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

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

Author: Tyler Mahan Coe July 13, 2021 Duration: 2:16:19

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 going on 40 years now is demonstrably untrue but we can only learn the truth through a deep dive on the country music record industry of the 1960s and by taking a look at how the careers of 2 international pop stars built a throne for The King of Broken Hearts.


There's a story behind every song, and often it's wilder than anything you could make up. Cocaine & Rhinestones: The History of Country Music digs into those stories, pulling back the sequined curtain on the genre's most fascinating and frequently misunderstood characters. Created and narrated by Tyler Mahan Coe, this podcast operates like a deep-cut research project brought to life, where myth and verified history collide. You'll hear about the schemes, the scandals, the brilliant artistry, and the sheer chaos that shaped the sound of American music. Each episode is built on a foundation of meticulous investigation, challenging the well-worn anecdotes you think you know. The result feels less like a lecture and more like you're being let in on a series of incredible secrets, told with a clear-eyed and compelling voice. This isn't a surface-level celebration; it's a raw, chronological excavation of the business, the personal demons, and the cultural shifts that left a permanent mark. For anyone curious about where the music really came from, this series connects the dots between the honky-tonk floor and the penthouse suite, revealing how country music's legacy was forged in equal parts genius and desperation. Settle in and let the stories unfold.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 35

Cocaine & Rhinestones: The History of Country Music
Podcast Episodes
CR014 - Ralph Mooney: The Sound of Country Music [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:40
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 examin…
CR013 - Rusty & Doug Kershaw: The Cajun Way [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01:12
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 th…
CR012 - Wynonna [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:57:18
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 o…
CR011 - Don Rich & Buck Owens, Part 2: Together Again [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:02:47
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 backwar…
CR010 - Buck Owens & Don Rich, Part 1: Open Up Your Heart [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:31:36
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…
CR009 - Harper Valley PTA, Part 3: Tom T. Hall [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33:25
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 Englis…
CR008 - Harper Valley PTA, Part 2: Jeannie C. Riley [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:14
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 d…
CR007 - Harper Valley PTA, Part 1: Shelby S. Singleton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:28
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 too…
CR006 - The Louvin Brothers: Running Wild [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:38:16
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…
CR005 - Breaking Down Merle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:32
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 involve…