Country Girl | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 1970 | |||
Recorded | February – June 1970 | |||
Studio | Jack Clement Recording (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
Genre | Country [1] | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Producer | George Richey | |||
Billie Jo Spears chronology | ||||
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Singles from Country Girl | ||||
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Country Girl is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released on Capitol Records in August 1970 and contained ten tracks. It was the fifth studio album of Spears's career and featured original material along with cover tunes. Among its new recordings was the top 20 country single, "Marty Gray". The album received positive reviews from critics following its release.
Billie Jo Spears rose to commercial with a 1969 song about sexual harassment called "Mr. Walker, It's All Over". The top ten single was proceeded by a series of charting singles and other recordings at Capitol Records through the seventies. [2] "Mr. Walker, It's All Over" (and her previous work) had been produced by Kelso Herston. However, Spears began working with George Richey in 1970. Richey attempted to bring Spears in a pop direction. Country Girl was Spears's second album that was produced by Richey. [3]
The project was cut in sessions between February and June 1970 at the Jack Clement Recording Studio, located in Nashville, Tennessee. [4] Country Girl consisted of ten tracks. [1] Of its new material was the song "Marty Gray", which told the story of a teenage girl who has unexpected pregnancy. [5] Another new recording was Spears's self-penned "Part of You". Several of the tracks were covers of popular recordings of the era. Among them was Conway Twitty's "Hello Darlin'" and Elvis Presley's "The Wonder of You". Spears also covered Tammy Wynette's "I Stayed Long Enough", which first appeared on her 1969 album Stand by Your Man . [4] [6]
Country Girl was released in August 1970 by Capitol Records. It was the fifth studio album of Spears's career. It was distributed as a vinyl LP, containing five songs on both sides of the disc. [4] The album received positive reception from critics and writers. Billboard magazine called the tracks "Which Way You Goin' Billy" and "Yours Love" to be "excellent". The magazine concluded by saying, "This album will experience ample country music sales". [7] Alan Cackett of Country Music People called the production "simple and uncluttered". Cackett further commented, "The title neatly summed up Billie Jo and the selection showed her wide choice of material." [3] AllMusic later rated the album four out of five stars. [1]
Two singles were featured on the album. Its most successful was "Marty Gray", released in June 1970. [8] "Marty Gray" reached the top 20 of the American Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at number 17. [9] Spears's version of "I Stayed Long Enough" was released as a single in October 1970, [10] peaking at number 30 on the Hot Country Songs chart later that year. [9]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Marty Gray" | Walter Woodward | 2:43 |
2. | "Hello Darlin'" | Conway Twitty | 2:33 |
3. | "Part of You" | Billie Jo Spears | 2:02 |
4. | "The Wonder of You" | Baker Knight | 2:04 |
5. | "Yours Love" | Harlan Howard | 2:04 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Big Stick of Dynamite" | Lola Jean Dillon | 2:18 |
2. | "Heart Over Mind" | Mel Tillis | 2:30 |
3. | "Come on Home" | 2:21 | |
4. | "Which Way You Goin' Billy?" | Terry Jacks | 3:09 |
5. | "I Stayed Long Enough" | Tammy Wynette | 2:13 |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
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North America | August 1970 | Vinyl | Capitol Records | [4] |
Billie Jo Spears was an American country music singer. She was known for a series of singles whose characters often represented women in assertive positions. Among these recordings was a song about sexual harassment, and a song about rekindling sexual desire ".
Billie Jo is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released in October 1975 via United Artists Records and contained ten tracks. A mixture of new recordings and cover tunes were featured on the disc. Among them were the singles, "Stay Away from the Apple Tree" and "Silver Wings and Golden Rings". Both singles reached the top 20 of the North American country charts in 1975. The album itself reached the top 50 of the American country albums chart. It was the eighth studio album of Spears's career and her second with the United Artists label.
Stand by Your Man is a studio album by American country artist Tammy Wynette. It was released in January 1969 via Epic Records and contained 11 tracks. It was the fifth studio album of Wynette's career and was named for its title track. The title track became Wynette's signature song and most successful single of her career.
"Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" is a song written by Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton, and recorded by American country music artist Tammy Wynette. It was released in February 1967 as the first single and title track from the album Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad.
Wanda Jackson Country! is a studio album by American recording artist Wanda Jackson. It was released in February 1970 via Capitol Records and contained ten tracks. It was Jackson's fifteenth studio album released in her recording career and her fifteen with the Capitol label. The album included four single releases that made chart positions on the American country music survey: "By the Time You Get to Phoenix", "Everything's Leaving", "My Big Iron Skillet" and "Two Separate Bar Stools".
A Woman Lives for Love is a studio album by American recording artist Wanda Jackson. It was released in August 1970 via Capitol Records and contained ten tracks. It was the sixteenth studio album released in Jackson's career and the first to be solely-produced by George Richey. The album's title track, became a top 20 charting single on the American country chart prior to the album's original release. A Woman Lives for Love received a positive review from Billboard magazine in 1970.
The World of Tammy Wynette is a compilation album by American country artist Tammy Wynette. It was released in May 1970 via Epic Records and contained 20 tracks of previously recorded material. The album comprised a series of recordings that originally appeared on Wynette's studio albums but were not issued as a singles. Some of the album's material were covers of songs first recorded by other music artists. It was originally issued on two separate discs and was later re-released in 2009. The World of Tammy Wynette appeared on both the Billboard country albums chart and the pop chart. The disc received mixed reviews from critics.
"Mr. Walker, It's All Over" is a song written by Gene Crysler that was originally recorded by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released as a single via Capitol Records and reached the top ten of North American country charts in 1969. It also reached charting positions on the North American pop charts. The song described how a New York City secretary fought sexual harassment and discrimination in the work place. It became Spears's breakthrough commercial success and was followed by a corresponding album of the same name.
"Marty Gray" is a song written by Walter Woodward that was recorded by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. Released as a single in 1970, the song reached the top 20 of the American country chart. The song's theme centered around teen pregnancy and was among several recordings Spears recorded about social challenges. The track appeared on Spears's studio album, Country Girl.
"I Stayed Long Enough" is a song written and originally recorded by American country artist, Tammy Wynette. It first appeared as an album track on Wynette's 1969 album, Stand by Your Man. It was then recorded and released as a single by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. Her version reached the top 40 of the American country chart in 1970.
Mr. Walker, It's All Over! is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released in May 1969 on Capitol Records. It was the second studio album of Spears's career and her second with Capitol. The disc contained 11 tracks that mixed both original material with cover tunes. The title track was the only single featured on the disc. The song reached the top ten of the North American country charts, while also climbing to minor chart positions on the pop charts. The album itself reached charting positions on the American country survey. AllMusic gave the disc four of five stars in its review of the album.
Miss Sincerity is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released in November 1969 via Capitol Records and contained ten tracks. The disc featured several covers of popular songs of the era, along with several songs about social issues. Among the latter was the track "Stepchild", which was the only single included. Miss Sincerity was Spears's second to make the American country albums chart and was reviewed favorably by critics.
Just Singin is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released in February 1971 via Capitol Records and contained ten tracks. The album featured mostly cover recordings of popular country songs from the time period. Just Singin' was met with mixed reviews from critics following its release. It was her final album with the Capitol label.
"I'm Not Easy" is a song first recorded by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. Written by David Chamberlain and Jim Vest, it was released as a single in 1977 and became top 20 charting country single in the United States. The song also served as the title track to Spears's 1976 studio album.
I'm Not Easy is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in November 1976 via United Artists Records and contained 11 tracks. The disc featured many ballads, along with some uptempo tracks. Of its tracks, two singles were spawned: "Never Did Like Whiskey" and the title track. Both reached top 20 positions on the American country charts between 1976 and 1977. The disc itself charted on the American country albums chart and received mainly positive reviews from music publications.
The Voice of Billie Jo Spears is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in November 1968 via Capitol Records and contained 11 tracks. The disc mixed both new recordings with original material and featured her first charting single: "He's Got More Love on His Little Finger". It was the debut studio album of Spears's career and received positive reviews from critics.
If You Want Me is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. In the United Kingdom, the album was titled as Every Time I Sing a Love Song It was released on United Artists Records in June 1977 and contained ten tracks. Most of the album's material were new recordings, along with some cover tunes. It was the twelfth studio album of her career. Two singles were included on the disc: the title track and "Too Much Is Not Enough". Both reached the top ten and top 20 of the North American country charts in 1977. The album itself also charted on the American country albums survey. It received mixed reviews from critics.
Lonely Hearts Club is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in February 1978 via United Artists Records and contained 11 tracks. The album featured mostly new recordings, which included three singles: the title track, "I've Got to Go" "'57 Chevrolet". All three recordings reached the top 20 of the American country chart, while also reaching top positions in Canada. The album itself reached the American country albums chart. Lonely Hearts Club was met with positive reviews from critics.
"Standing Tall" is a song co-written by Larry Butler and Ben Peters. It was originally recorded by American country music artist Tammy Wynette on her 1978 album Womanhood. One of its most notable version is a version recorded by Billie Jo Spears shortly afterward. It was first cut for Spears's 1978 album and was re-recorded and released as a single in 1980. Spears's second version reached the top 20 of the American country chart and the top ten of the Canadian country chart. "Standing Tall" would later be re-recorded by several artists, notably Lorrie Morgan, who released her version as a single in 1995.
Only the Hits is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in February 1981 on Liberty Records and contained ten tracks. The project was a collection of cover tunes, which mixed both country and pop songs. Of its tracks were two singles: "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" and "What the World Needs Now Is Love". Spears's version of "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" reached the top 20 of the American country songs chart. Billboard magazine gave the album an unfavorable review following its release.