Looking Back to See: A Country Music Memoir

Contents

CONTENTS Foreword by Tom T. Hall ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction by Robert Cochran xv PART 1: Fire and Hunger 1 • Living Lean and CountryValues 3 2 • Raymond’s Death and Daddy’s Logging Accident 19 3 • Moving on Up—and Around 27 PART 2: The Other Side 4 • Now We’re in Show Business 37 5 • Our First Recording Session 43 6 • Perils of the Road and That Old Devil Robinson 53 7 • We Get Screwed 65 PART 3: Here Today and Gone Tomorrow 8 • Screwed Again 75 9 • Putting on That Almighty Front 85 10 • Elvis Presley 95 11 • Another Legend is Born 109 12 • I Finally Meet My Childhood Idol 121 13 • Europe 129 14 • The Browns’ Youngest Sister and Momma’s Stroke 137 PART 4: Sweet Sounds 15 • “The Three Bells” (Little Jimmy Brown) 149 16 • “Scarlet Ribbons” and “The Old Lamplighter” 161 PART 5: The Beginning of the End 17 • Johnny Cash and Paying the Price for Crossover Records 175 18 • “Mommy Please Stay Home with Me” 189 vii PART 6: The Last Hard Road 19 • Just a Matter of Time 197 20 • Jim Reeves’s Last Flight 207 21 • Leaning to Accept Life’s Gifts 217 22 • “I Can’t Quit, I’m a Star” 223 23 • “Old Hat” Maxine 233 24 • Losing Mama 241 25 • Chicken Today, Feathers Tomorrow 249 26 • The Browns’ Recording Studio 255 27 • Legends of Country Music 265 28 • Still Singing 269 29 • Last Song: Still Dreaming the Dream 277 APPENDIX A: List of Albums Recorded By the Browns 281 APPENDIX B: Awards Received by the Browns 283 APPENDIX C: Glossary of Names 287 Index 327 viii Contents ...