The author discusses Tammy Wynette, an icon in the country music world, and how her complicated life infiltrates her music.

I found the reading repetitious, laborious and factually incorrect in many instances. Unless the reader is well-versed in country music artists of Wynette’s era, much of the book is meaningless. The author’s queer, liberal politics comes through loud and clear throughout the book, but particularly in the last chapter, which is mainly about him/her, and not about Tammy Wynette and why her music matters. ( )

I received this book as an early reviewer copy from Library Thing. I have not read many memoirs but have loved country music all my life. Tammy was one of the greats. This book covers many of the behind the scene issues I was not aware of since I was only a child when they occurred. Since I usually read fiction, I did find the book a bit slow at times. That is the reason for the mediocre score. But I did enjoy learning more about this queen of country. ( )

Why Tammy Wynette Matters by Steacy Easton is an interesting assessment of Wynette that largely avoids the pitfalls of other biographies of the singer. I think the framing allowed by the Music Matters series is part of the reason, it keeps the focus on exactly what the title says.

Disclaimer: While I listen to some country music, I am far from being a country music fan, in at least some part due to the types of people I have encountered who are fans. No where near all, but well over half hold views, not just political, that I find abhorrent. Yes, I lived for a time in a couple of communities that were mostly country music fans, so this isn't my reacting to any stereotypes, this is me generalizing from experience. That said, a lot of the music is wonderful and Wynette has always been one artist I liked a lot.

I really enjoyed reading Easton's take on Wynette, the attempt to, not so much separate but, find the different threads of her personal life, her professional life, and how everything is woven into a sometimes chaotic but always powerful persona. While I saw one person who thought the conclusion chapter was too personal about the author's life, I found it to help tie everything together. They show how and why Wynette matters to them, which forms the foundation for why she matters on the whole. Problematic, sometimes disappointing, but matters nonetheless.

It is partly because of Easton's personal touch in the last chapter that I decided to share my disclaimer. They offer a hope for people to connect and try to understand each other even when there is extreme disagreement. I go that route in many areas and fail in some as well. Over the past decade I have had a hard time finding common ground with people who don't want common ground unless it means conceding every single inch to them. Easton suggests that maybe, just maybe, a little more effort might be fruitful.

Recommended for country music fans as well as music and popular culture scholars. I could picture myself, back when I was teaching, using a chapter or two in a WGS course.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing Early Reviewers. ( )

This is a book about Tammy Wynette, organized by theme (chapters are named things such as Fame or Pain), but that also offers a fair sweep of her biography while doing so.

The book is somewhat repetitious. The song "I Don't Think Hank Done It This Way" is several times offered for a point I don't find well defined. I think the point is that the song is not about Kitty Wells. And the author likes theory but doesn't always lay out the steps that lead to their theorectical conclusions.

That said, the author is quite smart in their insights about Wynette, her music, and the cultural meanings of aspects of country music. They are particularly good about issues of gender expression. They are also usually fair about offering competing theories regarding incidents in Wynette's life and about the question of how much Wynette is aware of all this. I particularly like her treatment of the fact that Wynette apparently kept her hairdresser's license her whole life.

I got what I wanted from this book, mostly. A smart description of Wynette's life, and a critical look at some of her music. I'd have liked a bit more about specific songs, but what was there was enough. I do recommend the book if it sounds at all interesting to you.