The View from Nashville

Over the past four decades, country-music DJ Emery has played the music of the genre's stars and interviewed them for his shows On the Air and Nashville Now. The armchair vignettes in this collection portray some of the artists Emery has met over the years: Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Carl Perkins, Ray Charles, Patsy Cline and many others. Perhaps because of Emery's friendships with many of his subjects, the portraits have an easygoing and nostalgic tone, an approach that has mixed results. His close relationship to his subjects often results in flat praise: Dolly Parton is ""the most extraordinary, larger-than-life star I've seen""; Brenda Lee ""is one of the funniest people I know."" He often refers to Vince Gill's humor, but his examples of the singer's jokes don't translate to the page. But Emery's insider role also results in very moving accounts of the tragedies he has witnessed, from untimely deaths to ruined careers. His elegiac profile of Conway Twitty offers a heartfelt appreciation for the prolific songwriter; his good-bye to Tammy Wynette recalls the singer's confrontation with Hillary Clinton, who has used the song ""Stand by Your Man"" as an example of subordinate femininity; and his chapter on Patsy Cline shows how her initial record contract forced her into poverty and, at times, debilitating depression. Emery assumes that his subjects are inherently interesting, a view that many, including country-music buffs, will share. Those looking for a well-rounded portrayal of the Nashville industry, however, may find Emery's View myopic. (Nov.)