| Country Girl | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Billie Jo Spears |
| Cover: | Billie Jo Spears--Country Gilr--1981.jpg |
| Released: | 1981 |
| Recorded: | 1981 |
| Studio: | Sound Emporium (Nashville, Tennessee) |
| Genre: | Country[1] |
| Label: | Warwick |
| Prev Title: | Only the Hits |
| Prev Year: | 1981 |
| Next Title: | BJ – Billie Jo Spears Today |
| Next Year: | 1982 |
Country Girl is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in 1981 via Warwick Records and contained 20 songs. The majority of the album's material were new recordings, along with three previously released songs. Most of the tracks were covers of previously cut material. It was later certified gold in the United Kingdom, where it was primarily sold. It would reach the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart.
During the seventies decade, Billie Jo Spears had a string of top ten and top 20 singles on the country charts. These recordings were released on United Artists Records. In 1981, Spears departed the label and began recording material for albums devoted to her fan base in the United Kingdom. Many of Spears's seventies singles were popular in the United Kingdom and Spears would devote much of her touring and recording towards the British market.[2] Country Girl was the first album project Spears recorded following her departure from United Artists. In July 1981, it was reported by Billboard magazine that Spears had begun the recording process for the album in Nashville, Tennessee.[3] The project was co-produced by Spears herself, along with Al DeLory. Sessions were held in 1981 at the Sound Emporium in Nashville.[4]
Country Girl was a collection of 20 tracks. Three of its songs were previously recorded: "Blanket on the Ground", "What I've Got in Mind" and "'57 Chevrolet".[4] All three recordings were originally singles, reaching major positions in the American country chart and the UK Singles Charts.[5] [6] The remaining 17 tracks were new studio recordings for Spears. A majority of these songs were covers of previously recorded songs, such as "It's a Heartache", "All I Have to Do Is Dream", "Blue Bayou", "Here You Come Again" and "For the Good Times". These songs were described by the liner notes as "some of the finest songs to come our way during the past two or three decades."[4]
Country Girl was released by Warwick Records in 1981. It was offered as both a vinyl LP and a cassette with identical track listings.[4] In 2006, it was re-released as a compact disc through the Prism Entertainment label. It was also issued under a new title, Country Girl: 20 Favorite Songs.[7] It was later offered digitally through retailers such as Apple Music.[8] The disc was prompted through a "big TV merchandising campaign", according to Record World magazine.[9] Country Girl was one of three albums in Spears's career to make the UK Albums Chart. Spending nine weeks on the chart, it peaked at the number 17 position in November 1981.[6]
The track listing is adapted from the liner notes of Country Girl. Song lengths are not included in the liner notes.[4]
Side one
Side two
All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Country Girl.[4]
Musical personnel
Technical personnel
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 1981 | Cassette | IMD | [10] |
| United Kingdom | Warwick Records | |||
| North America | January 10, 2006 | Compact disc | Prism Entertainment | |
| 2010s | Tin Toy | |||