By the Seat of My Pants: My Life in Country Music

Writing with freelancer Carter, Killen, the force behind Tree Records, presents a lackluster autobiography which traces the country music scene from the early 1950s into the '90s. Most of the elements that would make this an interesting book are here: a rags-to-riches story peppered with names, as well as divorces, drugs and dirty deals. Killen has enjoyed varying degrees of success as a performer, songwriter, producer and promoter. Most notable among his achievements are his publishing of ``Heartbreak Hotel'' and his ``discoveries'' of Dottie West and Dolly Parton. Unfortunately, Killen and Carter couch all this in a grating good ol' boy style. Only when Killen is describing his stormy, creative association with Joe Tex (``He simply lived himself to death'') does the book emerge from the mundane. Photos not seen by PW. (June)