 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(September 2022) |
| Country Songs for City Folks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1965 | |||
| Recorded | August–September 1965 in Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 16:02 (Side A) 16:19 (Side B) 32:21 (Total) | |||
| Label | Smash | |||
| Producer | Shelby Singleton | |||
| Jerry Lee Lewis chronology | ||||
| ||||
Country Songs for City Folks is the fifth studio album by Jerry Lee Lewis released on the Smash label in 1965.
After leaving Sun Records in 1963 for Smash, Lewis embarked on what is often referred to as his "wilderness years," characterized by constant touring and periodic recording dates that produced albums which failed to make any significant impact in the charts. In 1965, producers Shelby Singleton and Jerry Kennedy opted to cut a country-themed album on Lewis under the title Country Songs for City Folks, although the title was about as far as the concept went; the songs were straight forward readings of recent chart hits that featured Lewis's trademark piano style and soulful singing. In the early 1960s, country stars such as Marty Robbins, who released Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs in 1959, and Lewis's fellow Sun contemporary Johnny Cash, who began recording a string of themed albums beginning with Ride This Train in 1960, had pioneered the "concept album" in country music, and this approach was taken with Lewis.
As Joe Bonomo observes in his book Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found, part of the reason for the lack of original tunes on the album was that "Jerry Lee's iffy chart life had had the predictable consequence of few songwriters knocking on his door," and that the collection of recent hits "infused the album with a contemporary feel, but underscored the crass 'covers' feel of the enterprise." Nonetheless, the album foreshadows Lewis's re-emergence as a country megastar later in the decade, as he gives committed readings to songs from a genre that he had demonstrated a mastery of when he took "You Win Again" to number 4 in 1957. Country Songs for City Folks might be best remembered for introducing Welshman and Lewis fan Tom Jones to the song "Green Green Grass of Home"; after hearing Jerry Lee's rendition, he rushed into the studio and recorded his own version, which became an international hit.
Jerry Lee's younger sister Linda Gail Lewis sings on the Gold-rush saga "North to Alaska".
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Record Mirror |   [1] |
Country Songs for City Folks did not crack the Billboard chart, although it did rise to number 39 on the country albums chart when it was released again under the title All Country in the wake of Lewis's comeback four years later. Bruce Eder of AllMusic calls it "an astoundingly good country album," singling out the performances on Willie Nelson's "Funny How Time Slips Away" and Hank Thompson's honky-tonk lament "The Wild Side of Life." In 2009, biographer Joe Bonomo observed that the lesser tracks on the album betray Smash's conservatism, citing the "innocuous folk-pop" of "Walk Right In" and "King of the Road" and the "superfluous" versions of "Ring of Fire" and a third recording of "Crazy Arms." In 2014, Lewis admitted to biographer Rick Bragg, "That was a hangup for me, tryin' to do a song that's already been a multimillion seller. You don't tackle somethin' like that. That wasn't Jerry Kennedy's fault. That was my fault. I said, 'I wanna do 'Detroit City.' 'Cause I can beat the original on it.'"
Side A
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Green, Green Grass of Home" | Curly Putman | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Wolverton Mountain" | 2:59 | |
| 3. | "Funny How Time Slips Away" | Willie Nelson | 2:58 |
| 4. | "North to Alaska" (featuring Linda Gail Lewis) | Mike Phillips | 2:01 |
| 5. | "The Wild Side of Life" |
| 3:12 |
| 6. | "Walk Right In" |
| 2:09 |
| Total length: | 16:02 | ||
Side B
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "City Lights" | Bill Anderson | 2:28 |
| 2. | "Ring of Fire" |
| 2:17 |
| 3. | "Detroit City" | 2:47 | |
| 4. | "Crazy Arms" |
| 2:31 |
| 5. | "King of the Road" | Roger Miller | 2:16 |
| 6. | "Seasons of My Heart" |
| 4:00 |
| Total length: | 16:19 | ||
Jerry Lee Lewis was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "the Killer", he was described as "Rock and roll's first great wild man and one of the most influential pianists of the 20th century." A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made his first recordings in 1956 at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. "Crazy Arms" sold 300,000 copies in the South, and his 1957 hit "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" shot Lewis to fame worldwide. He followed this with the major hits "Great Balls of Fire", "Breathless", and "High School Confidential". His rock and roll career faltered in the wake of his marriage to Myra Gale Brown, his 13-year-old cousin once removed.
Shake Hands with the Devil is the ninth solo album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1979 on Monument Records. Several of the songs on the album were written by Kristofferson years before its release.
Live at the Star Club is a 1964 live album by rock and roll pianist and singer Jerry Lee Lewis, accompanied by the Nashville Teens. The album was recorded at the Star-Club in Hamburg, West Germany on April 5, 1964. It is regarded by many music journalists as one of the greatest rock and roll albums ever, noted for its hard-hitting energy and Lewis' wild stage presence.
"High School Confidential" is a 1958 song written by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ron Hargrave as the title song of the MGM movie of the same name directed by Jack Arnold.
Another Place, Another Time is the eighth album by the musician Jerry Lee Lewis, released in 1968 by Smash Records. It was Lewis's "comeback album" and features a stripped down, "hardcore" country sound that yielded two top five country hits, his first major chart success in a decade.
She Still Comes Around is the ninth album by Jerry Lee Lewis. It was released on Smash Records in 1969.
She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye is the 13th album by pianist and singer Jerry Lee Lewis. It was released on Mercury Records in 1970.
Sings the Country Music Hall of Fame Hits, Vol. 1 is the 10th album by Jerry Lee Lewis released on Smash Records in 1969.
Sings the Country Music Hall of Fame Hits, Vol. 2 is the 11th album by Jerry Lee Lewis released on Smash Records in 1969.
The Golden Hits of Jerry Lee Lewis is the third studio album by musician Jerry Lee Lewis that was released on Smash Records in 1964. It was Lewis's first album with the label after leaving Sun Records.
Soul My Way is the seventh album by Jerry Lee Lewis released on the Smash label in 1967.
The Return of Rock is the fourth album by Jerry Lee Lewis released on the Smash label in 1965.
Memphis Beat is the sixth album by Jerry Lee Lewis released on the Smash label in 1966.
There Must Be More to Love Than This is an album by Jerry Lee Lewis that was released on Mercury Records in 1971.
The Killer Rocks On is an album by Jerry Lee Lewis that was released on Mercury Records in 1972.
Southern Roots: Back Home in Memphis is an album by Jerry Lee Lewis released on Mercury Records in 1973.
Country Memories is the 33rd studio album by Jerry Lee Lewis, released on Mercury Records in 1977.
Jerry Lee Keeps Rockin' is the 34th studio album by Jerry Lee Lewis, released on Mercury Records in 1978.
"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.
"Baby, Hold Me Close" is a song written by Jerry Lee Lewis and Bob Tubert and released as a single by Lewis in the U.S. in February 1965 on Smash Records. The song was also released in the UK in 1965 as a 45 single on Philips Records.
