Three Chords and The Truth

April 28, 1997
Leamer, known primarily for his celebrity biographies like King of the Night: The Life of Johnny Carson, here turns to country music. Music itself, however, is not his focus, but rather the stars who happen to be country musicians. Nineteen of the book's 20 chapters focus on individuals or bands, and the last chapter is an epilogue that brings the reader up to date on the latest developments in the career of each artist. Leamer takes the reader backstage and into the lives of such country stars as Brooks and Dunn, Shania Twain, Vince Gill and Mary Chapin Carpenter, describing their childhoods, personalities and romances. To the point of overkill, he gives the reader the goods on Naomi and Wynonna Judd's infighting, Garth Brooks's devotion to his fans, Emmylou Harris's financial difficulties and so on. Leamer, unfortunately, is given to uninspired writing ("Emmylou knew only one way to perform, and that was to give everything and then some"), and also has a tendency to divide his subjects into Good (Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris) and Bad (Reba McIntyre, the Judds); since the music itself is only of secondary interest, Leamer's judgment appears to be based primarily on the performers' personalities. Photos not seen by PW.

June 15, 1997
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.

May 1, 1997
"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. ((Reviewed May 1, 1997))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1997, American Library Association.)