Connie Smith (album)

Connie Smith is the debut self-titled studio album by American country-music artist, Connie Smith. The album was released in March 1965 on RCA Victor Records and was produced by Bob Ferguson. The album featured Smith's 1964 hit, "Once a Day," which reached #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. The album itself was also a major success, reaching #1 on the Billboard Magazine Top Country Albums chart.

Background

Connie Smith consisted of twelve tracks and included two of Smith's first two major hits: "Once a Day" and "Then and Only Then." It also included the latter's B-side, "Tiny Blue Transistor Radio," which reached a peak of #25 on Hot Country Songs chart. The album was recorded at the RCA Victor Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee in 1964, and featured the background vocalists, The Anita Kerr Singers. Six of the songs on the album were written or co-written by country music artist, Bill Anderson, including "Once a Day" and "Then and Only Then."^[2] The album was reviewed by Allmusic and received five out of five stars. Reviewer, Dan Cooper called Smith's voice to be, "blowing through the Nashville Sound production like a down-home Streisand fronting The Lennon Sisters."^[2] Slipcue.com reviewed the album and have it a positive review, calling it the sound, "Nashville Girl Group at its best." The songs "Once a Day," "Tiny Blue Transistor Radio," and "I Don't Love You Anymore" as "classic examples of the style." The website later concluced by stating, "Them folks at the label could make a lot of people really happy if they just reissued this album whole, as is, and let us hear what Smith sounded like coming out the gate. A doozy."^[3] The album was released on a 12-inch LP album, with six tracks on each side of the record.^[4]

Release and aftermath

Connie Smith reached a peak of #1 on the Top Country Albums chart, spending 7 weeks on top of the albums chart, and 30 weeks overall. "Once a Day" was released in August 1964, and peaked at #1 on November 28, spending eight weeks at #1. To date, Smith holds the record for the most weeks spent at #1 by a female country music artist. "Then and Only Then" was released as the follow-up single in early 1965, peaking within the Top 5 on the country charts. In addition, both songs also placed in the Bubbling Under Hot 100.^[5][6]

Track listing

Side one

1. "The Other Side of You" – (William Broadwell Morgan)
2. "Tiny Blue Transistor Radio" – (Bill Anderson)
3. "Once a Day" – (Anderson)
4. "Hinges on the Door" – (Baker Knight)
5. "Don't Forget I Still Love You" – (Guy Louis)
6. "Darling, Are You Ever Coming Home" – (Hank Cochran, Willie Nelson)

Side two

1. "Then and Only Then" – (Anderson)
2. "The Threshold" – (Anderson)
3. "It's Just My Luck" – (Betty Sue Perry)
4. "I'm Ashamed of You" – (Anderson)
5. "I Don't Love You Anymore" – (Anderson)
6. "Tell Another Lie" – (Christian Bruhn, Randy Starr, Fred Wise)

Personnel

• Harold Bradley – guitar
• Floyd Chance – bass
• Dorothy Dillard – background vocals
• Ray Edenton – guitar
• Dolores Edgin – background vocals
• Karl Garvin – background vocals
• Priscilla Hubbard – background vocals
• Jerry Kennedy – guitar
• Anita Kerr – background vocals
• Jimmy Lance – guitar
• Leonard Miller – drums
• Weldon Myrick – steel guitar
• Louis Nunley – background vocals
• Harold Ragsdale – background vocals
• Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano
• Connie Smith – lead vocals
• William Wright – background vocals

Sales chart positions

Album

Singles

References