Country Music's Greatest Lines: Lyrics, Stories and Sketches from American Classics

by Bobby Braddock, Carmen Beecher (Illustrator)

Bobby Braddock, the only living songwriter to have written number-one country songs in five consecutive decades, celebrates standout lines in more than eighty country masterpieces. Unique stories give the reader a behind-the-scenes look at classics from Hank Williams, Bill Anderson, Roger Miller and Merle Haggard, as well as twenty-first-century icons like Alan Jackson, Taylor Swift and Eric Church. Artist Carmen Beecher brings these tales to vivid life with strikingly realistic illustrations of seldom-seen songwriters, easily recognizable superstars and unforgettable song characters. From late 1940s jukebox hits to present-day chart toppers, Braddock and Beecher offer a magical journey from the songwriter's pen to the singer's lips to the listener's ear.

Genres: Music

192 pages, Paperback

Published July 6, 2020

Reviews

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short book (on my SCRIBD subscription). I love Country Music so was interested to see what others thought the "greatest" country music lines were. I knew quite a few of the songs but there were some new ones that I hadn't heard of. Goes through songs from 1940s up to the "twenty-first century". I still prefer the "oldies", George Jones/Strait, Dolly, Merle, Willie, Reba ... but I do listen to newer artists too ... Gretchen Peters, Alan Jackson (although Alan is probably considered an "oldie" at this stage), Eric Church ... there are so many that I could probably go on mentioning many more!


I wasn't a huge fan of the illustrations in the book!

[R. · Rating 1 out of 5]

TLDR: save your money and don't buy this book.
This was a disappointing book. I expected more background about the "greatest lines" than merely reciting them and then explaining why a particular drawing was created to accompany them.
Braddock is the writer behind - arguably - the best country song of the (last half of?) the 20th century. And he's had a long history with lots of other writers and performers in Nashville. I really expected some stories about lyrics being changed in the writing process or events that led to the lyrics of certain songs. This book had almost none of that. In many cases the "stories and sketches" amounted to listing the writers or listing other hit songs by the singer who made the song famous. You can get more "inside Nashville" stories by listing to the DJs on Willies Roadhouse on Sirisu/XM for a couple of hours. With rare exceptions, Braddock doesn't even describe *why* he believes the chosen lines to be "the greatest"
A significant shortcoming is that Braddock limited the songs he considered for inclusion to ones in the Sony/ATV catalog. Ostensibly this was for copyright reasons (and "convenience"!), but it leaves a big hole in any treatment of "Country Music's Greatest Lines."
The illustrations with each song strike me as page fillers. No offense to the artist - I'm not criticizing their quality - but no one opens a book about country music writing and says "I need an illustration to help me understand these lyrics."
And, finally, a curiosity: I'm not big on recent country music, so I didn't spend much time in the songs Braddock selected for the 21st century. One that caught my eye is "The Last Word in Lonesome is Me," written by Roger Miller (d. 1992) and sung by Eddy Arnold (d. 2008, after being largely retired for a decade). The only hook that Braddock provides for this song being a 21st century song is that in 2003 Braddock had a parking lot epiphany about Roger Miller's name and the name of a grocery chain. Is that it? Eddy Arnold charted with the song in 1966; it would have been nice if Braddock included some explanation to help readers understand why he placed the song in a section four decades after it was written and charted.

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words are power

Now a lot of people will think that Country Music is for old people and maybe they are right. However when you read this book I think you find that Country Music is for everyone. This book touches on some good music and a bit of the history behind it. So if you are a fan of Country of not then you should read this story and become enlightened about some music that is for everyone.

[Dylan Hodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literally finished this in an hour. A good, quick, and fun read.

[Patricia Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

storys written by singers and what inspired them to write the song and who recorded it the lady that did the drawings were amazing it really added to the book

[Rie Sadler Foley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great, quick read! Loved reading the anecdotes that accompanied each line and the sketches are fantastic!!

[John Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Country Music's Greatest Lines, by Bobby Braddock; The History Press, Charleston SC; 21.99 paperback

To hear this musical phrase, 'The silence of a falling star, lights up a purple sky', will bring nostalgic tears to all who remember Hank Williams. When he wrote 'I'm so lonesome I could cry', the radio, in the dashboard of a Ford or in a roadhouse, had become available to many millions of Americans. Americans who fought World War II had become acquainted with this ancient music from the hills and valleys. For them it was not only charming, but touched the heart. Williams, one of the greatest of all country musicians from back in the 1950s, joins a host of others in this book about 'Lyrics, stories and sketches from American classics'. Classic country hits are divided by decade up to today, remembered by their most powerful lines. Each reveals through masterful studies of friendships and business relationships how the song writing community shared not only ideas and methods but skills as well.

Collated by Bobby Braddock, inducted into Nashville Songwriters, Country Music, and (New York's) Songwriters Halls of Fame, we find this book a connoisseur's appreciation of the genre. He knows, because he's written and played country music, as well as studied its antecedents.

County music as classic American fare lasts long after its initial appearance. It speaks to the heart. If you ever fell out of love, ever lost 'everything', ever had to leave home and become 'King of the Road', some country song tells what it felt like. My all time favorite, 'The Gambler', written by Don Schlitz and recorded by Kenny Rogers, reminds us that we have to be careful whenever we make a decision, to 'know when to hold em, know when to fold 'em'. Not too many facets of life aren't addressed by a country song. Even single lines can tear at your heart, or draw a sigh. Tony Moon's line, 'My eyes look like a roadmap of Georgia', from Sorrow on the Rocks became one of Porter Wagoner's hits. What pain has not had some sufferer try to drown it out with drink? Sorrow is often brought on by the regretful singer himself.

We discover the almost unbearable sorrow of being trapped, often in a predicament caused by the singer who didn't appreciate the good he had. 'There's a guard, and there's a sad ol' Padre, arm in arm, we'll walk at daybreak' reminds us of a peaceful last minute visit by a condemned man to his home town. Sad to say, it's a dream; he only saw an illusion of his 'Green, Green Grass of Home' on the morning of his execution.

Each of the memorable lines collected here is commemorated with an illustration by Carmen Beecher, a much recognized artist whose work captures the viewer. The word 'Hate' hung on a gallows will remain with you a long time, especially as you listen to the refrain from 'Kill a Word'. 'I'd hang hate, so it can't be heard, if only I could kill a word'. Country music will always be with us

[Paul Lunger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bobby Braddock's "Country Music's Greatest Lines: Lyrics, Stories and Sketches from American Classics" illustrated by Carmen Beecher is a book that takes a look at some of the most famous lines in country music songs and brings their history to life in both words and drawings which are an added bonus to this book. What makes this book unique as well is that Braddock himself is a song writer and someone who has been around the industry for decades. Those insights of his help to enhance this book which is one that fans & non-fans of country music will enjoy especially as we the reader watch the evolution of things from the 1940s to the present.