Agnes Wilson had been a close friend to Tammy from their grammar school years. Tammy had gotten so busy, and she realized she had to have some help. Who but Agnes could Tammy count on? Agnes became Tammy’s right arm. She and her husband, “Thad,” were immediately added to Tammy’s family of friends. Agnes had always told Tammy that she’d be a star someday. Agnes could not have been more right. Tammy looked at Agnes for all kinds of help with the kids, the house, or anything else Tammy needed. She totally trusted Agnes and Thad. Sometimes, they would embarrass the kids (on purpose) by picking them up from school in the limo. They practically had to live with Tammy to help her out.
Peanutt and I were around George all the time. We were in Nashville with George one day, and we knew there was something different going on. He was overly chipper and in such an unusually good mood. There was some whispering going on, so we knew whatever he was up to had to be kept quiet. George was animated like he had ants in his pants; he could not be still. He was anxious and fidgety. After a while, we overheard George say to his manager, “I love her already.” We knew then that it all had to do with some woman, but we didn’t know who. George was still married to Shirley at the time, so we were surprised at his remark. Of course, we also knew that his and Shirley’s marriage was really shaky and had been a while. We never dreamed that the woman he was speaking of was Tammy Wynette. She was married to Don Chapel. I’m sure that’s why George was trying to keep everything hush-hush until they could get out of their situations. George and Tammy were having an affair but had to keep it hid until they got a divorce.
George divorced Shirley in 1968, but Tammy was still married to Don. Don had not been good to Tammy or the children. George knew about it and got very upset with Don but couldn’t say anything to him because she was Don’s wife. George was drinking one particular day and decided he wanted to go visit Tammy at her house. After all, he had cut one of Don’s songs and should have a right to drop by and see them. George knew that Don was irritable with the kids. He knew Don would get mad at Tammy and call her names. He also knew Tammy was fed up with Don’s bossy spirit and was ready to get out of the marriage. George was in love with Tammy and had waited as long as he was going to wait. He was tired of the slipping around thing.
During George’s visit with Don and Tammy that day, Don was ranting and raving on Tammy and the kids. They all got upset and were crying. Tammy got onto Don for fussing at the kids, so Don started cursing her and calling her names. George could not take it any longer, so he came to Tammy’s defense. He didn’t care if he was in another man’s house. His love for Tammy outweighed the thought of the trouble he could get into. Don warned George to stay out of his business and asked George why was it any of his business how he treated Tammy. George boldly answered by saying,
“It’s a lot of my business, I love her. I love Tammy.” George and Tammy had been seeing each other prior to that day but had not actually had an intimate affair. They were aware that they loved each other. During George and Don’s heated argument, George blurted out to Don,
“Tammy loves me too, don’t you Tammy?” George turned to Tammy to confirm his remark and she answered,
“Yes, I do.”
At this point they both realized it was time to get out of there. She grabbed the kids, George kicked over the table, and George, Tammy, and the three girls left the premises together. They were the talk all over Nashville.
Once George and Tammy were together, they were as happy as they could be. Neither one of them cared what anybody thought about their relationship. They no longer hid their love from anybody because they knew that they would soon get married. George had accepted Tammy’s three girls as if they were his own. Their only problem was that Tammy was not yet divorced from Don. They had to figure out how to get that divorce quickly, so they could get married. Don was furious, and Tammy thought he might give her a hard time about giving her a divorce. Somehow, Tammy found out that her marriage to Don was not legal, and she didn’t have to file and then wait for a divorce to be final. Tammy and George took off to Ringo, Georgia and got married in a little wedding chapel. It was like they had found heaven right here on earth.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
George and Tammy–
Two Legends Under One Roof
* * *
Major changes were brewing for George and Tammy. George left Musicor Records and signed with Epic Records. He wanted to team up with Tammy and release duets. Wow! What a team! Billy Sherrill was reputed to be the best producer in Nashville, and they were blessed to have him. The parting from Musicor was an expensive move for George. He had to give up a portion of his royalties to the label in order to get out of his contract. He had divorced Shirley and had to give up a portion of his royalties to her as part of the settlement. Shirley never asked for the royalties for herself; she wanted the royalties to support their sons, Jeffrey and Brian, so they would have income for the rest of their lives. I supported Shirley because I knew the boys well. They were sweet kids, and the boys deserved every dime.
The impact of this arrangement meant that George’s living resources had to be made through his concerts and future royalties. George was hot in 1969 and 1970 but by 1972, his career was slipping downhill. He recorded a hit song, “Right Won’t Touch a Hand,” that made it to the top ten, but he desperately needed a number one record. When he left Musicor and signed with Epic, he was ready for a change and needed a change. Tammy was already on Epic, and Billy Sherrill was already her producer.
It was very hard for George to leave Pappy Daily because he had been under Pappy’s wings for such a long time. Pappy had been by George’s side for so long that he actually treated him like a son. It hurt Pappy when George left him, but Pappy also realized George needed a change and didn’t hold it against him.
Billy Sherrill was the hottest producer in Nashville, and George could not have made a better, more positive move. George’s releases would receive the marketing and promotion he had always needed but didn’t have. George was a little nervous about being on the new label and not knowing Billy Sherrill very well. Even though neither George nor Billy knew what to expect from each other, once they got into the studio, they did fine together. Billy wasted no time letting George know that he had new ideas for George’s sessions. Things were going to change from what George was used to, and George never argued; he let Billy have his way about things, and he realized that Billy took as much great pride in what he produced as George would. He worked on a session until he thought it was a masterpiece and most of the time, it was. George realized he was fortunate to have Billy as his producer. George wanted and needed a hit record, and Billy was only interested in producing hits.
Billy was good at letting George pick some of his own material. If George liked a song, he could sing it better. If he didn’t like a certain song, it became a chore for him to sing it. Billy changed George’s style by lowering his voice a couple of keys, and that resulted in making his voice into a more pleasant tone. He added strings and different instruments to George’s sessions that made his music fuller and more up to date. George wasn’t comfortable with the new sound at first but as he and Billy worked together, George realized Billy knew what he was doing, and George trusted Billy’s judgment. “We Can Make It” was George’s first release with Epic in 1972. It soared to number six on the charts. The next release was, “Loving You Could Never Be Better.” This is the song that Peanutt and I co-wrote, but he would not play it for George and Tammy because he didn’t think it was good enough, and he didn’t want to waste their time.
Because I am half a writer, I insisted several times that night at George and Tammy’s house that Peanutt pitch the song that I had written for them.
“Peanutt, I want to hear the song Charlene’s trying to get you to pitch,” Tammy said.
Peanutt played the song, and Tammy loved it. She told Peanutt to go to the studio and put the song down and get a tape back to them as soon as he could. George was to record the very ne
xt day. Peanutt went to a studio, recorded the song, and brought the tape to George and Tammy.
“George is doing that song,” Tammy said.
We went straight to the studio, and George recorded it. Loving You Could Never Be Better became his next single and went all the way to number two on the national charts. I won my first BMI award for that song.
This release was the beginning of George’s new classic country sound, and it was definitely a plus for George. In 1972, George and Tammy engaged in recording duet records. They cut a couple duet songs, “Ceremony” and “Old Fashioned Singing.” Later on, they recorded “Let’s Build a World Together.” They had beautiful harmony in their singing, but the harmony in their marriage was getting a little off key. They were having some trouble getting along. They finally split up for a short while and then got back together.
Peanutt and I were on the road full time with George and Tammy at this time, and one day the two of them were nagging at each other. Peanutt heard George say:
“We’ve got to hold on, Tammy.”
What George said stuck in Peanutt’s head. That night, we got back to the motel and checked in. George had been drinking a little and so had Peanutt. Tammy was pretty irritated at both of them and didn’t mind letting Peanutt know that she was hacked at them. Once we got checked into our room, Peanutt thought he needed to do something to get Tammy back into his good graces. He decided to go down to the lounge. He had just enough alcohol in his system to make him ornery. He took a seat at the bar and started thinking about Tammy getting on him, so he decided to retaliate. He ordered a round of drinks for all the other folks sitting in the bar and had the bill put on Tammy’s tab. It was over three hundred dollars. He wasn’t worried at the moment about what he’d done because he was getting back at her. It was when he got back to the room and reality hit him that he got worried about it.
“I’ve got to do something to keep Tammy from getting all over me,” Peanutt said to me.
I told him that he did it, so he would have to fix it. I was really aggravated with him; not only for what he did, but because he was drinking. Tammy didn’t want him drinking; especially, when he and George were together.
Peanutt came up with a great idea of how to make amends to Tammy and keep her from chewing out his rear end. He picked up his guitar and started singing, “We’re Gonna Hold On.” He had thought of what George said to Tammy that day on the bus and wrote the song. Peanutt couldn’t wait to let George and Tammy hear it.
The first thing the next morning, Peanutt took his guitar to their room. We sat on the side of the bed.
“Tammy,” Peanutt said, “I’ve got a song going that will be a great duet for you and George. I want to play it for you.”
Peanutt began to sing, and George had a fit over it. George and Peanutt couldn’t wait, so they finished it before Peanutt and me had left the room. Peanutt knew he and George had written another good song, and he also knew he was off the hook with Tammy.
We were all on the bus leaving Jamestown, Pennsylvania, and Tammy came up to the front wearing a half-cocked smile:
“Peanutt, did you have a good time last night?”
Peanutt grinned at her and said,
“Yeah Tammy, I did, but I’m sorry for what I did to you.”
“That’s okay Peanutt,” Tammy replied, “but don’t you ever do that again.” Peanutt was ashamed of what he did, but nothing else was said about it.
Later on, it became one of Tammy’s favorite stories to tell, and she’d laugh about it as she’d tell it.
In 1973, George and Tammy recorded Peanutt’s song, “We’re Gonna Hold On.” It was their first number one duet. The lyrics spelled out the truth about them. Their marriage was shaky, but both were desperately trying to make it work. The song was perfect for them, and the fans knew it. It said exactly what the fans wanted to hear. They had been hearing about the split and all that stuff, so it gave them hope that George and Tammy would make it. People who loved George and Tammy were concerned about them. They were one of America’s favorite soap operas, and people wanted to know every detail of their lives because George and Tammy were an all American dream couple together. They had everything going for them, but they were together all the time. They were on the road together, at home together, recording together, and I think both needed some room to breathe.
Tammy didn’t trust George because of his drinking. She was afraid to be away from him because she knew he’d mess up. She had to think about whether he’d be out and not come back in time to leave for their next concert dates. It posed a big problem for her. She worried all the time about their relationship. She tried as hard as she could to keep the marriage functioning.
I think that George loved Tammy, but he wanted to stretch his wings. In order to do that, he’d find excuses to get away from the house. He’d tell Tammy he was going to the barbershop and once he was gone, he stayed gone. He wouldn’t come home sometimes for a couple of days. Tammy would be furious. She’d pack up the kids and take them out to the farm at Spring Hill where her mother and stepfather lived. Sometimes she’d stay there until George called. Then again, sometimes she’d hide out from him for a day or two. When he did return home, she wouldn’t be there and he’d call around but couldn’t find her. It became like a cat chasing a mouse. The situation became worse when George would not show up for performances. Tammy and the band would take off and leave George behind. Tammy would do the performances by herself and try to explain why George was not there. She’d make excuses for him. It got to the point where she didn’t know what to expect. Sometimes George would fly to the dates and show up just in time for the concert. The marriage was becoming more and more stormy, and nobody knew what would happen next.
In the beginning of the marriage, they were both so happy. Tammy was exactly what George needed, and George was exactly what Tammy needed. George thought Tammy could do anything. She was a good singer, she could write hit songs, she could harmonize, she was an extremely good cook, and she was a good mother. She had given him a daughter, Georgette. He thought, “What My Woman Can’t Do, Can’t be Done.”
Tammy had the same feelings about George. He knew how to decorate a home better than a woman could. He was a legend. He could sing, write, and pick a guitar. He was good to her girls. He was the perfect man, but they became restless. Tammy was always looking at homes. She’d take George to see this house and that house, and they never stayed at one place very long before they would move on. It seemed that when they encountered problems, they’d run off and leave them all behind.
Tammy knew George liked to decorate. She felt that it would be exciting for George if they would move, and it would give him something to do that he really enjoyed. A change would keep them both busy and would provide a new atmosphere. Tammy also knew that George got tired of the same old walls. He liked changes; especially, in his everyday life. George had to stay busy. Tammy wanted to keep him involved with things that kept him at home. That worked, but only until the job was done. Tammy ran out of schemes to keep George busy. Tammy also became tired of the effort she was putting forth to make things work for them. She finally developed an attitude. She kept thinking,
“Who the devil does he think he is? Why do I have to chase after this man, why ain’t he chasing after me?”
She thought she had as much to offer as he did. She was right about that. I had much sympathy for Tammy, and I had equal sympathy for George. They had everything anyone would ever dream about: beautiful homes, cars, fancy buses, expensive clothes, fine jewelry, lake homes, farm houses, hit records, good children, and plenty of money. They had everything you could want but happiness. America’s Country Music dream couple became miserable.
Tammy’s emotions finally got her to the point that she had to take a stand against George. She’d do little things that she knew would upset him. I think this started happening once she had made her mind up that she wasn’t going to put up with him. She came to a point where it really didn’t
matter anymore. She was tired. She was also having some stomach trouble and was in and out of the hospital a lot. She became dependent on pain pills. The pills did not help her when she had her mood swings, and she’d do something that would irritate George off to the core. She felt it was her turn to nag and pick at him, and she did. There were a couple of lady friends that were always supporting Tammy by putting George down. They were close to Tammy, were also employed by Tammy, and were right up Tammy’s nose in everything she did.
I never thought George and Tammy would actually get a divorce. I thought they’d fuss and feud but would work it out before they would actually file. I think their desire to be independent plus the fact they were both spoiled by the luxuries afforded by their careers would eventually be their undoing.
George and Tammy first lived in George’s house after they married. They then moved to Tammy’s house because it had more room. Next, they moved to Lakeland, Florida to the house George received in the divorce settlement from his first wife, Shirley. They left that house and moved to an antebellum home on 40 acres just outside of Lakeland. It was on this property that they built the Old Plantation Music Park. George loved that park. He worked continuously on the project ensuring that it would be ready to open for regular concerts. He wanted to settle down there and do his own thing. He wanted to curtail his performances, get off the road, and promote the music park.
The Legend of George Jones: His Life and Death Page 8
