Cocaine & Rhinestones is a podcast about country music history by Tyler Mahan Coe. The 14-episode first season debuted in October 2017. The show received acclaim, and in early 2018 was the top music podcast on iTunes.
Each episode focuses on some mystery about country music; first season topics included the controversy over Loretta Lynn's recording of "The Pill", the meaning of Merle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee", and the musical relationship of the Louvin Brothers. The show's exhaustively researched episodes present a glimpse inside the machinery of country music, tell colorful stories about recording artists, songs, and songwriters, and evaluate competing versions of the truth. While the show is not overtly political, sexism in the country music industry is a recurring theme.
Episodes can be longer than 90 minutes, and each features a "liner notes" commentary segment at the end, with Coe providing "clarifications and corrections" as well as bibliographical information. In addition to hosting, Coe is the sole researcher, writer and producer, without outside sponsorship. Coe said each episode in Season 1 took "about 100 hours" to complete.
Coe is the son of country musician David Allan Coe and grew up in the industry. He was the rhythm guitarist for his father's band from the age of 15 until 2013, when the elder Coe fired the entire band "in a fit of pique". In 2018, while working on the second season of the show, Coe was granted access to the archives of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Season two, which focuses on George Jones, debuted in April 2021, with episodes being released every two weeks. Coe also hosts the Your Favorite Band Sucks podcast alongside Mark Mosley. The podcast's second season was adapted into a book, Cocaine & Rhinestones: A History of George Jones and Tammy Wynette, featuring illustrations by Wayne White, published in September 2024.
Episodes
Season One Ep. number Title Length Release date1Ernest Tubb: The Texas Defense48:57October 24, 20172The Pill: Why Was Loretta Lynn Banned?52:08October 31, 20173The Murder Ballad of Spade Cooley1 hourNovember 7, 20174Bobbie Gentry: Exit Stage Left1 hour and 44 minutesNovember 14, 20175Breaking Down Merle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee"1 hour and 4 minutesNovember 21, 20176The Louvin Brothers: Running Wild1 hour and 37 minutesNovember 28, 20177"Harper Valley PTA," Part 1: Shelby S. Singleton1 hour and 11 minutesDecember 5, 20178"Harper Valley PTA," Part 2: Jeannie C. Riley1 hour and 15 minutesDecember 12, 20179"Harper Valley PTA," Part 3: Tom T. Hall1 hour and 32 minutesDecember 19, 201710Buck Owens & Don Rich, Part 1: Open Up Your Heart1 hour and 31 minutesDecember 26, 201711Don Rich & Buck Owens, Part 2: Together Again1 hour and 58 minutesJanuary 2, 201812Wynonna1 hour and 57 minutesJanuary 9, 201813Rusty and Doug Kershaw: The Cajun Way2 hours and 1 minuteJanuary 16, 201814Ralph Mooney: The Sound of Country Music1 hour and 25 minutesJanuary 23, 201815Season One Q&A1 hour and 22 minutesFebruary 6, 2018
Season Two Ep. number Title Length Release date1Starday Records: The Anti-Nashville Sound2 hours and 13 minutesApril 20, 20212Owen Bradley's Nashville Sound2 hours and 17 minutesMay 4, 20213The Nashville A-Team2 hours and 16 minutesMay 18, 20214White Lightning1 hour and 39 minutesJune 1, 20215Wandering Soul: George Jones, Starday Recording Artist1 hour and 30 minutesJune 15, 20216All to Pieces: George Jones, Phase II1 hour and 41 minutesJune 29, 20217Pappy Daily, Gene Pitney and How George Jones Came to Be on Musicor2 hours and 16 minutesJuly 13, 20218Dallas Frazier: Can't Get There From Here2 hours and 1 minuteJuly 27, 20219Loneliness Surrounds: Virginia Wynette Pugh1 hour and 43 minutesAugust 10, 202110Stand by Your Man: The Anti-Feminist Manifesto1 hour and 54 minutesOctober 26, 202111Being Together: The George Jones & Tammy Wynette Story1 hour and 50 minutesNovember 9, 202112Loved It Away: Tammy Wynette, On Her Own1 hour and 35 minutesNovember 23, 202113Billy Sherrill’s Nashville Sound2 hours and 48 minutesDecember 7, 202114Divorce/Death: He Stopped Loving Her Today, The Grand Tour & A Good Year for the Roses2 hours and 14 minutesDecember 21, 202115Hell Stays Open All Night Long: George Jones, Phase III1 hour and 47 minutesJanuary 4, 202216Another Lonely Song: The Tammy Wynette & George Richey Story2 hours and 20 minutesJanuary 18, 202217Choices: George Jones' Last Run2 hours and 43 minutesFebruary 1, 202218Glenn1 hour and 36 minutesFebruary 15, 2022
See also Music podcast List of history podcasts
References
External links