Country Boy (Don Williams album)

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Country Boy
Country Boy (Don Williams album).jpg
Studio album by
Don Williams
ReleasedSeptember 13, 1977
Genre Country
Label ABC-Dot
Producer Don Williams
Don Williams chronology
Visions
(1977)		Country Boy
(1977)		Expressions
(1978)
Singles from Country Boy
  1. "I'm Just a Country Boy"
    Released: 1977
  2. "I've Got a Winner In You"
    Released: 1978
  3. "Rake and Ramblin' Man"
    Released: 1978

Country Boy is the seventh LP by American country singer and songwriter Don Williams. Released on September 13, 1977 on the ABC-Dot label, [1] the album reached number nine on the US Country Albums chart. [2] Country Boy was the second of two Don Williams albums released in 1977, along with Visions , which was released first, in January. [3] Three singles were released from the album, and all three were top ten country chart hits: "I'm Just a Country Boy" was released first in 1977, [4] and was Williams' second consecutive number one hit (following "Some Broken Hearts Never Mend"). The following two singles released in 1978 were "I've Got a Winner In You," which reached number seven, and "Rake and Ramblin' Man," which reached number three. [5]

Contents

Background

Don Williams spent the summer of 1977 touring in road shows with Jerry Jeff Walker, Waylon Jennings and Emmylou Harris, and splitting his time recording in the studio. [6] Willams produced the album himself, and contributed writing on some of the songs. [7]

The single "I'm Just a Country Boy" was released in August 1977 in advance of the album, and in the Billboard review for the single it was described as:

Beautiful, soft arrangement of the old evergreen should take Williams back to No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles chart and perhaps establish him on the Hot 100 pop chart...instrumentation kept mainly in the background, focusing attention on the flawless Williams delivery. [4]

The prediction was correct, and by the week before the release of the album, the single went from #51 to #2 on the Billboard hot country singles chart. [8] Williams' record label, ABC/Dot developed a strategy to cross market Williams to the US Pop market, and "I'm Just a Country Boy" was released to pop stations that played both country and rock music. [9]

Shortly before the release of the Country Boy album, it was announced that Don Williams was a finalist for best male vocalist by the CMA Awards. [6] In October it was announced that Williams would also perform on the 11th annual CMA Awards, hosted by Johnny Cash. [10]

Upon release of the album in September, he embarked on a short tour of England before returning to the US to play Las Vegas in November. [11] Williams was especially popular in England and Europe in 1977, where he collected a gold and silver album awards for Visions, Harmony and You're My Best Friend. [12] The decision to market him to a mainstream American audience was in large part driven by his unexpected success in Europe. [9]

Track listing

from the original vinyl [1]

Side A

  1. "I'm Just a Country Boy" (Fred Hellerman, Marshall Barer) - 3:01
  2. "Louisiana Saturday Night" (Bob McDill) - 2:20
  3. "Overlookin' and Underthinkin'" (D. Lay, Don Williams, Joe Allen) - 3:26
  4. "Sneakin' Around" (Bob McDill) - 2:40
  5. "Look Around You" (Bill Joor, Buck Lindsey) - 2:55

Side B

  1. "I've Got a Winner In You" (Don Williams, Wayland Holyfield) - 2:34
  2. "Rake and Ramblin' Man" (Bob McDill) - 2:50
  3. "Too Many Tears (To Make Love Strong)" (Jim Rushing) - 3:18
  4. "It's Gotta Be Magic" (Don Williams) - 2:48
  5. "Falling In Love" (Bob McDill, Wayland Holyfield) - 2:15

Personnel

Source: [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Country Boy: Don Williams". Internet Archive. February 26, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Artist Chart History – Don Williams". Billboard . Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  3. ↑ Stambler, Irwin (2000). Country Music: The Encyclopedia. New York: St. Martins. p. 539. ISBN   0312151217.
  4. 1 2 "Billboard's Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. August 20, 1977.
  5. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 463–464. ISBN   978-0-89820-177-2.
  6. 1 2 Wood, Gerry (September 3, 1977). "Finalists Tabbed for CMA Awards" (PDF). Billboard. pp. 82–83.
  7. ↑ "Billboard's Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard. October 1, 1977.
  8. ↑ "Billboard Hot Country Singles" (PDF). Billboard. September 10, 1977.
  9. 1 2 "Crossover? ABC/Dot Devises Campaign to Popularize Don Williams" (PDF). Billboard. September 24, 1977.
  10. ↑ "Cash Heads CMA Talent" (PDF). Billboard. October 8, 1977. p. 74.
  11. ↑ Nelson, Pat (August 27, 1977). "Nashville Scene" (PDF). Billboard. p. 66.
  12. ↑ "Williams Clicks" (PDF). Billboard. September 17, 1977 – via World Radio History.
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