County Music History, Bios & Memoirs

Coal Miner's Daughter

By: Loretta Lynn
Narrated by: Sissy Spacek
Length: 7 hours 56 minutes

New York Times bestselling author and Nashville legend Loretta Lynn tells the story of her rise from deep poverty in Butcher Holler, Kentucky, to the top of the male-dominated country music industry.
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Reissued for the 40th Anniversary of the Oscar-winning, Sissy Spacek-starring film of the same name, Coal Miner's Daughter recounts Loretta... Read more

Energy Follows Thought

The Stories Behind My Songs

By: Willie Nelson, David Ritz & Mickey Raphael
Narrated by: Willie Nelson & Ethan Hawke
Length: 6 hours 41 minutes

For the first time ever, and to help celebrate his 90th birthday in 2023, American icon Willie Nelson provides the stories behind the lyrics of 160 of his favorite songs.From his earliest work in the 1950s to today, Willie looks back at the songs that have defined his career, from his days of earning $50 each to his biggest hits, from his less... Read more

The Hag

The Life, Times, and Music of Merle Haggard

By: Marc Eliot
Narrated by: Marc Eliot
Length: 17 hours 50 minutes

The definitive biography of country legend Merle Haggard by the New York Times bestselling biographer of Clint Eastwood, Cary Grant, The Eagles, and more.Merle Haggard was one of the most important country music musicians who ever lived. His astonishing musical career stretched across the second half of the 20th Century and into the first two... Read more

Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust

My Friendship with Patsy Cline

By: Loretta Lynn
Narrated by: Patsy Lynn Russell
Length: 4 hours 58 minutes

Discover the "important and inspiring" and never-before-told complete story of the remarkable relationship between country music icons Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn (Miranda Lambert).

Loretta Lynn and the late Patsy Cline are legends—country icons and sisters of the heart. For the first time ever Loretta tells their story: a celebration of their... Read more

Country Music

A Very Short Introduction

By: Richard Carlin
Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
Length: 4 hours 2 minutes

Country Music: A Very Short Introduction presents a compelling overview of the music and its impact on American culture. Country music has long been a marker of American identity; from our popular culture to our politics, it has provided a soundtrack to our national life. While traditionally associated with the working class, country's appeal is... Read more

My Black Country

A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future

By: Alice Randall
Narrated by: Alice Randall
Length: 11 hours 10 minutes

Alice Randall, award-winning professor, songwriter, and author presents “a celebration of all things country music” (Ken Burns) as she reflects on her search for the first family of Black country music.

Country music had brought Alice Randall and her activist mother together and even gave Randall a singular distinction in American music history:... Read more

The Grand Tour

The Life and Music of George Jones

By: Rich Kienzle
Narrated by: John Pruden
Length: 8 hours 16 minutes

In the vein of the classic Johnny Cash: The Life, this groundbreaking work explores the wild life and extraordinary musical career of “the definitive country singer of the last half century” (New York Times), who influenced, among others, Bob Dylan, Buck Owens, Emmylou Harris, John Fogerty, George Strait, Alan Jackson, and Garth Brooks.In a... Read more

Dolly Parton, Songteller

My Life in Lyrics

By: Dolly Parton
Narrated by: Dolly Parton
Length: 5 hours 17 minutes

A Recorded Books Audio Original production of songs and stories performed by Dolly herself, Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics goes beyond the glitz, glamour, and rhinestones to the warmth, heart, and soul of a treasured pop-culture icon.

In this exclusive audio performance, the ten-time Grammy Award–winning artist weaves her words with... Read more

Willie, Waylon, and the Boys

How Nashville Outsiders Changed Country Music Forever

By: Brian Fairbanks
Narrated by: Tyler Darby
Length: 13 hours 47 minutes

The tragic and inspiring story of the leaders of Outlaw country and their influence on today’s Alt-County and Americana superstars, tracing a path from Waylon Jennings’ survival on the Day the Music Died through to the Highwaymen and on to the current creative and commercial explosion of Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Zach Bryan, Jason Isbell,... Read more

A Song For Everyone

The Story of Creedence Clearwater Revival

By: John Lingan
Narrated by: John Lingan
Length: 8 hours 50 minutes

The definitive biography of Creedence Clearwater Revival, exploring the band's legendary rise to fame and how their music embodied the cultural landscape of the late '60s and early '70s

From 1969 to 1971, as the United States convulsed with political upheaval and transformative social movements, no band was bigger than Creedence Clearwater... Read more

Life's Too Short

A Memoir

By: Darius Rucker
Narrated by: Darius Rucker
Length: 6 hours 11 minutes

""Darius has always been one of my favorite people to sing with and to call a friend in this industry and yet even knowing him well for as long as I have, there are so many incredible stories in Life's Too Short that I enjoyed learning for the first time.”—Sheryl Crow*A NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller*A raw, heartfelt memoir from Darius Rucker, the... Read more

Outlaw

Waylon, Willie, Kris, and the Renegades of Nashville

By: Michael Streissguth
Narrated by: John Pruden
Length: 7 hours 36 minutes

Waylon Jennings. Willie Nelson. Kris Kristofferson. Three renegade musicians. Three unexpected stars. Three men who changed Nashville and country music forever.By the late 1960s, Nashville, Tennessee, was firmly established as the center of the booming country music industry and home to what was known as the Nashville Sound, characterized by... Read more

Waylon - Abridged

An Autobiography

By: Waylon Jennings & Lenny Kaye
Narrated by: Waylon Jennings
Length: 2 hours 58 minutes

Waylon Jennings relates the story of his life as a country music star. His beginnings were poor but he became Buddy Holly's protege before sinking into drug abuse and 3 failed marriages. His success came when he met his present wife, Jessi Colter. Read more

Forever and Ever, Amen

A Memoir of Music, Faith, and Braving the Storms of Life

By: Randy Travis
Narrated by: Rory Feek
Length: 9 hours 45 minutes

A riveting tale of unfathomable success great joy deep pain, and  redemption that can come only from above. From a working-class background in North Carolina to a job as a cook and club singer in Nashville to his "overnight success" with his smash 1986 album Storms of Life--which launched the neotraditional movement in country music--Randy's... Read more

Cocaine and Rhinestones

A History of George Jones and Tammy Wynette

By: Tyler Mahan Coe
Narrated by: Tyler Mahan Coe
Length: 26 hours 5 minutes

From the creator of the acclaimed country music history podcast Cocaine & Rhinestones, comes the epic American saga of country music’s legendary royal couple—George Jones and Tammy Wynette.

By the early 1960s nearly everybody paying attention to country music agreed that George Jones was the greatest country singer of all time. After taking... Read more