drummer Jerry Carrigan playing a snare drum with his hands, as instructed by producer Billy Sherrill. Released in May 1976 – 14 months after their real-life divorce – "Golden Ring" was the second George Jones-Tammy Wynette duet to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart that August. With its tale of a young couple's engagement, marriage, and bitter break-up, the song is arguably the one that is most closely identified with Jones and Wynette, whose tumultuous six-year marriage had ended in bitter recrimination. Country audiences, however, remained more fascinated with the couple than ever, with Eugene Chadbourne of AllMusic observing, "The chemistry that develops between partners in a male and female country music duo can sometimes be based on fantasy, as was obviously the case with Loretta Lynn and Ernest Tubb, who no country listener even imagined for a moment were romantically involved. Tammy Wynette and George Jones, on the other hand, did have a relationship." Like many of the duets that the two recorded when they were still husband and wife, "Golden Ring" resonated with an authentic sense of romantic tragedy and irresolution that was hauntingly similar to the real-life timbre of their troubled, on-again-off-again love affair. Jones, who at the time made no secret of the fact that he still carried a torch for his ex-wife, later addressed the issue of re-teaming with Wynette in his 1996 memoir by insisting, "That wasn't my idea. In fact, I hated to work with her. It brought back too many unpleasant memories, and when some fans saw us together, they got it in their heads that we were going to get back together romantically." It was precisely this romantic titillation that sparked their record sales, however, and they would record again at various times throughout the rest of the decade. Jones and Wynette re-recorded the song on Jones's 1994 album The Bradley Barn Sessions, an album which comprised re-recordings of Jones's material in duet form. A cover version was recorded by Jason Sellers as a duet with Pam Tillis on Sellers' 1998 album A Matter of Time. It has also been recorded by the Dry Branch Fire Squad bluegrass band. Ashton Shepherd and Daryle Singletary also covered it for Ashton's third album "This Is America" (2013). Charts Cover versions "Golden Ring" was covered by Jason Sellers and Pam Tillis. The song was included on Sellers' 1999 LP A