| Country-Folk | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Waylon Jennings and The Kimberlys | ||||
| Released | August 1969 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Waylon Jennings and The Kimberlys chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
Country-Folk is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings featuring the Kimberlys on vocals. It was released in 1969 on RCA Victor.
On Country-Folk, Jennings worked with producer Danny Davis, a New York City veteran who had produced Connie Francis and Nina Simone. RCA Victor executive Chet Atkins, who also produced Jennings' albums, had called Waylon's 1966 debut Folk-Country in an attempt to market the singer to this new, younger audience, and this idea continued on Country-Folk. Jennings, who was unhappy with the sound of his records at RCA Victor despite decent sales, butted heads with his new producer. In Michael Striessguth's book Outlaw: Waylon, Willie, Kris, and the Renegades of Nashville, Jennings guitarist Billy Ray Reynolds recalls, "Waylon liked Danny but the chemistry wasn't there. He [Davis] was a good guy but he had a little bit more of a New York attitude than Waylon was used to. They do things a little differently up there. They don't pull their punches." in his own memoir, Jennings agreed:
The Kimberlys were a quartet consisting of two brothers from Oklahoma and their wives, who are also sisters. The liner notes state that they were familiar to other musicians in the Las Vegas area. Jennings intended to gain for them a wider audience with this album. Three of the songs on the album are written or co-written by Harold Gay, one of the members. The album is best remembered for its version of Jimmy Webb's "MacArthur Park," which rose to #23 on the Billboard country charts and won a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group. In his autobiography, Jennings insisted he had a vision for the song from the start: "Danny and I got into it a couple of times over the arrangement. I knew exactly what I wanted the strings to do; I had to hum the parts. He probably had his own ideas. But the single got into the Top Twenty Five that fall...By then, everybody was more than happy to claim it was their idea." [3] Jennings also speculated that him broaching the idea of covering the song was when Chet Atkins "thought I was too far gone and turned me over to Danny." [3]
Country-Folk reached #13 on the Billboard country charts. In 2013 author Michael Streissguth noted, "To say the least, it was an unusual outing that spouted from Waylon's romance with Verna Gay Kimberly...Nothing recorded before or after in Waylon's discography sounded like this album. Monstrous orchestral arrangements alternated with a cherry folk that echoed the Seekers...Despite the Grammy, the album soon receded into country music trivia."
Chester Burton Atkins, known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician, occasional vocalist, songwriter, and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, Bob Ferguson and others, created the country music style that came to be known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country music's appeal to adult pop music fans. He was primarily known as a guitarist. He also played the mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and ukulele.
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as one of the founding pioneers of the Outlaw Movement.
The Taker/Tulsa is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released in 1971 on RCA Nashville. The LP rose to #12 on the Billboard country albums chart while the single "The Taker" was a Top 5 hit single.
Waylon Sings Ol' Harlan is a 1967 album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor. It consists completely of songs by Harlan Howard.
Folk-Country is the major-label debut album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released in 1966 on RCA Victor. It is his first collaboration with producer Chet Atkins.
Leavin' Town is Waylon Jennings' second album for RCA Victor, released in 1966. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard country albums chart.
Nashville Rebel is Waylon Jennings' third album for RCA Victor. It reached #4 on the Billboard country albums chart.
Hangin' On is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released in 1968 on RCA Victor.
Just to Satisfy You is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released in 1969 on RCA Victor.
Good Hearted Woman is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released in 1972 on RCA Nashville.
Ladies Love Outlaws is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Nashville in 1972. Together with Jennings' previous album Good Hearted Woman, it marks his transition toward his Outlaw Country image and style. "Ladies Love Outlaws" coined the use of the term "Outlaw" to refer to the country music subgenre, which was developing at the time of its release.
Lonesome, On'ry and Mean is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1973. It was, after Good Hearted Woman and Ladies Love Outlaws, the third in a series of albums which were to establish Jennings as one of the most prominent representatives of the outlaw country movement. Famous photographer Mick Rock shot the album's cover.
Honky Tonk Heroes is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released in 1973 on RCA Victor. With the exception of "We Had It All", all of the songs on the album were written or co-written by Billy Joe Shaver. The album is considered an important piece in the development of the outlaw subgenre in country music as it helped revive the honky tonk music of Nashville by injecting a rock and roll attitude.
Wanted! The Outlaws is a compilation album by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser, released by RCA Records in 1976. The album consists entirely of previously released material. Released to capitalize on the new outlaw country movement, Wanted! The Outlaws earned its place in music history by becoming the first country album to be platinum-certified, reaching sales of one million.
Waylon Live is a live album by Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1976.
Danny Davis was a country music band leader, trumpet player, vocalist and producer, best known as the founder and leader of the Nashville Brass.
Chet Atkins' discography is large and diverse. Not only did he release principal studio albums as a solo artist, he was a prolific and much sought-after collaborator. He also played as a sideman on many more. His major collaborations were with Hank Snow, Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra, The Country All-Stars, The Nashville String Band, Jerry Reed, Merle Travis, Doc Watson, Lenny Breau, Les Paul, Mark Knopfler, Suzy Bogguss, Floyd Cramer and Tommy Emmanuel. He frequently guested on a track or two with other friends. Several of his recordings won or were nominated for Grammy Awards.
The Words Don't Fit the Picture is the fourteenth studio album by country singer Willie Nelson.
A Country Star Is Born is the debut studio album by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. The album was released April 1970 off of RCA Victor, and was produced by Chet Atkins and Waylon Jennings.
"Just to Satisfy You" is a song written by American country music singers Waylon Jennings and Don Bowman in 1963. Jennings included the song in his performing repertoire, and on radio, where the song became a local hit in Phoenix, Arizona.