Michael Webb Pierce was an American honky-tonk vocalist, songwriter and guitarist of the 1950s, one of the most popular of the genre, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the decade.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1954.
"Stand by Your Man" is a song recorded by American country music artist Tammy Wynette, co-written by Wynette and Billy Sherrill. It was released on September 20, 1968, as the first single and title track from the album Stand by Your Man. It proved to be the most successful record of Wynette's career, and is one of the most familiar songs in country music. The song was placed at number one on CMT's list of the Top 100 Country Music Songs.
"Ruby Baby" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by the Drifters. Their version was released as a single by Atlantic Records in 1956. It peaked at No. 10 on the US Hot R&B chart.
"I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" is a song, written by Cecil Null.
"Color Him Father" is a song written by Richard Lewis Spencer and recorded by American rhythm and blues group the Winstons. It was released in 1969 as their debut single for Metromedia and was a No. 7 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 that year, representing the Winstons' highest entry there. A cover by American singer Linda Martell on Plantation Records also charted in the same year, reaching No. 22 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
"Detroit City" is a song written by Danny Dill and Mel Tillis, made famous by Billy Grammer, country music singer Bobby Bare and Tom Jones. Bare's version was released in 1963. The song — sometimes known as "I Wanna Go Home" — was Bare's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart that summer, and became a country music standard.
"Back Street Affair" is a song written by country singer Billy Wallace and Nashville songwriter Jimmy Rule, and released by Wallace in April 1952.
"(I'd Be) A Legend in My Time" is a song written and recorded by Don Gibson in 1960. It appeared as the B-side of his hit "Far Far Away", from the album Sweet Dreams. Gibson re-recorded the song on the 1972 album Country Green.
"You Win Again" is a 1952 song by Hank Williams. In style, the song is a blues ballad and deals with the singer's despair with his partner. The song has been widely covered, including versions by Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, the Grateful Dead, Charley Pride, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones.
"Making Believe" is a country music song written by Jimmy Work. Kitty Wells recorded a chart-topping version in 1955. The song is on many lists of all-time greatest country music songs and has been covered by scores of artists over the past fifty years, including Thorleifs, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Don Gibson, Roy Acuff, Lefty Frizzell, Wanda Jackson, Connie Francis, Ray Charles, Anita Carter, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, Ernest Tubb, Skeeter Davis, The Haden Triplets, Social Distortion and Volbeat. The song is occasionally called "Makin' Believe".
"We Had It All" is a song written by Troy Seals and Donnie Fritts and originally recorded by Waylon Jennings on his 1973 album, Honky Tonk Heroes. It has since been covered by many artists, including Rita Coolidge, Dobie Gray, Susan Jacks, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Conway Twitty, Ray Charles, Scott Walker, Green On Red, and Dottie West.
Love Theme from "The Godfather" is the twenty-ninth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released on March 21, 1972, by Columbia Records. The two new songs on what was otherwise another LP of covers of hits by other artists were the title track and "Music from Across the Way", which came from the songwriters behind his recent hits "Happy Heart" and "(Where Do I Begin) Love Story".
"Hard to Forget" is a song recorded by American country music singer Sam Hunt. It is the fourth single from his second studio album Southside. Hunt wrote the song with Ashley Gorley, Josh Osborne, Luke Laird, and Shane McAnally. The song contains a sample of Webb Pierce's 1953 hit "There Stands the Glass", whose writers Russ Hull, Audrey Grisham, and Mary Jean Shurtz are also credited.
"That Heart Belongs to Me" is a country music song written and recorded by Webb Pierce. It was released in 1952 on the Decca label. In June 1952, the song reached the No. 1 spot on the Jockey chart. It peaked at No. 2 on the Juke Box chart and No. 5 on the Best Seller chart. In Billboard's year-end country chart for 1952, it ranked No. 20.
"Even Tho" is a country music song recorded by Webb Pierce. The song was co-written by Pierce, Willie Jones, and Curt Peeples. It was released in 1954 on the Decca label.
The Ways of Life is a studio album by American country singer–songwriter Hank Locklin. It was released in July 1963 via RCA Victor Records and was produced by Chet Atkins. The Ways of Life was Locklin's seventh studio album in his recording career and contained 12 tracks of new material. Among its songs was the song "We're Gonna Go Fishin'," which became a hit on the American country charts and abroad in the United Kingdom.
There Stands the Glass is a studio album by country music singer Carl Smith. It was released in 1964 by Columbia Records. The album consists of Smith's covers of songs made famous by Webb Pierce.
Song Bird is a studio album by American country music artist Margo Smith. It was released in July 1976 via Warner Bros. Records and was produced by Norro Wilson. Songbird was the third studio recording of Smith's music career. The album contained a total of ten tracks, including the single release, "Save Your Kisses for Me." The album would reach chart positions and the single would become a major hit.
The World of Tammy Wynette is a compilation album by American country artist Tammy Wynette. It was released in May 1970 via Epic Records and contained 20 tracks of previously recorded material. The album comprised a series of recordings that originally appeared on Wynette's studio albums but were not issued as a singles. Some of the album's material were covers of songs first recorded by other music artists. It was originally issued on two separate discs and was later re-released in 2009. The World of Tammy Wynette appeared on both the Billboard country albums chart and the pop chart. The disc received mixed reviews from critics.
