Background
Soon after Starday had been completely taken in by Mercury in December 1959, the small Eastern Texas label was allowed to compile songs by Mercury artists as well as Starday artists. George Jones became a prime example, the talented young singer left Starday during the confusion, and began recording with Mercury. There, he took off, charting a Top 10 single multiple times every year since signing. An incredible #1 hit in "White Lightning" was released in early 1959, and during this time, Starday was on its knees.
After the merger, Starday president, Don Pierce, began producing multiple albums to publish featuring Jones' recordings with Starday and Mercury that never charted or wasn't previously included on an LP. This one, The Crown Prince of Country Music, was the first of the releases. Three would ultimately be released, and include many early Jones gems.
The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet originating in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The group was founded in 1943 as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in Southern gospel during the 1950s. Their name was changed to the Oak Ridge Boys in the early 1960s, and they remained a gospel group until the mid-1970s, when they changed their image and concentrated on country music.
Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released rock, funk, R&B, doo wop, soul music, blues, pop, rock and roll, and jazz records. In the United States, it is operated through Republic Records; in the United Kingdom and Japan, it is distributed by EMI Records.
Hello, I'm Dolly is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on September 18, 1967, by Monument Records. The album was produced by Fred Foster. It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album spawned two top 40 hits, "Dumb Blonde" and "Something Fishy", which peaked at numbers 24 and 17, respectively.
Lonzo and Oscar were an American country music duo founded in 1945 originally consisting of Lloyd "Lonzo" George (1924–1991) and Rollin "Oscar" Sullivan (1919–2012), best known for being the first to perform the 1948 song "I'm My Own Grandpa". George departed in 1950, and Lonzo was later portrayed by Johnny Sullivan (1917–1967) from 1950 to 1967 and by David Hooten from 1967 to 1985, when the band retired. Lonzo and Oscar owned a record label, a recording studio, and a music publishing company. The recording studio and the record label were called "Nugget". The music publishing company was called "Lonzo and Oscar (BMI)". Melba Montgomery's first recordings were released on Nugget Records in the late 1950s through the early 1960s. The songs which Starday Records released by Melba Montgomery in the 1960s came from Nugget Records. Harlan Howard recorded an album with Nugget Records. Danny Harrison, Melba Montgomery, and Darnell Miller wrote for Lonzo and Oscar's publishing company, Lonzo and Oscar (BMI).
Ollie Imogene "Jean" Shepard was an American honky-tonk singer-songwriter who is often acknowledged as a pioneer for women in country music. Shepard released a total of 73 singles to the Hot Country Songs chart, one of which reached the number-one spot. She recorded a total of 24 studio albums between 1956 and 1981, and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1955.
Roy Frank Drusky, Jr. was an American country music singer and songwriter popular from the 1960s through the early 1970s. Known for his baritone voice, he was known for incorporating the Nashville sound and for being one of the first artists to record a song written by Kris Kristofferson. His highest-charting single was the No. 1 "Yes, Mr. Peters", a duet with Priscilla Mitchell.
Margaret Louise Ebey, known professionally as Margie Singleton, is an American country music singer and songwriter. In the 1960s, she was a popular duet and solo recording artist, working with country stars George Jones and Faron Young. Singleton had her biggest hit with Young called "Keeping Up with the Joneses" in 1964. She managed a successful solo career in the 1960s.
Sings Country and Western Hits is the 1961 country music studio album released in May 1961 by George Jones. The album was Jones' tenth studio album release since his debut LP in 1956. It would be one of his last with Mercury Records, as he switched to United Artists in late 1961.
George Jones Salutes Hank Williams is the 1960 country music studio album released in May 1960 by George Jones. The album was the ninth studio LP release, and was recorded in one session. The album has been reissued multiple times since its release, including the tracks being reused on many compilations.
White Lightning and Other Favorites is a studio album released by George Jones on May 26, 1959. Its title track "White Lightning" was a #1 Country hit in 1959.
Country Church Time is the sixth studio album released by George Jones on January 20, 1959. The LP includes multiple early gospel recordings by Jones on Starday.
Long Live King George is a 1965 country music album released by George Jones. The album was long thought to be a studio release; however, it is a late Starday Records compilation of Jones recordings throughout the mid- to late 1950s.
Grand Ole Opry's New Star is the debut studio album released by George Jones in November 1956 with Starday Records. Produced by Jones' manager Pappy Daily, the album was recorded during early sessions in 1954, throughout 1955, and other sessions in 1956. It is also the first album to be released on the Starday label, a label only four years old.
The albums discography of American country artist, George Jones contains 80 studio albums, 132 compilation albums, three live albums, ten video albums and seven box sets. Of his studio albums, 69 are solo releases while 11 are collaborative releases. In 1956, Jones's debut studio LP was issued on Starday Records titled, Grand Ole Opry's New Star. The label only issued one studio effort, but would release a series of compilation. On Mercury Records, Jones released six studio LP's including Country Church Time (1959) and George Jones Salutes Hank Williams (1960). He switched to the United Artists label in 1962, where he released 13 studio LP's. Among these was a collaborative LP with Melba Montgomery called What's in Our Hearts (1963), which was his first to chart the Billboard Top Country Albums survey. He moved to Musicor in 1965. Among the label's studio LP's was I'm a People (1966), which reached the top of the Billboard country survey. Musicor also issued his first collaborative studio album with Gene Pitney, which made the Billboard country LP's chart and the Billboard 200.
"Why Baby Why" is a country music song co-written and originally recorded by George Jones. Released in late 1955 on Starday Records and produced by Starday co-founder and Jones' manager Pappy Daily, it peaked at 4 on the Billboard country charts that year. It was Jones' first chart single, following several unsuccessful singles released during the prior year on Starday.
Blue & Lonesome is a compilation album by American country music artist George Jones released in 1964 on the Mercury Records label.
"Seasons of My Heart" is a song written by George Jones and Darrell Edwards. The song was released as the b-side to the #4 hit "Why Baby Why" in 1955. The song was also recorded by Johnny Cash and, released in 1960, it became a #10 hit.
George Jones Sings is a compilation album released by George Jones in May 1957. The album didn't chart well; however, it plays many of his best early recordings.
The Fabulous Country Music Sound of George Jones is the 1962 country music compilation album released by George Jones in August 1962. the album compiled a series of previously-released tracks. It contains songs dated back to 1955 while with Starday, to his second #1 hit with Mercury in 1960.
Stars of the Grand Ole Opry is fourteenth studio album by American country music artist Jan Howard. It was released in April 1981 via First Generation Records and was produced by Pete Drake. It was Howard's first studio album to be released in five years and her only album to be recorded with the First Generation label. The album spawned one single upon its release. In addition, the album has been reissued in both compact disc and music download formats since its initial release.
