Journalist Sam Kindrick was “present at the creation” of Outlaw Country and, perhaps, as intimately involved as the artists themselves. The longtime newspaper reporter and columnist is probably best known as the founder of
Action Magazine
in 1975, the principal vehicle for his wild and wooly chronicles of the music movement spawned by Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Kris Kristofferson, David Allan Coe, and others.
Born into a religious household in Junction, Texas, Kindrick matriculated at (then) Southwest Texas State College in San Marcos and began his journalistic career at the
Bay City News
,
Kerrville Times
, and
San Angelo Standard-Times
before being hired by the
San Antonio Express-News
in 1960, where he remained until 1975. Forging close ties with Nelson and other progenitors of the “outlaw” sound, Kindrick adopted their “redneck rock” attitude and lifestyle, which may partly explain why he was forced, for a period of time, to operate
from the confines of Bexar County Jail.
In this no-holds-barred recounting of a colorful and eventful life, Sam Kindrick takes readers inside the world of the artists who were reshaping country-western music. He also shines an unflinching light on the hard-living ways that led to some of his darker moments.
Outlaw Country Reporter: Misfits, Madams, and Hangin’ with Willie
offers an unvarnished and supremely entertaining account of the early days of a vital moment in American music.