“THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF COUNTRY MUSIC’S GREATEST INTERNATIONAL AMBASSADORS” This book is about two Florida cowboys who journeyed from country poverty to worldwide musical stardom because they had the talent and because it never occurred to them they couldn’t make it happen. It is written in their own words. Charming troublemakers, these two cowboys, but they had three things going for them that almost guaranteed their success in life, if not in music: 1. They came from a hard-working, close-knit family that believed in them and never failed them. 2. The two brothers, for brothers they are, had contrasting personalities and talents that complemented each other. Unlike many other show-business duos, these boys were close when they were young, stayed close throughout their rise to stardom, and remain close today. 3. They had the toughness and stamina to fight for their career in a music industry that is programmed to grind up artists like so much street garbage. The constant succession of defeats and victories they experienced were not exceptional for recording artists. It was the way these brothers fought and outlasted their tormentors that made them different. The Bellamy Brothers have been delivering great music for a long time, and they continue to project the joy, energy, harmonies, and lyrical insights that have gained them an international following spanning six continents and numerous islands. That is not an exaggeration. In addition to their nationwide popularity at home, they have performed in more than seventy countries, usually repeatedly. Forty years after they made the whole world smile with “Let Your Love Flow,” fans anxiously await their next appearances in Germany, the U.K., Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Dubai, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and so many more places where they have left great memories of their music. They typically play 135–150 dates a year, foreign and domestic, to satisfy the demands of their fans. Homer Howard Bellamy, Jr. is the older of the two, and it would be easy to call him the steadying influence were it not for the fact that when he got into trouble, which happened often enough in his earlier years, there was usually the devil to pay. Let’s just say that Howard, as everybody calls him, is a mellow fellow (until you stir him up) who never felt he had a calling to fame and fortune and spent much of his youth in a low-key search for a future he could take or leave. The younger brother, David Milton Bellamy, is a different sort. While still in high school he made up his mind that his future would be music. He says it’s because he couldn’t do anything else. This story is a great story to tell. Turn the page. They’re ready to meet you.
