| I Am What I Am | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1984 | |||
| Venue | Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Country, rock | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Ron Chancey | |||
| Jerry Lee Lewis chronology | ||||
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I Am What I Am is Jerry Lee Lewis' second album for MCA, released April 1984. [1] It was his first album since 1967 to fail to hit the US album charts. [2]
The second and last album Jerry Lee Lewis made for MCA records failed to make an impression on the album charts. It was his first album since Soul My Way in 1967 that would not reach the US album charts. [2] As his first MCA album, it was produced by Ron Chancey. The album included many ace studio musicians and offered a similar mix of a few uptempo rock 'n' roll and many slower country songs as its predecessor. Some tunes were new and written for the occasion, but others dated back decades; the oldest one ("I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover") was first recorded in 1927. Many lyrics cover well-known territory for Jerry Lee, boasting his independent lifestyle (in the title song co-written by his long-time guitar and fiddle player Kenny Lovelace), his love for women in "Get Out Your Big Roll Daddy" (also recorded by Levon Helm, former member of The Band, in 1982) and a reminition about his "Honky Tonk Heart". Phoebe Lewis – his then 21 year old daughter with his former wife Myra Gale – is credited as one of the photographers of the album cover.
The year the album was released brought some highlights to the Killer's personal life. He married his sixth wife – Kerrie McCarver – [3] and managed to temporarily avoid conviction on charges of tax evasion. [4] He continued to suffer with his health, however, surviving two near death experiences in 1984 alone. [5] In 1987 the title song – featuring Ron Wood in the backing band would also lend its name to a TV-movie about Jerry Lee's life. [6]
The album did not make much impression on the charts or music critics, but received a short, partially favorable mentioning in Billboard : "If you can wade through all the chest-thumping and self-aggrandizing riffs Lewis so favors here, you'll find a lot of very moving performances, including such classic weepers as 'Careless Hands', 'Candy Kisses' and 'Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On'." [7] Jerry Sharpe in The Pittsburgh Press said that it "was appropriately named" given Lewis had not changed despite his personal troubles and his talent and ability remained unchanged saying the "album is tops. His dynamic enthusiasm is so contagious that same studio musicians who back up dozens of performers sound a little better behind ole Jerry Lee." [8] Another review at the time stated that Lewis "quieted down" slightly, but the album was still "unmistakably" him. [9] Other overall regarded the album as just moderately favorable but laud his covers of classic songs adjusted to fit his particular style. [10] [11] [12] Paul W. Dennis, in a 2012 review, notes the number of covers and refers to it as "being an album of country covers". [13] Jimmy Guterman is least impressed in his 1991 biography on Jerry Lee Lewis, rating the MCA recordings tired and listless. [14]
Both MCA albums were long out of print, with songs only appearing on compilation albums. To date, they do not feature on Spotify, probably due to the huge UMG fire in 2009 that destroyed the MCA master tapes of Jerry Lee Lewis and many other artists. [15] [16]
Strait Country is the debut studio album by American country music artist George Strait, released on September 4, 1981, by MCA Records. The album's traditional country music approach—a mix of Texas honky tonk and the Bakersfield sound—presented a sharp contrast to the dominating trends within country music at that time. The album includes the singles "Unwound", "Down and Out", and "If You're Thinking You Want a Stranger ". The album peaked at number 26 on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Strait Country has been certified platinum by the RIAA. The album was one of the first to be recorded and mixed digitally.
High-Tech Redneck is an album by American country music singer George Jones. It was released in 1993 on the MCA Nashville Records label and went Gold in 1994.
Last Man Standing is the 39th studio album released by American recording artist, pianist, and rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis in September 2006. The album consists of duets between Lewis and some of the biggest names in both rock and country music, past and present. The title derives from the generation of 1950s Sun Studios recording artists such as Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley; all of whom had died, leaving Lewis the "last man standing". Lewis died in October 2022. Following the success of the album, a DVD Last Man Standing Live was released featuring similar duets with famous artists.
Mark Nelson Chesnutt is an American country music singer and songwriter. Between 1990 and 1999, he had his greatest chart success recording for Universal Music Group Nashville's MCA and Decca branches, with a total of eight albums between those two labels. During this timespan, Chesnutt also charted twenty top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, of which eight reached number one: "Brother Jukebox", "I'll Think of Something", "It Sure Is Monday", "Almost Goodbye", "I Just Wanted You to Know", "Gonna Get a Life", "It's a Little Too Late", and a cover of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". His first three albums for MCA along with a 1996 Greatest Hits package issued on Decca are all certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); 1994's What a Way to Live, also issued on Decca, is certified gold. After a self-titled album in 2002 on Columbia Records, Chesnutt has continued to record predominantly on independent labels.
Honky Tonk Attitude is the third studio album by American country music artist Joe Diffie. Released in 1993, it features the singles "Honky Tonk Attitude", "Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox ", "John Deere Green", and "In My Own Backyard", which respectively reached #5, #3, #5, and #19 on the Hot Country Songs charts. The song "If I Had Any Pride Left at All" was later recorded by John Berry on his 1995 album Standing on the Edge, from which it was released as a single.
"You're Lookin' at Country" is a country music song written and made famous by Loretta Lynn in 1971. The song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and reached #1 on the Canada Country Tracks chart on RPM.
Jewel of the South is an album by the American country music artist Rodney Crowell. Released in 1995, it was his second and last album under the MCA Records label. Like its predecessor, it failed to chart on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Only one track, "Please Remember Me", was released as a single; it reached No. 69 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Tim McGraw would release a successful cover of the song on his 1999 album A Place in the Sun that hit No. 1 in the United States and Canada, as well as reaching No. 10 on The Billboard Hot 100.
"There's a Honky Tonk Angel (Who'll Take Me Back In)" is a song best known for the 1974 recording by American country music artist Conway Twitty, who took it to number 1 on the Hot Country Singles chart. The song was written by Troy Seals and Denny Rice and originally released on Troy Seals' 1973 debut album Now Presenting Troy Seals.
Moonshine in the Trunk is the eleventh studio album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released on August 25, 2014, by Arista Nashville. It became Paisley's eighth album to hit No. 1 on Billboard's country chart.
She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me) is the ninth album by Jerry Lee Lewis. It was released on Smash Records in 1969.
She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye is the 13th album by pianist and singer Jerry Lee Lewis. It was released on Mercury Records in 1970.
Country Songs for City Folks is the fifth studio album by Jerry Lee Lewis released on the Smash label in 1965.
There Must Be More to Love Than This is an album by Jerry Lee Lewis that was released on Mercury Records in 1971.
Touching Home is an album by Jerry Lee Lewis that was released on Mercury Records in 1971.
Would You Take Another Chance on Me? is an album by Jerry Lee Lewis that was released on Mercury Records in 1971.
Live at the International, Las Vegas is a live album by Jerry Lee Lewis that was released on Mercury Records in 1970.
Boogie Woogie Country Man is the 30th album by Jerry Lee Lewis released on Mercury Records in 1975.
When Two Worlds Collide is a studio album by the American musician Jerry Lee Lewis, released on Elektra Records in 1980.
Honky Tonk Time Machine is the thirtieth studio album by American country music artist George Strait. It was released on March 29, 2019, via MCA Nashville. The album's first single, "Every Little Honky Tonk Bar", was released to radio on February 11, 2019.
My Fingers Do The Talkin' is Jerry Lee Lewis' first album for MCA, released in January 1983. The album peaked at No. 62 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.