Hunt, Roy Cullen and Sid Richardson. So many of these names are plastered on buildings around the state, but I have never really known much about the people themselves. A very compelling and interesting "history" of the big four "wealthy beyond your wildest dreams" Texans. Really enjoyed the gossipy but true life adventures. Individually, John Rich and Big Kenny are first-rate musicians, songwriters, producers, entertainers. Together, they are one of the most truly original musical forces ever unleashed on a welcoming world. Release of the music video for "Redneck Woman" by Gretchen Wilson, with appearances by Big & Rich, Tanya Tucker, Hank Williams Jr., and Kid Rock. I didn't make it to the extensive explanation of big oil's impact on the nation's politics bu. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! West Texans were positively orgasmic. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. It's particularly strong on the early years of H.L. So often "group biographies" jump like crazy, so you don't ever get a good feel for the people themselves, but that isn't the case here. Wow, just finished. This is the story of Texas oil: famous wells that launched it all like Spindletop and Santa Rita #1 (which unlocked the Permian Basin); the "Big Four" oilmen - Cullen, Hunt, Murchison, and Richardson - who came to represent the state and its culture and its growing wealth; the afterlives of those men as they branched in to politics and the rise of Lyndon Johnson; their fall from grace from associating too closely with McCarthy. "What's not to enjoy about a book full of monstrous egos, unimaginable sums of money, and the punishment of greed and shortsightedness?" These were powerful men/families that through their immense wealth influenced Texas and the country both socially and politically. A few others are thrown in as other illustrations of the swaggering, egotistical, ill educated and small minded men who were lucky, ruthless and tenacious at a time when there was little in Texas beyond some sagebrush and skinny, malnourished cattle grazing on thousands of acres of brush and mesquite trees. Refresh and try again. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. The perseverance is admirable but otherwise they didn't strike me (as of halfway through) as particularly admirable. We’d love your help. Interesting, entertaining, but the authors apparent disdain for the Big Rich is at times to apparent. 1,808 likes. These tend to be on the geographical fringe; places like Alaska, Maine and Texas. Or even if you don't. 35 likes. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Thom Kingston, self-professed, highly competitive, problem-solver, shares all-things Spidertrax, from Birfield rings to Spider 9’s and how one led to the next. Investment Management Company I didn't at all appreciate that Texas was a poor backwater until the 30s, and that only when real wealth began accumulating in Dallas and Houston in the 50s did Texas become an important economic force in the United States. For anyone who is interested in the oil and gas industry, particular in Texas, this book is a "must read." 37 synonyms of rich from the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, plus 61 related words, definitions, and antonyms. Growing up in Texas, the oil industry has always been looming in the background. .orange-text-color {color: #FE971E;} Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration. "The Big Broadcast was a pretty unusual show, content-wise, over 35 years ago. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. A clever writer for the New Yorker referred to them as Troglodyte genus Texana. I loved this book. I’ve been on a Texas binge lately. The duo first got exposure when ESPN featured their song, "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" on 2004's World Series of Poker. Burroughs discusses Roy Cullen, HL Hunt, Clint Murchison, and Sid Richardson. I love stories about people working from nothing to become successful but these guys all seemed to have stumbled on to oil mostly due to dumb luck and some amount of perseverance. Now I know who owned some of those houses I used to walk my. I recommend it if you're into that kind of story...of incredible wealth, made, spent, made again and how succeeding generations either squandered it or enhanced it. This book The Big Rich is a informative and interesting book about the life and fortunes made in the 1930s onwards by the Texas \oil barons worth a read fantastic book. Others are just so peculiar that they make for fascinating reading. The characters are larger than life, and the author really entwines their lives and their careers together to show the rise and fall of Texas Oil in all its glory. Highly recommend! The joys, sorrows and collapse of the Big Rich or the Big Four families of Texas oil. The early pages were a really interesting history of wildcatting for oil in Texas. The book isn't only about oil, but about the amazing development of a state in terms of economics and power at the national level. Vendetta: American Express and the Smearing of Edmund Safra, Dragonfly: NASA and the Crisis Aboard Mir, Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933–34. The answer, of course, is that all of these folks were men and women of their times and were very much in the mainstream of their era. The first part of the book was fascinating: how oil was found using various combinations of money, luck, intelligence, and chutzpah. The book tells the story of four Texas oil men and their families that made large fortunes in the oil industry: Hugh Roy Cullen, Clint Murchison, Sid Richardson and H.L. It's a fascinating tale of "do it yourself" and "wildcatting" and how fortunes are won and lost in the oil game. These are the backgrounds of the men who made Texas famous for oil and big money. Ships from and sold by Your comfort zone. Usually I would say 'I'll check it out' then forget about it. My book group selected this book for our February book. I would have preferred it so much more if it was presented as a collection of stories. Rich hit the big time when “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” off their triple-platinum 2004 debut became a Top 40 hit.The Bryan Burroughs' account of the fortunes of the Hunts, Murchisons, Cullens and Sid Richardson/the Basses is excellent - revealing (especially on the subject of Sid Richardson) without being either hagiographic or overly-scandal-mongering. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2017. Be warned, from Amazon reviews it sounds like some fact-checking could have been done. It's "ultra-conservative" this and "ultra-conservative" that over and over again. The insight into Texas politics was probably my favorite part - I didn't realize the strong antitrust fighting record or concerns over Eastern capital owning Texas resources and profit. I know this sounds shallow but I would have liked a few more photos of people and events. Anyway, I didn't really like the author's writing style and I kept re-reading sentences because they weren't clear. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. The men were political laughingstocks, he says over and over again. Phenomenal reviews and sales greeted the hardcover publication of The Big Rich, New York Times bestselling author Bryan Burrough's spellbinding chronicle of Texas oil. Really enjoyed the gossipy but true life adventures. The perseverance is admirable but otherwise they didn't strike me (as of halfway through) as particularly admirable. Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich, both of whom are songwriters, vocalists and guitarists. Big & Rich first hit the charts a mere five years before they released their Greatest Hits in 2009, but their presence was so pervasive it seems like they've been around twice as long. Ultimately, I recommend this. That America MIGHT owe them a debt of gratitude. Well, I think there's still new stuff to be discovered in here. The track "I Pray for You" was one of the first songs which Big Kenny and John Rich wrote together. So many of these names are plastered on buildings around the state, but I have never really known much about the people themselves. Before the duo's foundation, Rich was bass guitarist in the country band Lonestar, while Kenny was a solo artist for Hollywood Records. Just think of it - four families with a mass of wealth. Your selected delivery location is beyond seller's shipping coverage for this item. . This is the story of Texas oil: famous wells that launched it all like Spindletop and Santa Rita #1 (which unlocked the Permian Basin); the "Big Four" oilmen - Cullen, Hunt, Murchison, and Richardson - who came to represent the state and its culture and its growing wealth; the afterlives of those men as they branched in to politics and the rise of Lyndon Johnson; their fall from grace from associating too closely with McCarthy. Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2013. It was entertaining, though, even though I pretty much knew a lot of the stories about these unique guys. These are the backgrounds of the men who made Texas famous for oil and big money. I will never forget when HL Hunt's grandaughter moved to Midland in the 70s for a while. Weaving together the multigenerational sagas of the industry’s four wealthiest families, Burrough brings to life the men known in their day as the Big Four: Roy Cullen, H. L. Hunt, Clint Murchison, and Sid Richardson, all swaggering … Lots of family drama and political intrigue, as well as the fortunes won and lost along the way. However, the book does turn to run on quite a bit on parts that, frankly, I didn't think were that interesting. The book loses its way a bit with the big detour through the Glenn McCarthy story (which deserves its own book). These tend to be on the geographical fringe; places like Alaska, Maine and Texas. For all his trying Burrough doesn't have the same fluidity to his chronicle as Cornelius Ryan in The Longest Day which makes epic stories that cross generations such as these accessible and readable. Is it any wonder Texas oilmen inspired soap operas like "Dallas" and "Giant?" So often "group biographies" jump like crazy, so you don't ever get a good feel for the people themselves, but that isn't the case here. A couple I had actually worked for at one time or another. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. The Big Rich Show International. .orange-text-color {font-weight:bold; color: #FE971E;}View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look. It's a fascinating tale of "do it yourself" and "wildcatting" and how fortunes are won and lost in the oi. I didn't at all appreciate that Texas was a poor backwater until the. One oilman offered a school mineral rights on thousands of acres of his land, conditional on the school excluding black and Jews and teaching its students white supremacy. Together, they are one of the most truly original musical forces ever unleashed on a welcoming world. I am glad of Texas History way back in the seventh grade. Hunt and their families with occasional appearances by a "lesser" oil millionaires. A clever. Please try again. Most I can attribute to a personal connection (VA, NC, CA), because of what happens there (LA, NYC) or some combination (DC). Welcome back. Bryan Burroughs (co-author of Barbarians at the Gate) tackles some of the key creators of the modern Texas in the Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes. Don't you just love it! by Penguin Press HC, The. My family has interest in the East Texas Oil field and my Dad's great aunts grew up in Dallas and their kids grew up with HL Hunt's kids there. There is also the possibility that people like H.L Hunt, who were right about quite a few things where others were not, might possibly have been right about most of their political views, as well. Sadly,many of these families have devolved into the right-wing politicians and now have brought shame onto Texas. Burroughs tells a good, long story well. Got this book as a gift from my in-laws. Intriguing stories about the men (unfortunately mainly men) that I grew up hearing about in Texas. There was a problem loading your book clubs. Into stories of the Big Rich in question are mainly the Big four families Texas. Cowboys, brothers-in-arms in service to the great moments of long-delayed validation the! Is and if the reviewer bought the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders from the into...: Clint Murchison, and Sid Richardson they are one of the Big Rich in question are mainly the four. Also did n't strike me ( as of halfway through ) as particularly.! 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