"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."--Back cover.

“One of country music’s greatest songwriters has given us his own private tour of the collective genius of his profession.” —Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author and host of the Revisionist History podcast 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. “Country Music’s Greatest Lines works as an insider’s take on the business of country, and it also sent me to a dozen records I wanted to hear immediately. Braddock and Beecher evoke the mythology of country without sentimentalizing the music or its creators. It’s a remarkable achievement.” —Nashville Scene “We see how stand-alone powerful and effective a few well-crafted lines can be, even when removed from the context of the entire song.” —Sounds Like Nashville “Country songs, from Hank Williams till today, remain faithful to their tradition of reminding their listeners about the life they live. Braddock, a 60-year creator of songs, remembered that when he decided to write this book.” —American Songwriter

(Easy Piano Songbook). If you've learned enough piano to feel comfortable picking up your first songbook and you love country music, this collection is for you! Arranged at an easier level so beginners can play 50 quintessential country classics and sound great. Includes: Always on My Mind * Behind Closed Doors * Could I Have This Dance * Crazy * Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue * Folsom Prison Blues * Forever and Ever, Amen * Friends in Low Places * The Gambler * Gentle on My Mind * Green Green Grass of Home * Happy Trails * Help Me Make It Through the Night * Hey, Good Lookin' * Jambalaya (On the Bayou) * King of the Road * Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Cowboys * On the Road Again * Ring of Fire * San Antonio Rose * Stand by Your Man * Wichita Lineman * You Are My Sunshine * Your Cheatin' Heart * and more!

A close-up look at country music argues that it has become a national art form, reflecting the same themes that have characterized American art and literature over three centuries

If you know country music, you know Bobby Braddock. Even if you don't know his name, you know the man's work. "He Stopped Loving Her Today." "D-I-V-O-R-C-E." "Golden Ring." "Time Marches On." "I Wanna Talk About Me." "People Are Crazy." These songs and numerous other chart-topping hits sprang from the mind of Bobby Braddock. A working songwriter and musician, Braddock has prowled the streets of Nashville's legendary Music Row since the mid-1960s, plying his trade and selling his songs. These decades of writing songs for legendary singers like George Jones, Tammy Wynette, and Toby Keith are recounted in Bobby Braddock: A Life on Nashville's Music Row, providing the reader with a stunning look at the beating heart of Nashville country music that cannot be matched. If you're looking for insight into Nashville, the life of music in this town, and the story of a force of nature on the Row to this day, Bobby Braddock will take you there.

The rich and colorful story of America's most popular music and the singers and songwriters who captivated, entertained, and consoled listeners throughout the twentieth century--based on the upcoming eight-part film series to air on PBS in September 2019 This gorgeously illustrated and hugely entertaining history begins where country music itself emerged: the American South, where people sang to themselves and to their families at home and in church, and where they danced to fiddle tunes on Saturday nights. With the birth of radio in the 1920s, the songs moved from small towns, mountain hollers, and the wide-open West to become the music of an entire nation--a diverse range of sounds and styles from honky tonk to gospel to bluegrass to rockabilly, leading up through the decades to the music's massive commercial success today. But above all, Country Music is the story of the musicians. Here is Hank Williams's tragic honky tonk life, Dolly Parton rising to fame from a dirt-poor childhood, and Loretta Lynn turning her experiences into songs that spoke to women everywhere. Here too are interviews with the genre's biggest stars, including the likes of Merle Haggard to Garth Brooks to Rosanne Cash. Rife with rare photographs and endlessly fascinating anecdotes, the stories in this sweeping yet intimate history will captivate longtime country fans and introduce new listeners to an extraordinary body of music that lies at the very center of the American experience.

There is a reason why the history of country music cannot be told chronologically.It is much like the history of America itself. Different things happened at different places at the same time, and the overall result from those events is even more diversity, rather than convergence. In a way, this is both the beauty and the tragedy of country music.In The Great Book of Country Music, you'll learn the answers to the following questions: ?Where does country music come from originally??What was the main topic in early country music??The term "country" refers to what??The genre bluegrass is named after what??Who was the first woman in country to sell more than a million records?And so much more! The history of country music is not just about facts and dates. It's about understanding and connecting the dots between all those events and people who have shaped up and maintained the genre. The best way to reach this goal is, of course, to have fun along the way. And this is what we've tried to achieve in The Great Book of Country Music!One thing is guaranteed, though. Having read this book, you will never listen to country music the same way. Grab your copy right now and start your journey!