Deena Kaye Rose - Some Days Are Diamonds

2016, Deena Kaye Rose, English,

Full title: "Some Days Are Diamonds: The Trans. Journey of Nashville Songwriter Dick Feller" by Deena Kaye Rose.

Deena Kaye Rose’s autobiography Some Days Are Diamonds: The Trans. Journey of Nashville Songwriter Dick Feller is not only a chronicle of an extraordinary career in music but also a deeply personal account of self-discovery, struggle, and triumph. The book tells the story of one of Nashville’s most successful songwriters, once known as Dick Feller, who penned timeless hits like East Bound and Down for the Burt Reynolds film Smokey and the Bandit and Any Old Wind That Blows for Johnny Cash. Yet behind the acclaim, the publishing deals, and the packed halls of country music, there lived a person wrestling with gender identity, carrying a truth that could not remain hidden forever.

 

What makes this memoir remarkable is the candor with which Rose narrates her transition from Dick Feller, the well-known male songwriter, into Deena Kaye Rose, the woman she had always been. She writes with unflinching honesty about the years of confusion, fear, and hesitation that preceded her decision, as well as the peace and joy that came once she embraced her authentic self. Her voice is not one of bitterness or regret but of courage and humor, offering readers a glimpse into the human side of a journey that is too often reduced to headlines or stereotypes.

 

The book spans decades of creativity and perseverance. Rose recalls her early days in Nashville, where she arrived with little more than determination and a dream, eventually seeing her songs recorded by stars like Cash, Jerry Reed, and John Denver. She became known for her sharp wit, musical ear, and lyrical depth, producing hundreds of songs that reached audiences around the world. Yet, even in moments of success, there was an undercurrent of longing, a quiet awareness that something essential was unresolved. While writing hits under the name Dick Feller, she was also seeking knowledge and self-understanding, drawn to the complicated and often misunderstood reality of being transgender. The title Some Days Are Diamonds carries special weight. Borrowed from one of her songs made famous by John Denver, the phrase encapsulates the duality of her life: moments of brilliance and success, counterbalanced by days of struggle and uncertainty.

 

In the book, she reframes the song’s original lyric as a reflection of her trans experience, describing the disconnect of seeing a male face in the mirror that felt more and more like a stranger. By doing so, she reclaims her art and reshapes it through the lens of truth, showing how creativity can evolve alongside identity. Rose’s journey is not only about music but also about resilience. She recounts leaving Nashville with her belongings packed in her car, just as she had arrived decades earlier, only this time driving away as her true self. Her reflections on selling instruments, giving away old clothes, and shedding the remnants of her past are as poignant as any lyric she has ever written. What emerges is a portrait of a woman who found happiness not in external validation but in the simple joy of looking in the mirror and seeing herself at last.

 

In 2016, she spoke at length about her journey in an interview for The Heroines of My Life, where she reflected on her career, her transition, and her hopes for the future. She described her artistic life as being fueled by an unstoppable creative spirit, whether through writing songs, painting, or embracing womanhood. She shared candid memories of Johnny Cash calling her out of the blue to praise her songs, her admiration for fellow transgender artists like Jennifer Leitham and Laura Jane Grace, and her belief that one day being trans would not overshadow the quality of a person’s work. Perhaps most moving were her reflections on transition itself: that the worst day as Deena was still better than the best day before, and that authenticity, no matter how late in life, is always worth pursuing. 

 

Some Days Are Diamonds is more than a music memoir. It is a testimony to the human spirit’s capacity for reinvention and courage. For readers familiar with Nashville’s golden age of songwriting, it offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at an industry shaped by extraordinary talents. For those seeking to understand the transgender experience, it is a book of compassion, humor, and lived truth. Rose’s words remind us that even a person who gave the world rollicking country anthems like East Bound and Down was not immune to the quiet struggle of identity, and that embracing one’s true self can lead to a life richer than any chart-topping success. Deena Kaye Rose continues to write music and stories from her perspective as a transgender woman, proving that creativity only deepens when it is paired with authenticity. Her story is unique, but the message resonates universally: that happiness lies in living honestly, that art flourishes when freed from secrecy, and that every journey, no matter how winding, can end in diamonds.

Available via Amazon

and The Heroines of My Life

 

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