ABSTRACT

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.

part I|70 pages

The Smoother Side of Town

chapter 1|38 pages

Roy Orbison

Starlight Lit my Lonesomeness

chapter 2|15 pages

Perry Como

R.I.P.

chapter 3|14 pages

Patti Page

Oklahoma Blues

part II|36 pages

Fabor

chapter 4|20 pages

Jim Reeves

Say “Yes” to Rugs

chapter 5|8 pages

Mitchell Torok

When Mexican Joe Gave up the Rhumba

chapter 6|4 pages

Ned Miller

From a Jack to a King

part III|64 pages

Town Hall Party

chapter 7|16 pages

Skeets McDonald

You Oughta See Grandma Rock

chapter 8|20 pages

Wynn Stewart

Not Such a Pretty World

chapter 9|17 pages

Wanda Jackson

Did she or Didn’t she?

chapter 10|8 pages

The Collins Kids

Brokenhearted Ricky

part IV|29 pages

Memphis

chapter 11|10 pages

Sonny Burgess

The Wild Man at Seventy

chapter 12|6 pages

Ed Bruce

Mammas, don’t Let your Rock Boppin’ Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys

chapter 13|9 pages

Onie Wheeler

No, I don’t Believe I will

part V|17 pages

Postscript

chapter 14|15 pages

Vernon Oxford

Too Country for Country