My Kind of Country is the eighth studio album by American country music singer Reba McEntire, released October 15, 1984. It was her second studio album for MCA Records. My Kind of Country peaked at No. 13 on Billboard's Country Music Albums chart. Two tracks from the album rose to No. 1 on the Country Singles chart: "How Blue" and "Somebody Should Leave".
I Have Returned was Ray Stevens' twenty-second studio album and his second for MCA Records, released in 1985. The pictures on both the front and the back of the album were taken in the Mississippi Sound near Biloxi, Mississippi according to the album credits. The cover depicts Stevens dressed as General Douglas MacArthur from World War II. "The Haircut Song" and "The Ballad of the Blue Cyclone" were released as singles from the album. "Santa Claus Is Watching You" is a re-recording of Stevens' 1960s pop single and was re-issued as a country single around the time of the album's release and was made into a popular music video.
Crackin' Up! was Ray Stevens' twenty-fourth studio album and his fourth for MCA Records, released in 1987. Three singles were lifted from the album: "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex", "Three-Legged Man" and "Sex Symbols", the last two of which did not chart.
Strait Out of the Box is the first box set album by American country music artist George Strait. It contains four albums' worth of music, dating from 1976 to 1995. It mainly consists of Strait's singles, except for a select few that he decided to exclude. They were replaced by his choice of album cuts and several studio outtakes. It also contains his three singles recorded in the 1970s for indie label D Records, one of which, "I Just Can't Go on Dying Like This", was re-recorded for Strait's 2013 album Love Is Everything.
The Music of Christmas is the first Christmas album and seventh studio album overall by American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman. It was released on September 26, 1995.
Born to Fly is the third studio album by American country music artist Sara Evans. It was released in October 2000 via RCA Records Nashville. The album produced four singles with its title track, "I Could Not Ask for More", "Saints & Angels", and "I Keep Looking", all of which reached within the Top 20 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The title track reached number one, "I Could Not Ask for More" and "I Keep Looking" both broke the Top 5 at numbers 2 and 5 respectively, and "Saints & Angels" peaked at number 16. Born to Fly has been Evans' highest-selling album to date, having been certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for U.S. sales of two million copies. The album was also one of the most successful of the year. Evans was nominated for five CMA Awards: Album of the Year; song, single, and music video ; and Female Vocalist of the Year. She won her first CMA award for music video of the year. The international version of the album includes a bonus track, "You", which was later released in North America as a bonus track on her 2005 album Real Fine Place. Born to Fly was a defining album for Evans. Her earlier albums had more of a neotraditional country sound, while all of her later albums had a more crossover-friendly country pop sound, similar to Martina McBride and Faith Hill.
He Thinks He's Ray Stevens was Ray Stevens' twenty-first studio album and his first for MCA Records, released in 1984. The front of the album cover shows Stevens spoofing French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. It was recorded in an effort to reestablish Stevens as a comic singer after a period in the early 1980s when he had focused mainly on serious material.
Surely You Joust was Ray Stevens' twenty-third studio album and his third for MCA Records. The album's front cover shows Stevens disguised as a medieval knight with a horse standing next to him. The album's back cover shows Stevens in the same costume but in a junk pile with two junk men. Three singles were lifted from the album: "Southern Air", "People's Court", and "Can He Love You Half as Much as I", the last of which did not chart.
Nobody's Angel is an album by the American country music singer Crystal Gayle. Released in September 1988, the album peaked at number 63 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart.
Where Your Road Leads is the seventh studio album by American country music singer Trisha Yearwood, released in 1998 by MCA Nashville.
Beside Myself was Ray Stevens' twenty-sixth studio album and his sixth for MCA Records, released in 1989. It includes the singles "I Saw Elvis in a UFO" and "There's a Star Spangled Banner." The album was also his last for MCA Records before he moved to Curb Records for his next studio album, 1990's Lend Me Your Ears.
Civilized Man is the ninth studio album by the British artist Joe Cocker, released in May 1984, his first on the Capitol label. It includes a cover of the 1981 Squeeze hit "Tempted", as well as "There Goes My Baby", a 1959 hit single from The Drifters.
Heart Over Mind is the twenty-first studio album by Canadian country pop artist Anne Murray. It was released by Capitol Records in the fall of 1984. The album peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Be Your Own Best Friend was Ray Stevens' sixteenth studio album as well as his fourth and final for Warner Bros. Records, released in 1978. The third track, "You've Got the Music Inside," is a re-recording of a track that was from Stevens' 1973 album Nashville.
Don't Laugh Now was Ray Stevens' nineteenth studio album and his third and final for RCA Records, released in 1982. The front of the album cover shows Stevens looking pensive and holding a comedy mask, while the back cover shows Stevens smiling and holding a tragedy mask. Two singles were lifted from the album: "Written Down in My Heart" and "Where the Sun Don't Shine," both of which became minor country hits.
#1 with a Bullet is the twenty-eighth studio album of American country and comedy singer Ray Stevens. It was released in June 1991. The album includes the singles "Working for the Japanese" and "Power Tools", which respectively reached numbers 62 and 72 on the Hot Country Songs charts. The album also includes a re-recording of "The Pirate Song," which was originally recorded for his 1986 album I Have Returned.
I Never Made a Record I Didn't Like is Ray Stevens' twenty-fifth studio album and his fifth for MCA Records, released in 1988. Two singles were lifted from the album: "Surfin' U.S.S.R." and "The Day I Tried to Teach Charlene Mackenzie How to Drive." The "Surfin' U.S.S.R." single was accompanied with a music video. The song blends the sound of the Beach Boys with the real world events of the Soviet Union. The second single tells the story of how Stevens attempts to teach a deaf woman how to drive. The character would play an important role several years later when Stevens filmed his direct-to-home video movie, Get Serious!. Connie Freeman portrayed Charlene Mackenzie in the movie.
Me was Ray Stevens' twentieth studio album and his third and final for Mercury Records, released in 1983. In 1982, Stevens returned briefly to Mercury to record this album before moving to MCA Records in 1984. The front of the album cover shows Stevens portraying a painter painting a self-portrait; while the back shows the finished portrait on a table along with a second self-portrait that is sketched by pencil, a cup filled with paint brushes, the paint tray, tubes of paint, a small glass filled with water and a rose, and a lamp. Two singles were lifted from the album: "Love Will Beat Your Brains Out" and "My Dad."
Perfume, Ribbons & Pearls is the second studio album by American country music group The Forester Sisters. It was released via Warner Bros. Records Nashville in 1986.
Winds of Change is the seventh studio album by singer-songwriter Russ Taff, released in 1995 on Reprise/Warner Bros. Nashville. It is Taff's first, and only, full-length mainstream country album. The title song and "I Cry" are the only two songs from his 1989 album The Way Home that he re-recorded for this album. The first country single "Love Is Not a Thing" debuted on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart on January 14, 1995, at number 64, peaking at number 53 on February 25, 1995, spending a total of 9 weeks. "One and Only Love" and "Bein' Happy" were also released as singles and music videos performing moderately well on country radio and CMT. Well-known country songwriter/producer/musician Randy Scruggs produced the album's first six tracks, while Taff and his long-time guitarist James Hollihan, Jr. produced the remaining four tracks.
