keltner on drums, recording what would become his masterpiece, Bring the Family.
 
Based on author Michael Elliott's multiple extensive and deeply personal interviews with Hiatt as well as his collaborators and contemporaries, including Rosanne Cash, Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder, and many others, Have a Little Faithis the journey through the musical landscape of the 1960s through today that places Hiatt’s long career in context with the glossy pop, college-alternative, mainstream country, and heartland rock of the last half-century.

Hiatt’s life both pre- and post-Family will be revealed, as well as the music loved by critics, fellow musicians, and fans alike.

Michael Elliott is a staff writer for the pioneering roots music authority No Depression. His music writing has also appeared in PopMattersand The Bitter Southerner. Elliott spent close to thirty years in radio as operations manager, music director, program director, and disc jockey in a variety of formats. He has interviewed and produced profiles on musicians as diverse as Isaac Hayes, Charlie Daniels, Delbert McClinton, Johnny Rivers, and Little Richard. He lives in Raleigh, NC. Elvis Costello has been a songwriter for fifty years, collaborating with Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach, Allen Toussaint, and The Roots. He is a two-time Grammy-winning recording artist and a member of both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His thirty-first album, Hey Clockface, has received rave reviews far and wide.

            Introduction
            Prologue: Eclipse
I          It Hasn't Happened Yet (1952–1982)   
1 Seven Little Indians
2 This Racket Down Here   
3 Drive South     
4 Sure as I’m Sittin’ Here   
5 Old Days     
6 Angry Young Man    
7 The Broken Promise Land   
II         Have a Little Faith (1983–1990)
8 Riding with the King    
9 Adios to California    
10 Bring the Family    
11 Turning Point     
12 The Rest of the Dream   
III       Loving a Hurricane (1991–1999)
13 Don’t Bug Me When I’m Working  
14 Something Wild    
15 Nashville Queens    
IV        Stumbling into the Twenty-First Century (2000–2010)
16 Crossing Muddy Waters   
17 Memphis in the Meantime   
V         Long Time Comin’ (2011–2019)
18 The Caveman Cometh   
19 Only the Song Survives   
            Epilogue: Before I Go (2020)