"Superb. . . . A work of cultural anthropology with an uncommon sweep. The book isn’t just about Jones and Wynette; it’s the story of the worlds they came from, and the world they made."

– Allison Stewart, Washington Post

"Have you been waiting for the one book that details the towering achievements and cringe-making catastrophes of the couple known as the King and Queen of Country Music? Were you also hoping for entire chapters on pinball machines, bullfighting, drag shows and the evolution of cowboy boots—as well as the poetry of William Blake and the exploits of Buffalo Bill? Look no further than Tyler Mahan Coe’s Cocaine and Rhinestones. . . . A beautiful, barmy book."

– David Kirby, The Wall Street Journal

"Coe brings the perspective of an industry insider and a scholarly attention to detail to the genre that molded him. . . . Fans of country music can now saddle up with Cocaine and Rhinestones for a ride through the shadowy past of shady recording-biz hawks, pinball addicts, and honky-tonk performers who were willing to risk everything for fame."

– Jim Beaugez, Garden & Gun

“A gifted storyteller with vast cultural knowledge, Coe has given readers not just a map, but a true treasure.”

– Kirkus Reviews

“[Tyler] is both a storyteller and a tenacious reporter, and he cuts through myth and hype in order to find truth and beauty and danger and other things that are at the heart of this music. He doesn’t glad-hand or favor trade. He’s after the real deal and won’t stop until he lands on it, until he conveys it to all of us in ways that haven’t been approached in the past. His show’s enormous success is proof that country music’s characters and history have relevance today.”

– Kyle Young, CEO, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum