| Sandy Posey | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Sandra Lou Posey |
| Born | June 18, 1944 |
| Origin | Jasper, Alabama, US |
| Genres | Pop, country |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Labels | MGM, Columbia, King, Crossworlds Entertainment |
| Associated acts | Chips Moman, Joe South |
Sandy Posey (born June 18, 1944)[1] is an American popular singer, who enjoyed success in the 1960s with singles such as her 1966 recording of Martha Sharpe's composition, "Single Girl." She is often described as a country singer, although, like Skeeter Davis (to whom she has been frequently compared) her output has varied. Later in her career, the term "countrypolitan," associated with the "Nashville sound", was sometimes applied.[2] Posey had four hit singles in the United States, three of which peaked at number 12 in the sales charts.[3]
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Sandy Posey was born Sandra Lou Posey in Jasper, Alabama.[4] She graduated from high school in West Memphis, Ar. in 1962.[5] Posey obtained work as a session singer, after she was recommended by an aunt to an acquaintance who worked in television. In addition to working as a receptionist at a studio in Memphis, she took part in recordings across the Deep South and appeared, for example, on recording sessions produced by Lincoln “Chips” Moman for Elvis Presley and on Percy Sledge’s "When a Man Loves a Woman" (a number one hit in the US in 1966). Other singers whom she backed included Joe Tex, Bobby Goldsboro and Tommy Roe.
Posey's first single record, under the name Sandy Carmel was "Kiss Me Goodnight" (1965), written by William Cates, which was coupled with "First Boy". This was released by Bell Records, but received minimal publicity and made little impact. Assisted by Gary Walker, a music publisher who became her manager, Posey then made a demonstration recording of "Born a Woman", written by Martha Sharpe.[6] According to Posey, Chips Moman "went wild" when he heard this and helped her to obtain a contract with MGM in Nashville.[7]
Posey had her first hit with "Born a Woman", which Moman produced in Nashville on March 15, 1966.[8] This reached number 12 on the U.S. Billboard sales charts in August 1966. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[9] "Born a Woman" was a somewhat melodramatic ("You're born to be stepped on, lied to, cheated on") but musically adept song featuring prominent piano, understated strings and horns, and distinctive multi-tracked vocals.[10] Posey received two Grammy Award nominations for "Born a Woman" in the categories of vocal performance (female) and contemporary (R&R) solo vocal. "Born A Woman" was later covered by Nick Lowe (Bowi EP) and Hubble Bubble.
Posey's next single release was "Single Girl", also written by Martha Sharpe, which was notable for the gentle crescendo and piano refrain of its final verse. Recorded in Nashville on August 19, 1966,[8] this also reached number 12 in America in January 1967 and number 15 in Great Britain, where it benefited from airplay on pirate radio (peaking, for example, at number 7 in Radio London's non-sales-based Fab 40 on New Year's Day, 1967[11]). It followed "Born a Woman" by selling in excess of one million copies.[9] "Single Girl" was re-released in Britain in 1975 and reached the top 50 for a second time.[12]
Posey’s final top 20 hit was "I Take It Back", another US number 12 in July 1967, although she made other recordings for MGM Records until 1968, including "What A Woman In Love Won't Do" that peaked at number 31 in the US in late 1967. These were mostly produced by Moman, but a few, including a version of the Shirelles' hit "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" (1968), were produced by Joe South. Posey continued recording as a solo artist into the early 1980s, when she reverted to session work. She made a number of country recordings with a religious theme after embracing Christianity in 1974.[2][13]
In 1983, Posey had another charted single on the country charts, titled "Can't Get Used To Sleeping Without You". In 2004, Posey recorded an album for King Records in Nashville, Tennessee. She is now signed with Crossworlds Entertainment of Lebanon, Tennessee. During 2007, Posey released several songs through Crossworlds Entertainment which have been available to purchase online.
In 1968, Posey married Wade Cummings, who performed as an impersonator of Elvis Presley under the name of Elvis Wade. Posey appeared with Presley during an engagement in Las Vegas in 1969.[14]
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Country | |||
| 1966 | Born a Woman | 129 | — | MGM |
| 1967 | A Single Girl | — | — | |
| Sandy Posey Featuring "I Take It Back" | 182 | — | ||
| The Best of Sandy Posey | — | — | ||
| 1968 | Looking at You | — | — | |
| The Very Best of Sandy Posey | — | — | ||
| 1972 | Why Don't We Go Somewhere and Love | — | 28 | Columbia |
| 1982 | Because of You | — | — | Audiograph |
| — denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Country | CAN | CAN Country | UK[15] | AUS | |||
| 1966 | "Born a Woman" | 12 | — | 7 | — | 24 | 2 | Born a Woman |
| "Single Girl"[A] | 12 | — | 11 | — | 15 | 5 | A Single Girl | |
| 1967 | "What a Woman In Love Won't Do" | 31 | — | — | — | 48 | 21 | The Very Best of Sandy Posey |
| "I Take It Back" | 12 | — | — | — | — | 9 | Sandy Posey Featuring "I Take It Back" | |
| "Are You Never Coming Home" | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | The Best of Sandy Posey | |
| 1968 | "Something I'll Remember" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Looking at You |
| 1972 | "Bring Him Safely Home to Me" | — | 18 | — | 13 | — | — | Why Don't We Go Somewhere and Love |
| "Why Don't We Go Somewhere and Love" | — | 51 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" | — | 36 | — | — | — | — | non-album singles | |
| 1973 | "Don't" | — | 39 | — | 60 | — | — | |
| 1976 | "Trying to Live Without You Kind of Days" | — | 99 | — | — | — | — | |
| "It's Midnight (Do You Know Where Your Baby Is?)" | — | 93 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978 | "Born to Be with You" | — | 21 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Love, Love, Love/Chapel of Love" | — | 26 | — | 19 | — | — | ||
| 1979 | "Love Is Sometimes Easy" | — | 26 | — | 30 | — | — | |
| "Try Home" | — | 82 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982 | "She's Got You"[B] | — | — | — | — | — | — | Because of You |
| 1983 | "Can't Get Used to Sleeping Without You" | — | 88 | — | — | — | — | |
| — denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||||