Jean Shepard was an American country singer who was considered by many writers and authors to be one of the genre's first significant female artists. Her early successes during the 1950s decade were said to influence the future careers of Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette.
The discography of American country singer Jean Shepard contains 29 studio albums, 12 compilation albums, two live albums, 1 box set album, 72 lead and collaborative singles, four promotional singles, two other charted songs and nine album appearances. Her first singles were released by Capitol Records in 1953, beginning with "Crying Steel Guitar Waltz". Her next two releases featured vocals by Shepard and a recitation by Ferlin Husky. The first was "A Dear John Letter", Shepard's only number one single on the US Hot Country Songs chart. It also reached number four on the US pop chart and number three in Australia. The second was "Forgive Me, John", which reached the US country top five, the US pop top 30 and the Australia top 20. In 1955, her solo singles "A Satisfied Mind" and "Beautiful Lies" both reached number four on the US Hot Country Songs chart. Their B-sides also charted on the US country chart: "Take Possession" and "I Thought of You". The latter peaked in the US country top ten.
Songs of a Love Affair is the debut studio album by American country artist Jean Shepard. The album was released in May 1956 on Capitol Records and was produced by Ken Nelson. The release has been said to have been one of country music's first concept albums in history and also one of the first to be released by a female country music artist. The album's concept focused on an extramarital love affair between a husband and another lover. The album is told from the point of the view of the wife. The disc was released originally on vinyl, but later released on CD and to digital markets.
Lonesome Love is a studio album by American country artist Jean Shepard. The album was released in December 1958 by Capitol Records and was produced by Ken Nelson. It was another album released by another central theme, focused mostly on songs about lost love. The album was a collection of 12 tracks, featuring both new material and cover tunes. It was met with positive reviews from music publications following its release.
Heartaches and Tears is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released by Capitol Records in March 1962 with a total of 12 tracks. The tracks mixed both new material and cover tunes. Among its new tracks was the single "How Long Does It Hurt ". It was the fourth studio album of her career and fifth overall. The album was met with positive reviews from publications.
Bedtime Story is a studio album by American country artist, Tammy Wynette. It was released in March 1972 via Epic Records and contained 11 tracks. The disc featured both new recordings and cover tunes. Two singles were included: title track and "Reach Out Your Hand". Both made top positions on the North American country charts in 1972. The album itself reached the top ten of the American country albums chart following its release.
Praise the Lord is a studio album by American recording artist Wanda Jackson. It was released in March 1972 via Capitol Records and contained ten tracks. The project was Jackson's eighteenth studio recording and her first collection of gospel music. The album would be among a series of gospel recordings Jackson would make in her career following a rediscovery of religion. The album produced one single and received a positive review from Billboard in 1971.
I Wouldn't Want You Any Other Way is a studio album by American recording artist, Wanda Jackson. It was released in September 1972 by Capitol Records and contained ten tracks of country music. The album was Jackson's 19th release in her career. Four singles were spawned from the album including the title track.
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.
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.
I'll Take the Dog is a studio album by American country artists Jean Shepard and Ray Pillow. It was released in November 1966 by Capitol Records and was a collection of duets between the duo. The album's songs focused on marital conflicts and other themes. Its title track was a top ten single on the US country chart in 1966. The album itself reached the top 20 of the US country chart. The album was met with positive reviews from Cash Box and Record World.
Heart, We Did All That We Could is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in March 1967 by Capitol Records and featured 12 tracks. The album's material centered on heartbreak and despair. Six of the tracks were originally singles released between 1963 and 1967. Both "Second Fiddle " and "If Teardrops Were Silver" reached the US country top ten, while the title track reached the top 20. The album itself reached the US country top ten in 1967. The disc received positive reviews from both Billboard and Cashbox.
Seven Lonely Days is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in September 1969 by Capitol Records and was her fourteenth studio album. The ten-track collection featured several covers, including the title track. Released as a single, the title track reached the top 20 of the US country songs chart. The album itself also reached the US country albums survey. Seven Lonely Days received reviews from both music magazines and music websites following its release.
"I Want You Free" is a song written by Martha Sharpe and first recorded by American country singer Jean Shepard. Released as a single in 1970, it reached the top 40 of the US country songs chart. It was later included on Shepard's 1970 album A Woman's Hand and received reviews from two music publications following its release.
"With His Hand in Mine" is a song originally recorded by American country singer Jean Shepard. Released as a single in 1971, it reached the top 40 of the US country songs chart. It was later included on her 1971 album Just as Soon as I Get Over Loving You and received reviews from two music publications following its release.
A Woman's Hand is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in September 1970 by Capitol Records and was her sixteenth studio album. The collection of ten tracks featured a series of cover tunes by male country artists. Some of the songs were new material. Among them were its three singles: "Then He Touched Me", "I Want You Free" and the title track. Of the three, "Then He Touched Me" was its highest-charting, reaching the top ten on the US country chart. A Woman's Hand was reviewed positively by both Billboard and Cash Box magazines.
Here & Now is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in March 1971 by Capitol Records and was her seventeenth studio album. The album consisted of ten tracks, most of which were covers of songs from the era. Among them were recordings first made popular by Conway Twitty and John Denver. Its only single was a new recording titled "Another Lonely Night". The single reached the top 20 of the US country chart in 1971. Here & Now received positive reviews from both Billboard and Cash Box magazines.
Just Like Walkin' in the Sunshine is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in September 1972 by Capitol Records and was her nineteenth studio album. It would be Shepard's final Capitol album before moving to United Artists Records. Shepard was noticing a lack of attention towards her music from Capitol by this point and would even boycott recording sessions for the album until receiving more support from the company. Nonetheless, the album was completed and included three singles that peaked outside the US and Canadian country top 40 songs charts: "Safe in These Lovin' Arms of Mine", "Virginia" and the title track. It was given a positive review from Billboard following its release.
Slippin' Away is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released by United Artists Records in September 1973 and was her twentieth studio album. The album was named for Shepard's top five US and Canadian country single of the same name. The album itself was Shepard's first for United Artists after many years with Capitol Records. It received a positive response from both Billboard and Record World magazines.
Mercy, Ain't Love Good is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in August 1976 by United Artists Records and was her twenty fourth studio album. The project contained a total of ten tracks, including two singles for which the album's name was derived from: "Mercy" and "Ain't Love Good". Both reached the US country chart as did the album itself. The album was Shepard's final for the United Artists label.
