Reviewed by Tony Cummings

As music buffs will tell you, George's music is firmly encamped in the middle of the road, so unless you veer towards the Reeves, O'Donnell, etc end of country, a biography chronicling the veteran's five decades in showbiz is unlikely to send you rushing to the bookstore. As it turns out though, there is enough here to fascinate the pop music anorak as George recalls when sporting his first hit "A Rose And A Baby Ruth" he was marketed as a teen popster and sent on the road with those legendary '50s rock'n'roll package shows. There's also some telling material for those seeking a stirring spiritual testimony, like how the singer's encounter with the brutal oppression of Christians by Poland's communist authorities forced the singer to re-evaluate his attitudes. Also, clearly a hard working Harper Collins editor has managed to keep Paul's tendency to write in press release cliche down to bearable levels. All in all, a helpful biography of an artist who, though, to my mind, never in the frist ranks of either country or pop music, has done a Stirling job as a populariser of country crooning.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.