Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream

by Scotty McCreery, Travis Thrasher

Overview

Platinum-award winning country music star Scotty Mc Creery shares his journey from North Carolina to American Idol and the top of the country music charts.

American Idol was just a simple singing competition that seemed fun to audition for. Who knew what kind of doors it might open for a sixteen-year-old from Garner, North Carolina?

Go Big or Go Home is the story of a kid with country songs in his soul. Daring to enter the limelight at a young age, Scotty found himself embraced by the nation, and even overseas, as he competed on season 10 of American Idol.

In Go Big or Go Home, Scotty shares his journey from his North Carolina roots to winning America's most popular singing competition and launching the musical career he had always dreamed of. Along the way, Scotty teaches us:

• What it means to have an uncompromising faith
• The power of dreaming big
• The importance of embracing your God-given talents

Join Scotty as he shares a glimpse of where he came from and the impact his faith, family, and friends have had on a humble guy who keeps asking, "Why me?"

Praise for Go Big or Go Home:

"Revealing, touching, and often humorous, Go Big or Go Home takes fans behind the scenes of Scotty Mc Creery's journey so far and pulls back the curtain on American Idol and the music industry while Mc Creery navigates the tricky waters of instant fame with grace, insight, and, above all, gratitude for the gifts he has been given."

—Melinda Newman, music journalist

"Being an artist takes you out of your comfort zone and thrusts you into the world. Some of what you experience you are prepared for and some of it you aren't. To quote the country music prophet Aaron Tippin, 'You've got to stand for somethin' or you'll fall for anything.' Scotty Mc Creery stands for something. You hear it in his voice. You see it in his actions. And you feel it in his songs. This book outlines the wild ride he's been on being thrust into the world."

—Josh Turner, Grammy-nominated and multiplatinum-selling MCA recording artist and bestselling author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310357704
Publisher:	Zondervan
Publication date:	01/07/2020
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	511,979
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Scotty Mc Creery burst onto the national music scene in 2011 at age 17, quickly establishing himself as one of country music’s hottest new stars. By age 21, the talented singer/songwriter has sold nearly 2.5 million albums and received both Platinum and Gold album certifications, debuted three consecutive albums at No. 1 on a Billboard chart, achieved three Platinum-certified singles and two Top Ten hits, toured with Brad Paisley, The Band Perry, and Rascal Flatts, headlined his own tours, earned industry and fan accolades, amassed more than three million followers on Facebook and Twitter, received more than 150 million You Tube views, and he’s just getting started!

Best-selling author Travis Thrasher has written more than fifty books and worked in the publishing industry for more than twenty years. He has penned fiction in a variety of genres, and his inspirational stories include collaborations with filmmakers, musicians, athletes, and pastors. Travis lives with his wife and three daughters in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Table of Contents

Prologue 15

Part 1 American Idol: The Journey Begins

Chapter 1 Just a Normal Kid 21

Chapter 2 A Little Field Trip 37

Chapter 3 The Man I Want to Be 55

Chapter 4 America's Storyteller 73

Chapter 5 Prayers, Plans, and Promises 93

Chapter 6 Hollywood and Homework 113

Part 2 Life After American Idol: The Journey Continues

Chapter 7 My Motley Crew 135

Chapter 8 Girls, Goals, Garner …and Brad 147

Chapter 9 The Greatest Gift 165

Chapter 10 The Thrill and the Joy (of Sports) 175

Chapter 11 ASAP-Always Say a Prayer 189

Chapter 12 On the Road 199

Chapter 13 Blessed to Be a Blessing 211

Chapter 14 Special Places and Lots of Faces 221

Chapter 15 Business, Balance, and Blessings 231

Chapter 16 Remembering the Moments 243

Epilogue 247

Acknowledgments 251

Scotty McCreery: Quick Facts 253

Editorial Reviews

03/14/2016
McCreery serves a pound of the 10th season of American Idol and an ounce of musical anecdotes to relay his tale of rising from obscurity to the heights of country music. McCreery was a teenage phenomenon from Garner, N.C., whose eventual achievement was based on a long road of try-outs and competitions. He brings readers along on the American Idol road trip, through many miles and venues, as he competes for the record deal offered to the winner of the hit show. After his victory, McCreery goes on to explain the subsequent six years of rising fame and growing crowds. There are factoids aplenty, but the book is thin on true insight; the chapter on recording McCreery’s Christmas album touches briefly on his relationship with God. This book will mostly appeal to American Idol and McCreery fans. Agent: Mel Berger and Margaret Riley King, William Morris Endeavor. (May)

Publishers Weekly