What kind of band cancels everything — sold-out venues, Billboard chart success, a fiercely loyal fan base — and walks away indefinitely? The Turnpike Troubadours, the fiercely independent country band that built an empire without a major label, pulled the emergency brake at the peak of their success to save frontman Evan Felker's life.

From a rushed debut album pressed just to have something to sell at the merch table to chart-topping records released on their own terms, the Troubadours proved a band could win without Nashville's machine. But independence means carrying every liability yourself — and their story asks how much great art is lost when artists can't step off the runaway train.

• Canceled shows and refunded tickets at their commercial peak to save Evan Felker's life

• Recorded debut album Bossier City as a ru ...