| Songs for the Mama That Tried | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1981 | |||
| Recorded | Sound Emporium (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
| Genre | Country, gospel | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Merle Haggard | |||
| Merle Haggard chronology | ||||
| ||||
Songs for the Mama That Tried is a studio album by the American country music singer Merle Haggard with backing by the Strangers, released in 1981 by MCA Records. A gospel album, it reached No. 46 on the Billboard country albums chart. [1]
Songs for the Mama That Tried was Haggard's last principal release on MCA, having signed with Epic Records. The title alludes to Haggard's 1968 song "Mama Tried", a song which became a cornerstone of his career. Haggard had recorded a live gospel album in 1971 called The Land of Many Churches , but this set is dedicated to his mother Flossie, who was seventy-nine years old when she posed with Haggard on the cover of the LP. Produced by Haggard, the album features background harmonies from both his second wife, Bonnie Owens, and his then current wife, Leona Williams.
The album yielded no hit singles and was not a big seller. In his 1999 memoir My House of Memories, Haggard writes, "I love those songs as much as Mom did. I can't describe the comfort they've given me. I haven't listened to that album in years." [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
Writing in the 2013 book The Running Kind, Haggard biographer David Cantwell calls the album "perfect", praising the singer's "reverent, soulful singing." [4]
The album received five stars in the second edition of the Rolling Stone Record Guide . [5] [ better source needed ]
Side one
Side two
Credits adapted from LP liner notes. [6]
Musicians
Technical
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 46 |
Merle Ronald Haggard was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World is the eleventh studio album by Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers, released in 1970.
Branded Man is the fourth studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers. It was released on Capitol Records in 1967.
Big City is the thirty-third studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard backed by the Strangers, released in 1981. It was his debut on the Epic label after ending his association with MCA. Big City peaked at number three on the Billboard Country Album charts and number 161 on the Pop Album charts. It is an RIAA-certified Gold album.
Going Where the Lonely Go is the thirty-fifth studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers, released in 1982.
I'm a Lonesome Fugitive is the third studio album by Merle Haggard and the Strangers released on Capitol Records in 1967.
Mama Tried is the seventh studio album by American country music singer and songwriter Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released on Capitol Records in 1968. It reached number 4 on Billboard's country albums chart. The title song was one of Haggard's biggest hit singles and won the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.
Pride in What I Am is the eighth studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers released in 1969 on Capitol Records.
A Portrait of Merle Haggard is the tenth studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released September 2, 1969.
The Way I Am is the thirtieth studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard, released in 1980.
Back to the Barrooms is the thirty-first studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard, released in October 1980. He is backed by Norm Hamlet and Don Markham of The Strangers.
The Fightin' Side of Me is the second live album by Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1970. Like the song "Okie from Muskogee" led to a quickly released album, The Fightin' Side of Me was also quickly released because of the run of success of Haggard's patriotic hit single "The Fightin' Side of Me".
Let Me Tell You About a Song is the fourteenth studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1972. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard Country album chart and #166 on the Pop album chart. The lead-off singles were "Grandma Harp" and "Daddy Frank " — both reached No. 1.
The Land of Many Churches is the fifteenth studio album by Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released as a double album by Capitol Records in 1971.
I Love Dixie Blues is a live album by American country singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1973.
Merle Haggard Presents His 30th Album is the seventeenth studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1974. Contrary to the album's title, this was his 17th studio album; however, the number 30 included his six collaborative albums, three live albums, one 'live' gospel album, one Christmas album, and two greatest hits compilations up to that point.
Ramblin' Fever is a studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard, released in 1977. It was his first on the MCA label after recording for Capitol Records since 1965. It was also his first album without crediting the Strangers. It reached Number 5 on the Country album chart. Ramblin' Fever was reissued on CD in 2002.
That's the Way Love Goes is the thirty-eighth studio album by the American country music singer Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers, released in 1983.
Rainbow Stew Live at Anaheim Stadium is a live album by American country music artist Merle Haggard with backing by The Strangers. It was recorded in October 1980 and released in July 1981 on MCA Records.
Heart to Heart is a duet album by Merle Haggard and Leona Williams with backing by the Strangers, released in June 1983 on Mercury Records. It reached number 44 on the Billboard Country music chart.
