Cocaine & Rhinestones: The History of Country Music artwork

Cocaine & Rhinestones: The History of Country Music

49 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 7.9K ratings

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Episodes

ANNOUNCEMENT: Book Adaptation of Season 2

February 19, 2024 17:06 - 56 seconds - 1.32 MB

Season 2 has been adapted into a book from Simon & Schuster, available now

CR032/PH18 - Glenn

February 15, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 88.9 MB

The end of one story is just the beginning of another.

CR031/PH17 - Choices: George Jones' Last Run

February 01, 2022 09:00 - 2 hours - 151 MB

At least this whole story has a happy ending, right? Of course, whether or not that's true depends a lot on your personal definitions of both "happy ending" and "whole story" but, either way, today we reach the final chapter of George Jones' life. Don't worry, it'll all be over soon.

CR030/PH16 - Another Lonely Song: The Tammy Wynette & George Richey Story

January 18, 2022 09:00 - 2 hours - 128 MB

Oh, you thought Jones had a hard time dealing with George Richey? Imagine being married to the guy. Today we say one of the saddest and most infuriating goodbyes we'll ever have to say, the one we say to Tammy Wynette.

CR029/PH15 - Hell Stays Open All Night Long: George Jones, Phase III

January 04, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 97.9 MB

Oh, you're back to hear more things that will chill you to the bone? Then we can talk about what George Jones' life was like in the period leading up to and through the biggest hit of his career. If you've ever wondered what it's like to be afraid of a demonic duck or try murdering your best friend to test the existence of God, well, these are questions only George Jones can answer but just asking them makes for one jaw-dropping and heartbreaking story.

CR028/PH14 - Divorce/Death: He Stopped Loving Her Today, The Grand Tour & A Good Year for the Roses

December 21, 2021 09:00 - 2 hours - 124 MB

It's a known fact that "He Stopped Loving Her Today" is the best and saddest country song of all time. But... is it?

CR027/PH13 - Billy Sherrill's Nashville Sound

December 07, 2021 09:00 - 2 hours - 153 MB

What if the first serious opinions that millions of rock music fans formed about country music were based on a few massive errors which then got passed down to future generations? How long do you think it would take for society to build a fundamentally flawed history of an entire genre on top of such a foundation? Fifty years? Well, that's exactly what happened. Billy Sherrill's name means nothing to many country music fans. Some recognize it from the album credits of a few of their favorit...

CR026/PH12 - Loved It Away: Tammy Wynette, On Her Own

November 23, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 87.8 MB

Following her breakup with George Jones, many people had many questions for Tammy Wynette. Well, they had questions for George, too, but he was a little harder to get in touch with, trying to drink himself onto a separate plane of reality from his conscious mind and all. So the questions went to Tammy. And she had answers. Then more answers. And more... And more. It's never been easy for ladies in country music. Here's how it became for The First Lady.

CR025/PH11 - Being Together: The George Jones & Tammy Wynette Story

November 09, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 102 MB

Though they were married to each other for little more than five years, the legacies of George Jones and Tammy Wynette are forever inseparable. This is partly due to their unprecedented success with creating music "based on the true story" of a romance between two artists, to such a degree that decades later there are still millions of fans who believe George and Tammy never stopped being in love with each other. If it's difficult to say where the line is between art and artist, public and p...

CR024/PH10 - Stand by Your Man: The Anti-Feminist Manifesto

October 26, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 106 MB

Tammy Wynette's "Stand by Your Man" is one of the most well-known recordings in the English language. It was also a plastic explosive detonated at a sea change moment in United States politics and culture. Look around. We're still picking up the pieces.

CR023/PH09 - Loneliness Surrounds: Virginia Wynette Pugh

August 10, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 95.1 MB

Country music is full of rags-to-riches stories, like the one about how Virginia Wynette Pugh became Tammy Wynette. In a way, it's true. Even after becoming the most successful woman country singer at that point in history, the life she lived was hard and painful. But if you want to know what actually happened in that life then she's the last person you should ask.

CR022/PH08 - Dallas Frazier: Can't Get There From Here

July 27, 2021 08:00 - 2 hours - 111 MB

Some of the best songs you've ever heard were written by Dallas Frazier. Don't recognize the name? Don't worry. You'll remember it forever after this episode, especially those of you who love Charley Pride, Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, Connie Smith, Charlie Rich, George Jones, The Oak Ridge Boys, Emmylou Harris, Gene Watson, Tanya Tucker, Bobby Bare, Stoney Edwards, The Beach Boys, Tom Jones, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson... You get the point. Here's the story.

CR021/PH07 - Pappy Daily, Gene Pitney and How George Jones Came to Be on Musicor

July 13, 2021 08:00 - 2 hours - 125 MB

This whole story began with a pinball machine and jukebox mogul in Texas jumping over to the independent record business of the 1950s. When he hitched his wagon to a Singing Marine who became the Greatest Country Singer Ever, it served Pappy Daily well through the following decade. Then, out of nowhere, the ride suddenly ended. "What went wrong?" is the obvious question to ask, here, but it's not the right one. We need to talk about who went wrong. The answer nearly everyone's accepted for g...

CR020/PH06 - All to Pieces: George Jones, Phase II

June 29, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 93.1 MB

In the early 1960s, George Jones had a huge hit record featuring such a phenomenal vocal performance it instantly turned him into a living legend. He didn't handle it well.

CR019/PH05 - Wandering Soul: George Jones, Starday Recording Artist

June 15, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 82.5 MB

There are some personalities who would embrace being called The Greatest Country Singer Ever or, at least, settle into the role once it became clear the brand was eternal. George Jones did not have one of those personalities. The fame and fortune generated by his talent made him want to run away, so he spent decades running... toward something even worse than what he was trying to escape. Was there ever a chance of this story playing out any differently? Probably not, no. But what in the he...

CR018/PH04 - White Lightning

June 01, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 92.3 MB

In North Carolina, way back in the hills, there's a centuries-old tradition of cooking illegal liquor. Whether you feel that's right or wrong, good or bad, may be determined by any number of factors but the objective truth is moonshine whiskey greatly impacted the course of United States culture on several occasions. Ever wonder why so many people will never trust the government or politicians? Press play. Ever wonder if the "moonshine" you can now buy in liquor stores is really moonshine? P...

CR017/PH03 - The Nashville A Team

May 18, 2021 08:00 - 2 hours - 129 MB

Now that we've established Owen Bradley as the single most important producer in the history of Nashville, let's take it further and acknowledge he's one of the most important figures in the history of all recorded music, even if for no other reason than assembling the first group of musicians to become known as the Nashville A-Team. Were we to erase their work from existence, every book about pop, rock or country music in the second half of the 20th century would need to be entirely rewritt...

CR016/PH02 – Owen Bradley's Nashville Sound

May 04, 2021 08:00 - 2 hours - 126 MB

What if the first serious books about country music contained a few massive errors which were then repeated by nearly everyone who's since used those books as a source? How long do you think it would take for society to build a fundamentally flawed history of an entire genre on top of such a foundation? Fifty years? Well, that's exactly what happened... Owen Bradley's name means nothing to many country music fans. Some recognize it from the album credits of a few of their favorite country a...

CR015/PH01 - Starday Records: The Anti-Nashville Sound

April 20, 2021 08:00 - 2 hours - 122 MB

The story of a little independent record label in Texas becoming "a force" in the Nashville country music industry brings an outsider's perspective to the anatomy of a machine. Going from backwoods honky tonks and roadhouse jukeboxes to stretch limos and private planes takes a lot of crooked deals and shameless hustle. When confronted by a powerful enemy, you'll do whatever it takes to survive the rock and roll. When the whole world acquires a taste for your strain of Kentucky bluegrass, you...

Season 2 Announcement

April 07, 2021 00:45 - 2 minutes - 2.86 MB

Cocaine & Rhinestones Season 2 begins on April 20th.

BONUS: Cocaine & Rhinestones Season 1 Q&A

February 06, 2018 06:01 - 1 hour - 76.2 MB

You might think, "How could anyone finish a season of a podcast like Cocaine & Rhinestones and have questions? That guy saturates every episode with details like he's getting paid by the fact." There's always more to know. Like, how does one even go about making a podcast on such a huge subject as the history of country music? Whose "fault" is pop country, really? Is this Merle Haggard song communist? Is that Merle Haggard song racist? There had to be more men banned from country radio, right...

Ralph Mooney: The Sound of Country Music

January 23, 2018 06:01 - 1 hour - 78.4 MB

Ralph Mooney is one of the most important individuals in the history of country music. A legendary pedal steel guitarist, he deserves the reputation he earned on his instrument. However, he deserves a lot more than that. Moon played a major role in upgrading the sound of the entire genre on no less than three separate occasions. This episode of the podcast backtracks to Bakersfield for a deeper examination of its "sound," a closer look at some people responsible for it and the story of a man...

CR014 - Ralph Mooney: The Sound of Country Music

January 23, 2018 06:01 - 1 hour - 78.4 MB

The legendary pedal steel guitarist, Ralph Mooney, deserves the reputation he earned on his instrument. However, he deserves a lot more than that. This episode of the podcast backtracks to Bakersfield for a deeper examination of its "sound," a closer look at some people responsible for it and the story of a man whose story isn't told nearly often enough. It would be unacceptable to end the first season of a podcast on the history of country music without dedicating an episode to Ralph Mooney....

CR013 - Rusty & Doug Kershaw: The Cajun Way

January 16, 2018 06:01 - 2 hours - 111 MB

Rusty & Doug come from a long tradition of surviving against the odds, against a world that would just as soon see you dead as see you succeed. Starting from nothing but a houseboat in Louisiana, they fought their way through an unscrupulous industry, through honky tonk stages screened off with chicken wire, onto the biggest stages in the business, in order to create some of the greatest music ever made. Then, they battled themselves, their past and their addictions. This episode is recommend...

Rusty & Doug Kershaw: The Cajun Way

January 16, 2018 06:01 - 2 hours - 111 MB

Doug Kershaw is the most famous Cajun musician in history. His brother, Rusty, is not, though you may be more familiar with his work than you realize.  These brothers come from a long tradition of surviving against the odds, against a world that would just as soon see you dead as see you succeed. Starting from nothing but a houseboat in Louisiana, they fought their way through an unscrupulous industry, through honky tonk stages screened off with chicken wire, onto the biggest stages in the b...

Wynonna

January 09, 2018 06:01 - 1 hour - 107 MB

Some people think we have all these "authenticity tests" in country music. We don't. There's only one test. Wynonna passed it. Then, everyone thought she'd cheated. The answers lie somewhere in her past... From somehow surviving a childhood full of several types of abuse to a years-long reign over country music radio with her mother in The Judds, this path was not easy to travel and the end of it is only the beginning of another, much more treacherous road. Forget everything you think you re...

CR012 - Wynonna

January 09, 2018 06:01 - 1 hour - 107 MB

Some people think we have all these "authenticity tests" in country music. We don't. But, even if we did, Wynonna would pass them. From somehow surviving a childhood full of several types of abuse to a years-long reign over country music radio with her mother in The Judds, this path was not easy to travel and the end of it is only the beginning of another, much more treacherous road. This episode is recommended for fans of: Harlan Howard, Merle Haggard, Charley Pride, Asleep at the Wheel, Ash...

CR011 - Don Rich & Buck Owens, Part 2: Together Again

January 02, 2018 06:01 - 2 hours - 112 MB

Words often fail to express the connection that can exist between two people. In the friendship of Don Rich and Buck Owens, our notions of reality itself may prove inadequate. With spacetime as our stage, we trip backwards for more tour shenanigans, supernatural mysteries and, as always, great music. Our narrative pays special attention to the Carnegie Hall Concert album, what Hee Haw did for country music on television and innovations that Don Rich and Buck Owens brought to country music. Bu...

Don Rich & Buck Owens, Part 2: Together Again

January 02, 2018 06:01 - 1 hour - 109 MB

Words often fail to express the connection that can exist between two people. In the friendship of Don Rich and Buck Owens, our notions of reality itself may prove inadequate. In another life, Don Rich may have been a star in his own right. In this life, he shared Buck Owens' spotlight. Last week, we heard how they got there. This week, with spacetime as our stage, we trip backwards for more tour shenanigans, supernatural mysteries and, as always, great music. Our narrative pays special atte...

Buck Owens & Don Rich, Part 1: Open Up Your Heart

December 26, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 83.8 MB

Buck Owens is an inkblot test. Ask 20 different people, get 20 different Bucks. Whatever else is true (and some of it certainly is), today we're talking about the one who brought real country music to the world in a time when we desperately needed someone to do that. Sticking to that real deal honky tonk sound from Bakersfield made him a very famous man. Shrewd business practices made him a very rich man. Both of these things made him more than a few enemies. However, all you need to take on...

CR010 - Buck Owens & Don Rich, Part 1: Open Up Your Heart

December 26, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 83.9 MB

Whatever else is true about Buck Owens (and some of it certainly is), he brought hard country music to the world in a time when we desperately needed someone to do that. Sticking to that honky tonk sound from Bakersfield made him a very famous man. Shrewd business practices made him a very rich man. Both of these things made him more than a few enemies. However, all you need to take on the whole world is one true friend and Buck Owens had that friend in Don Rich, his guitarist and right-hand...

CR009 - Harper Valley PTA, Part 3: Tom T. Hall

December 19, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 85.5 MB

Behind any story worth telling, you'll always find another story. Maybe if we can get behind some of Tom T. Hall's best stories, we'll find the story about who he is and how he's able to do what he can do with the English language. Probably not but, worst case scenario, it will be an incredibly entertaining waste of time. Beginning with a condensed history of country music radio, we follow Tom T. from his early days as a young DJ into a seemingly effortless realization of his destiny to becom...

Harper Valley PTA, Part 3: Tom T. Hall

December 19, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 84.6 MB

They call him The Storyteller because he distills life into words. Behind any story worth telling, you'll always find another story. Maybe if we can get behind some of his best stories, we can reverse engineer the alchemy of Tom T. Hall. Maybe we'll find the story about who he is and how he's able to do what he can do with the English language... Probably not but, worst case scenario, it will be an incredibly entertaining waste of time. Beginning with a condensed history of country music rad...

CR008 - Harper Valley PTA, Part 2: Jeannie C. Riley

December 12, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 68.9 MB

Jeannie C. Riley's debut single sold over a million copies within ten days of being released but she never wanted to record the song. In the late '60s, Jeannie C. Riley became country music's most blatant sex symbol to date but she never wanted to wear those clothes. Small town girl with big dreams goes to the city and lets it break her in order to make her. Total cliche, right? Sure. Except Jeannie's choice to bury the story in lie after lie turns it into a mystery tale of obscured identity,...

Harper Valley PTA, Part 2: Jeannie C. Riley

December 12, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 68.8 MB

Jeannie C. Riley's debut single sold over a million copies within ten days of being released but she never wanted to record the song. She's often considered a one-hit wonder. We can easily disprove that. In the late '60s, Jeannie C. Riley became country music's most blatant sex symbol to date but she never wanted to wear those clothes. Small town girl with big dreams goes to the city and lets it break her in order to make her. Total cliche, right? Sure. Except Jeannie's choice to bury the ...

CR007 - Harper Valley PTA, Part 1: Shelby S. Singleton

December 05, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 65.4 MB

You think all it takes to make a hit record is to find a good song and get a good performance of it? That's cute. Have a seat and let an old-school record man show you how it's done. This is Shelby Singleton. When it took driving a trunk full of records around the country to make them into hits, that's what he did. Then he became a producer. Then he became a VP at Mercury Records. Then he founded an independent musical empire in Nashville and really got to work making new enemies. This episod...

Harper Valley PTA, Part 1: Shelby S. Singleton

December 05, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 65.1 MB

Two words to sum up the career of Shelby Singleton? Publicity stunt. You think all it takes to make a hit record is to find a good song and get a good performance of it? That's cute. Have a seat and let an old-school record man show you how it's done. This is Shelby Singleton. When it took driving a trunk full of records around the country to make them into hits, that's what he did. Then he became a producer. Then he became a VP at Mercury Records. Then he founded an independent musical e...

CR006 - The Louvin Brothers: Running Wild

November 28, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 90 MB

The way Charlie and Ira Louvin could sing together is downright otherworldly. There's even a special term we had to invent for family (it's always/only family) who can sing this way: blood harmony. This episode delves in to exactly what blood harmony is and how the magic of it can't save you from beating the living hell out of each other at every opportunity. Here is the story of two dirt-poor brothers who fought for fifteen years to achieve their lifelong dream and what happened after that. ...

The Louvin Brothers: Running Wild

November 28, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 89.1 MB

The Louvin Brothers are widely regarded as the most influential harmony duo to ever cut a country song. The way Charlie and Ira could sing together is downright otherworldly. There's even a special term we had to invent for family (it's always/only family) who can sing this way: blood harmony. That being said, it's possible we've never heard what they could really do. By the way, do you believe in evil? This episode delves in to exactly what blood harmony is and how the magic of it can't sa...

CR005 - Breaking Down Merle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee"

November 21, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 60 MB

The song was just what so many Americans needed at the time, in 1969. Conservatives needed someone to stand up and defend small town, traditional values. Politicians needed someone to justify America's continuing involvement in the Vietnam War. Oklahomans needed someone to redeem the meaning of the word "okie," a hateful slur that arose from The Great Depression. The only thing is, Merle Haggard wasn't doing any of those things when he wrote the song. Then what the exact hell was he doing, yo...

Breaking Down Merle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee"

November 21, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 59.1 MB

The song was just what so many Americans needed at the time, in 1969. Conservatives needed someone to stand up and defend small town, traditional values. Politicians needed someone to justify America's continuing involvement in the Vietnam War. Oklahomans needed someone to redeem the meaning of the word "okie," a hateful slur that arose from The Great Depression. The only thing is, Merle Haggard wasn't doing any of those things when he wrote the song. Then what the exact hell was he doing, ...

CR004 - Bobbie Gentry: Exit Stage Left

November 14, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 95.8 MB

In 1967, Bobbie Gentry's recording of a song she wrote, called "Ode to Billie Joe," directly influenced the future of every major musical genre in America. In the early '80s, she disappeared. What happened in the decade between? Why did Bobbie Gentry vanish? Who was she, even? Since we can't ask Bobbie for answers, these are mysteries we either have to learn to live with or try to solve for ourselves. This episode of Cocaine & Rhinestones examines every little thing we know about Bobbie Gentr...

Bobbie Gentry: Exit Stage Left

November 14, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 95.8 MB

In 1967, Bobbie Gentry's recording of a song she wrote, called "Ode to Billie Joe," directly influenced the future of every major musical genre in America. In the early '80s, she disappeared. What happened in the decade between? Why did Bobbie Gentry vanish? Who was she, even? Since we can't ask Bobbie for answers, these are mysteries we either have to learn to live with or try to solve for ourselves. People you'll hear about in this episode: Glen Campbell, Elvis Presley, Jim Stafford, N...

CR003 - The Murder Ballad of Spade Cooley

November 07, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 82.9 MB

Spade Cooley came to California in the early 1930s, as poor as everyone else who did the exact same thing at the exact same time. Only, Spade became a millionaire. And all he needed to accomplish that was a fiddle, a smile and a strong work ethic. If it sounds like the American Dream, stick around to hear how it became an American nightmare of substance abuse, mental illness and, eventually, sadistic torture and murder. If this episode doesn't screw you up, you're already screwed up. Recommen...

The Murder Ballad of Spade Cooley

November 07, 2017 06:01 - 1 hour - 55.2 MB

Spade Cooley came to California in the early 1930s, as poor as everyone else who did the exact same thing at the exact same time. Only, Spade became a millionaire. And all he needed to accomplish that was a fiddle, a smile and a strong work ethic. If it sounds like the American Dream, stick around to hear how it became an American nightmare of substance abuse, mental illness and, eventually, sadistic torture and murder. If this episode doesn't screw you up, you're already screwed up. Recomm...

CR002 - The Pill: Why Was Loretta Lynn Banned?

October 31, 2017 05:01 - 52 minutes - 48.1 MB

This episode of Cocaine & Rhinestones briefly examines the history of contraceptive laws in America (Trigger Warning: abortion is discussed) before moving on to uncover the staggering inequality of morality applied to women in country music versus that applied to men in country music. Tyler Mahan Coe takes you on a deep dive of songs banned from radio in the United States, outlining a strong case against the country music establishment's lopsided attitude toward its artists based on their gen...

The Pill: Why Was Loretta Lynn Banned?

October 31, 2017 05:01 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MB

Maybe you already know Loretta Lynn's 1975 song about birth control, "The Pill," was banned from radio upon release. But do you know why? The real answer is not what many would assume.  Recommended if you like: Kitty Wells, Webb Pierce, Jimmie Rodgers, Dixie Chicks, Conway Twitty, KT Oslin, Garth Brooks, Sunday Sharpe, Lorene Mann, Jeannie C. Riley, Hank Thompson and feminism. Also recommended if you don't like: Barbra Streisand. Source

CR001 - Ernest Tubb: The Texas Defense

October 24, 2017 05:01 - 48 minutes - 67.3 MB

Everyone loves Ernest Tubb. So when he straps on a gun belt one night to head across town and snuff out a character named Jim Denny, well, you might guess that ol' Jim had it coming. Maybe he didn't, maybe he did. For you to make up your own mind, we'll need to go behind-the-scenes of 650 AM WSM in Nashville, The Grand Ole Opry and the world of country music publishing companies. This episode is highly recommended for fans of Jimmie Rodgers, Johnny Paycheck, Justin Tubb, George Jones, Johnny ...

Ernest Tubb: The Texas Defense

October 24, 2017 05:01 - 48 minutes - 45.3 MB

Everyone loves Ernest Tubb. So when he straps on a gun belt one night to head across town and snuff out a character named Jim Denny, well, you might guess that ol' Jim had it coming. Maybe he didn't, maybe he did... For you to make up your own mind, we'll need to go behind-the-scenes of 650 AM WSM in Nashville, The Grand Ole Opry and the world of country music publishing companies. This episode is highly recommended for fans of Jimmie Rodgers, Johnny Paycheck, Justin Tubb, George Jones, Jo...