Three Chords and the Truth: Hope, Heartbreak, and Changing Fortunes in Nashville [Hardcover]

Laurence Leamer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997

Every June, in gratitude to their devoted fans, the stars of country music appear at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds to sign autographs for hours and perform during the week called Fan Fair. Though the 1996 Fan Fair was a phenomenal success, for Nashville itself it was also a time of doubt, uncertainty and dramatic change. The week was like a country song: intense, emotional, filled with joy and disappointment, passion and dismay, laughter and tears.

Fan Fair is the setting for this extraordinary inside look at country music. Laurence Leamer had unprecedented access to the stars, managers, songwriters and record company execs of Nashville. Here is the troubled inner life of Garth Brooks, the greatest-selling solo artist of all time. Vince Gill takes a song out of an old leather bag and records a No.1 hit. Reba McEntire angers her fans so much that they tear up her photos, Patty Loveless sings her heart out while her beloved older sister lies dying in a nearby hospital and superstar Shania Twain talks with handicapped Fan Fair goers. Here is Mary Chapin Carpenter singing at the White House instead of Fan Fair. Here are Alan Jackson and Brooks and Dunn at the height of their success juxtaposed against the struggles of Emmylou Harris. The younger stars are portrayed as well: LeAnn Rimes, Mindy McCready, James Bonamy, and BR5-49, all in vivid, novelesque detail. Unknowns, once-knowns, label reps, producers, songwriters and managers are all part of this rich mosaic of Nashville life as it plays out for one incredible week.

To millions of country fans, "Three Chords and the Truth" will be a book of revelations. Those who have rarely listened to country music will learn why it isthe most-listened-to music in the nation, played on more than 2,400 radio stations. And everyone who reads it will never again hear a country song quite the same way."A convincing account of how a stone-hard, gospel-true music turned flabby and false."--Terry Treachout, "New York Times Book Review"

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The author of several entertainment industry biographies (King of the Night: The Life of Johnny Carson, LJ 6/15/89; As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, LJ 2/15/86) this time focuses his research skills on the world of country music. Using the 1996 Fan Fair festival as his backdrop, Leamer begins with a walk through the grounds at the heels of none other than Garth Brooks and drops by the booths of other stars, and some yet-to-be stars, over the course of a four-day visit. Leamer's portrayals are intimate; whether focusing on singers, instrumentalists, presidents of record companies, songwriters, or honky-tonk owners, he captures the inner struggles confronted while trying to make it to the top and then dealt with after the top had been achieved. Still, despite the novelty of the Fan Fair backdrop and the skill of the portraits, the book is rather ho hum, lacking a center. Also, some small factual errors in the proofs call into question the thoroughness of Leamer's research. Not a priority purchase.?Kathleen Sparkman, Baylor Univ. Libs., Waco, Tex.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

"The dramatic rise of country music has been one of the greatest changes in American popular culture," Leamer opines. He goes on, however, to lament that the music is languishing. In fact, album sales have dipped, which is but one particular concern he addresses in a book built around Fan Fair, an annual Nashville event during which fans meet current stars. This relatively intimate gathering has become a mainstay of the country ethos, but the Country Music Association, "trying to sell a new upscale country music to advertisers," is, Leamer suspects, planning to move the wingding "downtown to the sleek new arena" and render its present "folksy intimacy" only a memory. The conflict between contact with the fans and mass marketing remains a theme as Leamer also details some of the stars' woes. For example, Garth Brooks had a major falling out with his record company; Leamer paints Brooks as disaffected--conscious of his fame and his hold on his audience yet unsure what to do with either. Other artists share Brooks' uncertainties, and in telling their stories, Leamer creates portraits of the real people behind the publicity packets. The business side of country seems to be threatening to make the music irrelevant. Should this happen, Leamer's book will be a snapshot of country before it was finally adulterated into just another safe corporate product. Mike Tribby

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060175052
• ISBN-13: 978-0060175054
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,318,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great to read a book by a writer that has some moxy ., April 23, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (London, Ont.Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Chords and the Truth: Hope, Heartbreak, and Changing Fortunes in Nashville (Hardcover)

To-days music fan is finally demanding to know the truth about it's Stars. You finally realize that after reading the rash of books that come out on the heals of Stardom, that they are basically a re-hash of the perfect picture painted by a publisist or the star involved. Laurence Leamer gives you a glimpse of reality and makes you aware that stars should be accountable for everything even if it is in the past.I would personally like to see him dig a little deeper. Congratulations Laurence, get in touch, I can help you with your dig!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Judge this book by its cover., September 22, 2008

By 

Laura Lynn - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

The picture does not do the cover justice. It shimers and changes as you move it, as gaudy as the dresses at the country music awards.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't Bother, February 14, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Narragansett, Rhode Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Chords and the Truth: Hope, Heartbreak, and Changing Fortunes in Nashville (Hardcover)

This book is too biased to be taken seriously- The author cuts down every artist he wasn't given direct access to. He discribes encounters he couldn't have seen, and quotes conversations he couldn't have heard. Apparently he isn't a fan of radio-friendly country music, and if you are you won't enjoy the way he puts down your favorite artists. There's no doubt Mr. Leamer did his research, but when he couldn't find information he made it up.