"Kentucky Woman" is a 1967 song written and originally recorded by Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond

Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....

. Another well-known version is the 1968 recording by Deep Purple

Deep Purple

Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...

.

Diamond recorded "Kentucky Woman" as his last hit single for Bang Records

Bang Records

Bang Records was created by Bert Berns in 1965 together with his partners from Atlantic Records: Ahmet Ertegün, Nesuhi Ertegün and Jerry Wexler...

. Released in October 1967, it reached #22 on the U.S. pop singles chart

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

. The song went to #58 on the Australian

Kent Music Report

The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...

 charts. The song reached #6 on the Canadian charts.

Deep Purple cover

Recorded by Deep Purple

Deep Purple

Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...

 with a vastly different instrumental feel, if not vocal line, it was their second single release in 1968. It managed to reach #38 on the Billboard Hot 100, #21 Canadian RPM

RPM (magazine)

RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...

 charts, and #27 on the Australian Singles Chart

Go-Set

Go-Set was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble...

 where it was released as a double A-Side with "Hush."

The single version is an edit of the album version and is four minutes and four seconds in length. A remastered version appears on the 30th anniversary album The Very Best of Deep Purple and runs for four minutes and forty five seconds.

Deep Purple played "Kentucky Woman" live on tour in 1968 and 1969, even after Ian Gillan

Ian Gillan

Ian Gillan is an English rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan also fronted his own band, had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath, and sang the role of Jesus in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd...

 joined the band in the summer of 1969. It has never been on Deep Purple's set list since.

Other covers

Waylon Jennings

Waylon Jennings

Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...

 also released a version on his 1968

1968 in music

-Events:*January 4 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police, after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with bassist Noel Redding.*January 6 – Gibson Guitar Corporation patents its Gibson Flying V electric guitar design....

 album, Only the Greatest

Only the Greatest

Only the Greatest is a 1968 album by Waylon Jennings on RCA Victor. It includes the single "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line," which Jennings took to #2 on the country music charts that year. "Walk On Out of My Mind" also charted that year, peaking at #5....

. Gary Puckett & the Union Gap

Gary Puckett & The Union Gap

Gary Puckett & The Union Gap was an American pop rock group operating in the late 1960s...

included a cover of the song on their first album, Woman Woman.