Product Description

This book tells the history of one of America's most popular soft drinks, Mountain Dew. The 300 page book brings you from the drink's earliest beginnings in 1946 all the way through to today's newer drinks like Mountain Dew LiveWire and Code Red. Learn about the Hatfield/McCoy feud that has been brewing for years over the bragging rights to Mountain Dew. This book gives you detailed information on who invented Mountain Dew, when they did it, and the progress of the drink through the years. We start you in Johnson City, TN where you meet Charlie Gordon, Jim Archer and Bill Kilber of "Charlie, Jim and Bill" fame. Did you know that Mountain Dew started out tasting like 7Up until Bill Bridgforth changed the taste to the flavor we know today? From Tennessee we head to Marion, VA to meet Billy Jones and learn about the Tip Corporation. Then on to Lumberton, NC where you meet the massive Minges clan that still controls Pepsi in North Carolina. And then back to Knoxville on a hillbilly roller coaster ride of who did what and when. Learn about the arm wrestling match (literally) with Pepsi Corporate for fifteen million dollars to win the rights to Mountain Dew. Learn why 900 bottles have different names and how Willy the Hillbilly got his name AND you will even get to meet the real live Willy. This book and historic pictures will definately tickle yore innards!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #531112 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-26
• Released on: 2007-02-26
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 332 pages

Customer Reviews

Facinating History of one of America's favorite drinks
As a major collector of Mt Dew bottles and items, I was glad to see such a comprehensive account of the Mt Dew soft drink. Most of this history has been unknown until now. Dick has gone to great lengths to research and interview those who were involved with the formulation of this brand. The many pictures and personal accounts add to the overall enjoyment and add great interest to the reader. All three of Dick's Mt Dew books are a must have for anyone interested in Mt Dew or the post WWII development of the soft drink industry in general.

Yahoo! A nostalgic look at the days before giant corporations.
This is a fascinating story, especially for those of us that live in the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina area. This book leaves no stone unturned in the search for the origin of what is now one of the most populat beverages in the U.S. Before Coke & Pepsi controlled most of the soft drink market, there were several regional bottlers in this area. This book is a great history lesson, as it brings you back to the time when drinks came in a bottle that you returned to the store, where there was often a cooler filled with ice cold water & the drinks were hung by their neck and you had to rearrange some of them to get to the flavor you wanted. Excellently researched, this is a fun read for just about anyone. It'll tickle your innards!

WOW !!! This book was long overdue!
WOW !!! This book was long overdue. What a fascinating story of America's
third best selling soft drink. The book calls the story "a Hatfield and
McCoy feud of the braggin' rights to Mountain Dew" and now I understand
exactly what they mean. This could easily be the basis for "Oh Brother How Art Thou II".

A true story where the main characters were hard working, hard drinking bottlers ... but they are also some of the quirkiest, funniest hillbillies I've ever met.

The book is an extremely interesting read whether you care about Mountain Dew or not. I would recommend it to anyone. The story, Mountain Dew, could easily pass as one of the most entertaining case studies I've read. The book is very well researched, well documented and includes great old B/W pictures from the early years of bottling.

Oh yeah ... I also wanted to know more about how Pepsi markets Mountain Dew today. And I did. I learned all about Code Red, Livewire, Amp etc ... I even learned what happened to Mountain Dew Code Blue.

Overall, a great read !!!