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Before she was the First Lady of Country Music, Virginia Wynette Pugh was a little girl picking cotton in Itawamba County, Mississippi, raised by her grandparents while her mama worked in Memphis. Her daddy died before she turned one, leaving her only his instruments and stories told secondhand.
Nobody looking at that childhood would have predicted Nashville. But Tammy Wynette's story is proof that talent finds a way out, even when everything else says stay put.
This week on Once Around the Country, we trace her path from beauty school and a teenage marriage to the night producer Billy Sherrill, who changed her name and changed her life. We talk about "D-I-V-O-R-C-E," the firestorm around "Stand By Your Man," her marriage to George Jones, and the health struggles that followed her all the way to her death at 55 under circumstances her own family still argues about.
Listen now to her whole story, both the good and the hard parts. Give it a listen and let us know what you think.
In This Episode:
- Her childhood in Itawamba County and the father she never really knew
- How an uncle's connection led to her first television audition
- The Billy Sherrill meeting that turned Wynette Bird into Tammy Wynette
- The making of "Stand By Your Man" and the backlash that followed
- Her marriages, including the turbulent years with George Jones
- The addiction, the surgeries, and the disputed circumstances of her death
- What Gary saw backstage that he still thinks about
This episode is sponsored by:
Sterling Oak Cabinetry
Dignity Memorial
Bio:
Tammy Wynette, born Virginia Wynette Pugh in 1942, grew up on a cotton farm in Mississippi before becoming one of the most recognizable voices in country music. After working as a beautician and raising three children, she moved to Nashville in 1966 and signed with Epic Records.
Known as the First Lady of Country Music, Tammy sold more than 30 million records and recorded some of country music’s most enduring songs, including “Stand By Your Man.” Her deeply emotional singing style connected with millions of listeners because she sang about the things they knew firsthand: love, heartbreak, marriage, loneliness, and family.
Her life away from the stage was just as eventful. Her seven-year marriage to George Jones became one of country music’s most famous and complicated relationships. She later married songwriter and producer George Richey and continued recording despite years of health problems.
Tammy Wynette died in 1998 at her home in Nashville. Later that year, she was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Website: https://tammywynette.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialwynette/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TammyWynettemusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TammyWynette/
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