I got an early copy of this book though not because I m a book reviewer or anything like that No one asked me to review it I am just a rhinestone enthusiast who reads a lot It showed up on my doorstep Saturday night it s now Monday evening and I m just putting it down It was that good I loved the first season of Cocaine and Rhinestones but I had completely burned out on podcasts as a whole by the time the second season came out and didn t make it through the whole thing I was into the content just not the format so I ve been looking forward to this book since it was announced And I had high hopes for it even though every single other book by a podcaster that I ve read has been terrible Thankfully it didn t take long to see that this one was in an entirely different class than those I ve read before This book is well written clearly impeccably researched and while I might not agree with all of the subjective notions put forth on what is or isn t the best I m certainly not prepared to argue with the author on any of them because he defends his opinions exceptionally well It was funny at times very sad at others altogether very thoughtful engaging and entertaining English

Cocaine and Rhinestones: A History of George Jones and Tammy Wynette By Tyler Mahan Coe

1668015188

9781668015186

English

512

Hardcover

From the creator of the acclaimed country music history podcast Cocaine Rhinestones comes the epic American saga of country music s legendary royal couple George Jones and Tammy Wynette. By the early 1960s nearly everybody paying attention to country music agreed that George Jones was the greatest country singer of all time After taking honky tonk rockers like White Lightning all the way up the country charts he revealed himself to be an unmatched virtuoso on She Thinks I Still Care thus cementing his status as a living legend That s where the trouble started Only at this new level of fame did Jones realize he suffered from extreme stage fright His method of dealing with that involved great quantities of alcohol which his audience soon discovered as Jones often than not showed up to concerts falling down drunk or failed to show up at all But the fans always forgave him because he just kept singing so damn good Then he got married to Tammy Wynette right around the time she became one of the most famous women alive with the release of Stand by Your Man Tammy Wynette grew up believing George Jones was the greatest country singer of all time After deciding to become a country singer herself she went to Nashville got a record deal then met and married her hero With the pop crossover success of Stand by Your Man and the international political drama surrounding the song s lyrics came a gigantic audience who were sold a fairy tale image of a couple soon being called The King and Queen of Country Music Many fans still believe that fairy tale today The behind the scenes truth is very different from the images shown on album covers Illustrated throughout by singular artist Wayne White Cocaine Rhinestones is an unprecedented look at the lives of two indelible country icons reframing their careers within country music as well as modern history itself Cocaine and Rhinestones A History of George Jones and Tammy Wynette.