Even after their divorce, George Jones and Tammy Wynette remained “Mr. and Mrs. Country Music” in the hearts and minds of their fans. Their tortured love, which spawned reunion tours and several No. 1 hits on the country music charts, including “We’re Gonna Hold On,” made George and Tammy’s story the stuff of legend.
But what if the myth were wrong? Author and podcaster Tyler Mahan Coe seeks to separate truth from fiction in his book, Cocaine & Rhinestones: A History of George Jones and Tammy Wynette. “There’s a lot that needs to be corrected to get an accurate sense of their lives,” Coe explains to Closer. “And in the process of correcting those misunderstandings, there’s a lot to learn about the world and their music.”
George and Tammy fell in love while touring together in 1969, but Coe says the honeymoon didn’t last very long. “They really rushed into things based on their own fantasies about one another,” he says. “It didn’t take long for them to realize there were major differences between fantasy and real life. But by that time, they had already begun selling their relationship to their fans and the media. It made it more difficult for them to just cut their losses.”
The pair were never perfectly matched. George, who was 11 years older, wasn’t a party guy, but Tammy loved to be social. “He liked to stay home and watch TV,” says Coe. “Tammy may have been bored with the reality of George from the very beginning.”
It’s also no secret that their union was impacted by George’s alcoholism and Tammy’s addictions. “She was already taking speed and routinely being prescribed strong painkillers,” says Coe, who adds that one of Tammy’s doctors prescribed amphetamines for George to help him control his weight. “So, then George was taking amphetamines and drinking at the same time, which made things much worse.” The singers divorced in 1975 after six years and one child together, daughter Georgette Jones.
Life After George Jones and Tammy Wynette’s ‘Two Story House’ Collaboration
In 1980 George and Tammy recorded the album Together Again, which included the hit “Two Story House,” largely to shore up Tammy’s cooling career. “There was a clear understanding behind the scenes that it would help the narrative if the audience believed that George and Tammy would always have a thing for each other,” says Coe. “It’s a theme that comes back every time they would perform again for the rest of their lives and careers.”
Backstage, Tammy’s last husband and manager, George Richey, was pulling the strings. The singer felt he wouldn’t have as much visitation with his daughter if he didn’t agree to perform with Tammy. “For George to continue working with Tammy was just a constant reminder of how he was being manipulated and how he wasn’t in control of his own life,” Coe explains.
Tammy’s sudden death in 1998 at age 55 set George free but left him devastated. Their love may not have been as eternal as people believed, but it had a huge impact on both their lives. “After the memorial, George got on the tour bus with his wife Nancy and had the driver just drive him all over Nashville,” says Coe. “George was just sitting silently in the back, not speaking for hours.”
