Full Description
It's the real stories, not the publicists' confections, that concern Colin Escott. We hear Perry Como's story in his own words: it wasn't all smooth. We learn about the astonishing twists and turns in Roy Orbison's life, and the stories behind the songs we know so well. And we go down with Vernon Oxford, the last great honky tonk singer, who came to Nashville just a little too late. These are stories for anyone who loves what Escott calls "little songs from great sorrows." They will fascinate even the most casual fan of popular music, and they're told here in sympathetic, engaging, and illuminating prose.
Contents
Introduction Part One: The Smoother Side of Town 1. Roy Orbison: Starlight lit my Lonesomeness 2. Perry Como: R.I.P. 3. Patty Page: Oklahoma Blues Part Two: Labor 4. Jim Reeves: Say Yes to Rugs 5. Mitch Torok: When Mexican Joe Gave Up the Rumba 6. Ned Miller: From a Jack to a King Part Three: Town Hall Party 7. Skeets McDonald: You Oughta See Grandma Rock 8. Wynn Stewart: Not Such a Pretty World 9. Wanda Jackson: Did She or Didn't She 10. The Collins Kids: Brokenhearted Ricky Part Four: Memphis, Sun Records, June 1957 11. Sonny Burgess: The Wild Man at 70 12. Ed Bruce: Mammas Don't let your Rock Boppin' Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys 13. Onie Wheeler: Onie's Unlikely Bop Postscript 14. Vernon Oxford: Too Country for Country Index
