ALBUMS: Wynette: First Songs of the First Lady (1971); Wynette/Jones: Encore (1981); George Jones: All Time Greatest Hits Vol. 2. (1977)
Another day. Another rotation of our earth.
Tammy Wynette is on the turntable. I am awestruck.
“Walk through this world with me,” Tammy sings. “Go where I go. Share all my dreams with me. I need you so.”
This was intended to be my George Jones only countdown review. But I had a record of songs where Jones and Wynette sing duets. And I had a Tammy Wynette compilation album. So this review is a Jones-Wynette review involving those three albums.
This is country music. Period.
No alt, no country rock, no Americana, no crossover, just pure pedal steel guitar and songs about pain and suffering, that are sometimes, somehow soothing.
Tammy’s voice on ‘Apartment No. 9’ snuggles up to the swelling steel guitar. Then there are the lyrics as delivered by Tammy. Aching , soothing, angry but strong. The combination of voice, music and lyric stir a soul.
“Loneliness surrounds me, without your arms around me. ”
George Jones is Tammy’s male alter ego. Together they make you smile and cry.
Why do we like sad songs?
‘Don’t wanna play house; It makes my mommy cry
‘Cause when she played house; My daddy said good-bye. ‘
Jones and Tammy, who were married to each other for about six years and performed together for many more, have touched millions of people.
And what are they singing about? Cheating, drinking, betrayal, hope and despair, love and lust, pain and happiness. Suffering.
Our lives.