Country Girl (1970 Billie Jo Spears album) explained

Country Girl
Type:studio
Artist:Billie Jo Spears
Cover:Billie Jo Spears--Country Girl.jpg
Recorded:February – June 1970
Studio:Jack Clement Recording (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre:Country[1]
Label:Capitol
Producer:George Richey
Prev Title:With Love, Billie Jo Spears
Prev Year:1970
Next Title:Just Singin'
Next Year:1971

Country Girl is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released on Capitol Records in August 1970 and contained ten tracks. It was the fifth studio album of Spears's career and featured original material along with cover tunes. Among its new recordings was the top 20 country single, "Marty Gray". The album received positive reviews from critics following its release.

Background

Billie Jo Spears rose to commercial with a 1969 song about sexual harassment called "Mr. Walker, It's All Over". The top ten single was proceeded by a series of charting singles and other recordings at Capitol Records through the seventies.[2] "Mr. Walker, It's All Over" (and her previous work) had been produced by Kelso Herston. However, Spears began working with George Richey in 1970. Richey attempted to bring Spears in a pop direction. Country Girl was Spears's second album that was produced by Richey.[3]

Recording and content

The project was cut in sessions between February and June 1970 at the Jack Clement Recording Studio, located in Nashville, Tennessee.[4] Country Girl consisted of ten tracks.[1] Of its new material was the song "Marty Gray", which told the story of a teenage girl who has unexpected pregnancy.[5] Another new recording was Spears's self-penned "Part of You". Several of the tracks were covers of popular recordings of the era. Among them was Conway Twitty's "Hello Darlin'" and Elvis Presley's "The Wonder of You". Spears also covered Tammy Wynette's "I Stayed Long Enough", which first appeared on her 1969 album Stand by Your Man.[4] [6]

Release, critical reception and singles

Country Girl was released in August 1970 by Capitol Records. It was the fifth studio album of Spears's career. It was distributed as a vinyl LP, containing five songs on both sides of the disc.[4] The album received positive reception from critics and writers. Billboard magazine called the tracks "Which Way You Goin' Billy" and "Yours Love" to be "excellent". The magazine concluded by saying, "This album will experience ample country music sales".[7] Alan Cackett of Country Music People called the production "simple and uncluttered". Cackett further commented, "The title neatly summed up Billie Jo and the selection showed her wide choice of material."[3] AllMusic later rated the album four out of five stars.[1]

Two singles were featured on the album. Its most successful was "Marty Gray", released in June 1970.[8] "Marty Gray" reached the top 20 of the American Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at number 17.[9] Spears's version of "I Stayed Long Enough" was released as a single in October 1970,[10] peaking at number 30 on the Hot Country Songs chart later that year.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Country Girl: Billie Jo Spears: Songs, reviews, credits . . 12 February 2023.
  2. Web site: Huey . Steve . Billie Jo Spears: Biography . . 11 February 2023.
  3. Cackett . Alan . Billie Jo Spears . Country Music People Magazine . November 1978 . 9 . 11.
  4. Spears . Billie Jo . Country Girl (Disc Information) . . August 1970 . ST-560 (LP); ST-8-0560 (LP Club Edition).
  5. Book: Bufwack . Mary A. . Oermann . Robert K. . Finding Her Voice: The History of Women in Country Music . 2003 . . . 978-0826514325 . 271–272.
  6. Wynette . Tammy . Stand by Your Man (North American LP Liner Notes and Album Information) . . January 1969 . BN-26451.
  7. Billboard Album Reviews . . September 19, 1970 . 36 . 12 February 2023.
  8. Spears . Billie Jo . "Marty Gray"/"True Love" (Single Information) . . June 1970 . 2844.
  9. Book: Whitburn, Joel . The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . various.
  10. Spears . Billie Jo . "I Stayed Long Enough"/"Come on Home" (Single Information) . . October 1970 . 2964.