Stand by Your Man

Ok, by now you must know I am a huge Tammy Wynette fan, and this is one of the reason's why I am, her story sealed the deal for me..Although Tammy endured many heartaches, she had a sense of humor like nobody I have ever read about..Alot of the stories of her life will have you rollin on the floor in laughter. Although she was married several times, she definately leaves you with the feeling that her one and only true love was for George Jones, she even states in the last chapter of her book George Jones will forever be her favorite Country Music Singer of all time...just a little footnote Tammy Wynette was married to George Richey at the time she wrote this book!

I loved this book. It was better than the movie. The movie left a lot of good stuff out. This book is hard to put down. I read it in two days on and off.

I used to absolutely abhor country music until I discovered that while sitting in traffic overcome with boredom and frustration, the music of Tammy Wynette could make me laugh like no other. Lyrics such as "If you love him, you'll forgive him, after all, he's just a man" and "I'm gonna make some changes to our home...if it takes that to make you happy" in combination with lots of twang and her beautifully haunting voice make for great entertainment. However, even greater entertainment and more laughs come in the form of Tammy Wynette's autobiography, 'Stand by Your Man.' Although the book is an obvious imitation of Loretta Lynn's 'Coal Miner's Daughter', Wynett's autobiography lacks the sadness and substance found in Ms. Lynn's work. However, Tammy's story is a hilarious adventure tale of a dysfunctional bumpkin's rise to the top of the country music charts. Tammy lived through a plane crash, survived a bus explosion, had affairs with notable stars such as Burt Reynolds, and she even got chased through her house with a shotgun-toting George Jones on a drunken binge. The book reads like a soap opera of the greatest kind, full of love, death, romance, and broken marriages. Not only is this book the story of a woman who went from a cabin in Alabama with no running water, no electicity, and a wooden outhouse to immense wealth, fame, and success, but it is also an addiction. This book will pull you in and take you for a wild ride through Tammy Wynette's life, and it will leave you feeling as though you've read one of the greatest, most warped Cinderella stories written to date.

I am giving Tammy a free pass on this review. In reality, "Stand By Your Man" is a highly "sanitized" version of what must have been a fascinating life. "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" should be her signature song but again, I'll give Tammy a pass. The reader will have to give credit where credit is due. This woman fought her way up from poverty in Mississippi,a loser of a first husband, took herself and her babies to Nashville, made herself a star and kept herself a star despite unhappy marriages (5?) and all sorts of health problems, which received less publicity than her marital woes. (Did George Jones really drive his lawn mower into town that night to get more booze? That was after Tammy hid all his car keys!) Maybe Tammy, after all she went through, is entitled to one little sanitized autobiography.

One of the best biographys I've had the pleasure to read. Truely a remarkable book from a even more remarkable " First Lady " Tammy's book reads effortlessly. Always interesting, and inspiring.