"Marty Gray" | ||||
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Single by Billie Jo Spears | ||||
from the album Country Girl | ||||
B-side | "True Love" | |||
Released | June 1970 | |||
Recorded | April 1970 | |||
Studio | Jack Clement Recording (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
Genre | Country [1] | |||
Length | 2:43 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Songwriter(s) | Walter Woodward | |||
Producer(s) | George Richey | |||
Billie Jo Spears singles chronology | ||||
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"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 .
In 1969, Billie Jo Spears had her first commercial success with the song, "Mr. Walker, It's All Over". [2] The song was about sexual harassment in the work place and would inspire a series of follow-up recordings that addressed social issues. [3] Among them was the song "Marty Gray", which described a girl named Marty Gray who had an unexpected teenage pregnancy with a boy named Jimmy Barker. [4] [5] The song was composed by Walter Woodward and was recorded by Billie Jo Spears in April 1970. The session was produced by George Richey at the Jack Clement Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee. [6]
"Marty Gray" was released as a single by Capitol Records in June 1969. It was backed on the B-side by a cover of Cole Porter's "True Love". It was distributed as a seven-inch vinyl record. [6] The track entered the American Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in July 1970. Spending 14 weeks there, it peaked at number 17 in September 1970. It became the second song of Spears's to enter the Billboard top 20. [7] On Canada's RPM Country Tracks survey, the song reached the number 27 position. It was her third charting single in Canada. [8] "Marty Gray" was included on Spears's 1970 studio album titled Country Girl . [9]
7" vinyl single [6]
Chart (1970) | Peak position |
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Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [8] | 27 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [10] | 17 |
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.
"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.
"Daddy, I Love You" is a song recorded by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was written by Jerry Foster and Bill Rice. Released as a single in 1969, it reached the top 40 of the American country chart, along with charting on the Canadian country chart. It was included on Spears's studio album titled With Love, Billie Jo Spears.
"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.
"It Could 'A Been Me" is a song recorded by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was composed by Jerry Chesnut and Walter Woodward. Released as a single, the track reached the top 30 of the American country chart in 1971. It was among several top 40 singles Spears had in the late sixties and early seventies decades.
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.
"Silver Wings and Golden Rings" is a song recorded by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was written by Roger Bowling and Larry Butler. Released as a single, the track reached the top 20 of the North American country charts in 1975. It was also released on Spears's 1975 album titled Billie Jo.
"Silver Wings and Golden Rings" is a song recorded by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was composed by Molly Ann Leikin and Gloria Sklerov. It was released as a single and reached the top 20 of the North American country charts in 1975. The song was included on Spears's 1975 studio album titled Billie Jo.
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.
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.
What I've Got in Mind is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in June 1976 via United Artists Records and was the ninth studio album of her career. The disc contained a total of ten tracks, mixing both original recordings with cover tunes. Among its tracks were three singles: the title track, "Misty Blue" and "Sing Me an Old Fashioned Song". Both the title song and "Misty Blue" reached the top five of the North American country charts. "Sing Me an Old Fashioned Song" was released overseas where it made chart positions internationally. The album itself reached the top ten on the American country albums chart and the top 50 of the UK Albums chart. Country Music People gave the disc a positive review.
"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.
"If You Want Me" is a song written by Kenny O'Dell that was originally recorded by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. Released as a single by United Artists Records, the song reached the top 20 of the North American country charts in 1977. It was released on Spears's 1977 studio album titled If You Want Me.
"Lonely Hearts Club" is a song originally recorded by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was composed by Gene Simmons, Roger Bowling and Larry Butler. It was released as a single via United Artists Records in 1977, reaching the top 20 of the American country chart and the top ten of the Canadian country chart. It served as the title track of Spears's 1978 studio album.
"I've Got to Go" is a song originally recorded by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was written by Roger Bowling and Larry Butler. Released as a single in 1978 by United Artists Records, the song reached the top 20 of the American country chart and the top 30 of the Canadian country chart. It was spawned from Spears's 1978 studio album titled Lonely Hearts Club.
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.
"Rainy Days and Stormy Nights" is a song written by Charlie Craig that was originally recorded by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. The track was one of three singles spawned from her 1979 studio album titled I Will Survive. The song reached the top 30 of the American country chart and the top 20 of the Canadian country chart.
"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.
Standing Tall is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in February 1980 via United Artists Records and contained ten tracks. The collection contained cover songs along with new material. Of its new recordings were two singles: the title track and "Natural Attraction". The title tune was a top 20 single on the American country chart and a top ten single on the Canadian country chart. The album reached the top 70 of the American country albums chart and received positive reviews from critics.