Why Baby Why

Last updated
"Why Baby Why"
Why Baby Why GJ sgl.jpg
Single by George Jones
from the album Grand Ole Opry's New Star
B-side "Seasons of My Heart"
ReleasedSeptember 17, 1955
RecordedAugust 27, 1955
Studio Gold Star (Houston, Texas)
Genre Country, rockabilly
Length2:47 (original 1955 version) 2:16 (Unbridged Version)
Label Starday
Starday 202
Songwriter(s) Darrell Edwards
George Jones
Producer(s) Pappy Daily
George Jones singles chronology
"Hold Everything"
(1955)		"Why Baby Why"
(1955)		"What Am I Worth"
(1956)
"Why Baby Why"
Single by Charley Pride
from the album Charley Pride Live
B-side "It's So Good to Be Together"
Released1982
Genre Country
Length2:11
Label RCA
Songwriter(s) Darrell Edwards
George Jones
Producer(s) Norro Wilson
Charley Pride singles chronology
"You're So Good When You're Bad"
(1982)		"Why Baby Why"
(1982)		"More and More"
(1983)

"Why Baby Why" is a country music song co-written and originally recorded by George Jones. Released in late 1955 on Starday Records [1] and produced by Starday co-founder and Jones' manager Pappy Daily, [2] it peaked at 4 on the Billboard country charts that year. [1] It was Jones' first chart single, following several unsuccessful singles released during the prior year on Starday. [3] "Why Baby Why", has gone on to become a country standard, having been covered by many artists.

Contents

Recording and composition

Jones' recording session for "Why Baby Why" took place at Gold Star Studios in Houston, Texas and featured the house lineup of Glenn Barber on lead guitar, Herb Remington on pedal steel guitar, Tony Sepolio on fiddle, and Doc Lewis on piano. [4] [5] [6] The arrangement is upbeat honky tonk, [2] led by a fiddle that plays throughout the song. Overall, the song has been described as a classic of the "finger-pointin' cheatin' song". [7] In the liner notes to the retrospective Cup Of Loneliness: The Classic Mercury Years, country music historian Colin Escott observes that part of the song's appeal "lay in the way a Cajun dance number was trying to break free of a honky tonk song." Jones recorded the backing vocal himself, with help from innovative techniques from engineer Bill Quinn, after a planned appearance by more established singer Sonny Burns did not materialize due to the latter's drinking. According to the book George Jones: The Life and Times of a Honky Tonk Legend, Jones's frequent songwriting partner Darrell Edwards was inspired to write the words after hearing an argument between a couple at a gas station. [8] The lyric sets up the theme of the song:

Lord, I can't live without you and you know it's true
But there's no livin' with you so what'll I do
I'm goin' honky tonkin', get as tight as I can
And maybe by then you'll 'preciate a good man
Tell me why baby, why baby, why baby why
You make me cry baby, cry baby, cry baby cry

Credits and personnel

For the 1955 Original recording.

Reception

The single's early airplay occurred in Jones' home state of Texas, with Houston's country music station KIKK ranking it number one locally. [9] Their charts were sent to stations around the country, which began to pick it up as well, partially overcoming Starday's regionally limited distribution. [9] However, its progress on the chart was blunted by Red Sovine and Webb Pierce's cover duet, [1] which benefited from Decca Records' major label status and national distribution [9] and rose to number one on the chart over the 1955–1956 Christmas holiday period. [7] Jones's rendition was later included as the first track on his 1957 debut album Grand Ole Opry's New Star .

Cover versions

Since the release of Jones' rendition, "Why Baby Why" has been covered by several other artists, many of whom have also charted with it. Jones himself re-recorded it a couple of times as a duet; first with Gene Pitney for their It's Country Time Again! album released in 1966, and with Ricky Skaggs for the 1994 album The Bradley Barn Sessions which featured re-recordings of Jones' songs as duets with various artists. Two different versions of the song have reached Number One on the country charts, making it one of the only country songs to hold that distinction. Artists who have had country chart hits with renditions of this song include the following:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starday Records</span> Record label

Starday Records was an American record label producing traditional country music during the 1950s and 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honky Tonk Women</span> 1969 single by the Rolling Stones

"Honky Tonk Women" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was released as a non-album single on 4 July 1969 in the United Kingdom, and a week later in the United States. It topped the charts in both nations. The song was on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

"Cold, Cold Heart" is a country music and pop song written and first recorded by Hank Williams. This blues ballad is both a classic of honky-tonk and an entry in the Great American Songbook.

Woodrow Wilson "Red" Sovine was an American country music singer and songwriter associated with truck-driving country songs, particularly those recited as narratives but set to music. His most noted examples are "Giddyup Go" (1965) and "Teddy Bear" (1976), both of which topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Chesnutt</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1963)

Mark Nelson Chesnutt is an American country music singer and songwriter. Between 1990 and 1999, he had his greatest chart success recording for Universal Music Group Nashville's MCA and Decca branches, with a total of eight albums between those two labels. During this timespan, Chesnutt also charted twenty top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, of which eight reached number one: "Brother Jukebox", "I'll Think of Something", "It Sure Is Monday", "Almost Goodbye", "I Just Wanted You to Know", "Gonna Get a Life", "It's a Little Too Late", and a cover of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". His first three albums for MCA along with a 1996 Greatest Hits package issued on Decca are all certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); 1994's What a Way to Live, also issued on Decca, is certified gold. After a self-titled album in 2002 on Columbia Records, Chesnutt has continued to record predominantly on independent labels.

<i>Long Live King George</i> 1965 compilation album by George Jones

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.

<i>Grand Ole Oprys New Star</i> 1956 studio album by George Jones

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Jones albums discography</span>

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.

<i>Honky Tonk Boots</i> 2006 studio album by Sammy Kershaw

Honky Tonk Boots is an album released in 2006 by American country music artist Sammy Kershaw. His only release for the Category 5 Records album, it was also his first studio release since 2003's I Want My Money Back. The album's lead-off single, "Tennessee Girl", peaked at number 43 on the Billboard country charts in 2006. Honky Tonk Boots also reunited him with producers Buddy Cannon and Norro Wilson, who co-produced his first four albums.

"The Window Up Above" is a song written and originally recorded by American country music artist George Jones. The version recorded by Jones peaked at number #2 on the country charts and spent a total of 34 weeks on the chart. It became a #1 smash for Mickey Gilley in 1975.

<i>Blue & Lonesome</i> (George Jones album) 1964 compilation album by George Jones

Blue & Lonesome is a compilation album by American country music artist George Jones released in 1964 on the Mercury Records label.

"Color of the Blues" is a 1958 country song written by George Jones and Lawton Williams and released by Jones on January 15, 1958.

"Pictures from Life's Other Side" is a traditional song popularized by Hank Williams under the pseudonym "Luke the Drifter." It was released on MGM Records in 1951.

"You All Goodnight" is a song by George Jones. Jones wrote the song with Marge Broadway and it was released as his third single on Starday Records, released on September 25, 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Play It Cool, Man</span> 1954 single by George Jones

"Play It Cool, Man" is a song by George Jones. It was released as his second single on May 29, 1954 on Starday Records. It is the oldest recording to be included on his debut album in 1956.

"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.

"What Am I Worth" is a 1956 country music song released by George Jones, co-written by Jones and Darrell Edwards. The song was released on January 14, 1956 and was one of the fourteen songs included on Jones' debut album with Starday Records in 1957.

"Ragged But Right" is a traditional American song dating from the early 1900s. It was recorded by George Jones and released in 1956 as "I'm Ragged But I'm Right". The song is considered one of Jones' best early works, and it was included on his debut 1957 album.

"Don't Stop the Music" is a song written and recorded by George Jones. It was his first single release on Mercury-Starday and peaked at #10 on the country singles chart in early 1957.

"Out of Control" is a song by George Jones. It was released as a single on Mercury Records in 1960.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "George Jones biography". Allmusic . Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  2. 1 2 Nathan Brackett; Christian Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  438. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  3. ↑ Irwin Stambler, Grelun Landon (2000). Country Music: The Encyclopedia. Macmillan Books. p. 223. ISBN   0-312-26487-9.
  4. ↑ Andy Bradley; Roger Wood (2010). House of Hits: The Story of Houston's Gold Star/SugarHill Recording Studios. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. pp. 48–50. ISBN   978-0-292-71919-4.
  5. ↑ Wood, Roger; Cano, Ray (May 27, 2015). "SugarHill Recording Studios". Texas State History Association. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  6. ↑ Mellard, Jason (October 9, 2023). "Legendary Houston Recording Studio Sugarhill Opens". KUTX.org. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Holland, Richard (2001). "'It All Began the Day My Conscience Died': The Cheatin' Song From Prototype to Post-Modern". In Francis Edward Abernethy (ed.). 2001: A Texas Folklore Odyssey . University of North Texas Press. pp.  138, 142. ISBN   1-57441-140-3.
  8. ↑ Allen, Bob (1996). George Jones: The Life and Times of a Honky Tonk Legend. St Martin's Press. p. 103. ISBN   978-0312956981.
  9. 1 2 3 Jones, George; Carter, Tom (1996). I Lived to Tell It All. Villard. pp.  41–42. ISBN   0-679-43869-6.
  10. ↑ "Red Sovine biography". Red Sovine website. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  11. 1 2 3 Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. p. 512. ISBN   9780823082919.
  12. ↑ RPM Country Tracks - Volume 53, No. 10, February 09 1991
  13. ↑ "Palomino Road biography". Oldies.com. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.