TAMMY WYNETTE > Legendary Performances

The paucity of prime Tammy Wynette performances on video ends in one remarkable swoop with this DVD, first in a new series based on tapes from The Country Hall of Fame & Museum’s vast archive. The 15 carefully-culled performances cover the full Wynette story, from hard honky tonk to soul.(Shout! Factory/Country Music Foundation)
[Rating: 4 Stars]

The paucity of prime Tammy Wynette performances on video ends in one remarkable swoop with this DVD, first in a new series based on tapes from The Country Hall of Fame & Museum’s vast archive. The 15 carefully-culled performances cover the full Wynette story, from hard honky tonk to soul, and from a surprising 1967 turn on Loretta Lynn’s “Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’” to a hilarious “Cowboys Don’t Shoot Straight” from 1981, and four duets with George Jones. “Stand By Your Man” is handled in an unusually subtle, subdued version where Tammy’s seated, then she shows contemporary divas how to nail those big ballads on ” ‘Til I Can Make It On My Own.” Television versions of many of her hits (“Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad,” “I Don’t Wanna Play House”) have been virtually impossible to see; they’re delivered here with notably crisp video and sound quality. On one of several charming and revealing interviews with Tammy included, she describes herself as “an average woman with a different job.” Add “who happened to be an extraordinary performer.” That’s captured right here.