Nashville sound
Encyclopedia
The Nashville sound originated during the late 1950s as a sub-genre of American country music
, replacing the chart dominance of honky tonk music
which was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Although it refers to a means of production (not to mention an era and mystique) as much as to an actual sound, the Nashville
sound is generally dated from 1957 or 1958.
and Columbia Records
in Nashville, Tennessee
, including manager Steve Sholes, record producers Chet Atkins
, Owen Bradley
, and Bob Ferguson
, and recording engineer Bill Porter. They invented the form by replacing elements of the popular honky tonk
style (fiddle
s, steel guitar
, nasal lead vocals) with "smooth" elements from 1950s pop music (string sections, background vocals, crooning lead vocals), and using "slick" production
, and pop music
structures. The producers relied on a small group of studio musicians known as the Nashville A-Team
, whose quick adaptability and creative input made them vital to the hit-making process. In 1960, Time
magazine reported that Nashville had "nosed out Hollywood as the nation's second biggest (after New York) record-producing center."
Country historian Rich Kienzle says that "Gone
", a Ferlin Husky
hit recorded in November 1956, "may well have pointed the way to the Nashville sound." Writer Colin Escott proclaims Jim Reeves
' "Four Walls
", recorded February 1957, to be the "first 'Nashville sound' record", and Chet Atkins
, the RCA-based producer and guitarist most often credited with being the sound's primary artistic brainchild, pointed to his production of Don Gibson
's "Oh Lonesome Me
" late that same year.
However, in an essay published in Heartaches by the Number: Country Music's 500 Greatest Singles, David Cantwell argues that Elvis Presley
's rock and roll
recording of "Don't Be Cruel
" in July 1956 was the record that sparked the beginning of the era now called the Nashville sound.
Regarding the Nashville sound, the record producer Owen Bradley
stated, "Now we've cut out the fiddle and steel guitar and added choruses to country music. But it can't stop there. It always has to keep developing to keep fresh."
. Nashville's pop song structure became more pronounced and it morphed into what was called countrypolitan. Countrypolitan was aimed straight at mainstream markets and it sold well throughout the later 1960s into the early 1970s. Among the architects of this sound were producers Billy Sherrill
(who was instrumental in shaping Tammy Wynette
's early career) and Glenn Sutton
. Artists who typified the countrypolitan sound initially included Wynette, Glen Campbell
, Lynn Anderson
, Charlie Rich
, and Charley Pride
.
The Bakersfield sound and later, outlaw country
, dominated country music among aficionados while countrypolitan reigned on the pop charts.
Upon being asked what the Nashville sound was, Chet Atkins
would reach his hand into his pocket, shake the loose change around and say "That's what it is. It's the sound of money".
Tommy Overstreet
is considered the "King of Countrypolitan".
, the fusion of country music and soft rock
.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, replacing the chart dominance of honky tonk music
Honky tonk
A honky-tonk is a type of bar that provides musical entertainment to its patrons...
which was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Although it refers to a means of production (not to mention an era and mystique) as much as to an actual sound, the Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
sound is generally dated from 1957 or 1958.
Origins of the Nashville sound
The Nashville sound was pioneered by staff at RCA RecordsRCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
and Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, including manager Steve Sholes, record producers Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, Owen Bradley
Owen Bradley
Owen Bradley was an American record producer who, along with Chet Atkins and Bob Ferguson, was one of the chief architects of the 1950s and 1960s Nashville sound in country music and rockabilly.-Before the fame:...
, and Bob Ferguson
Bob Ferguson (music)
Robert Bruce "Bob" Ferguson Sr was an American songwriter, record producer who was instrumental in establishing Nashville, Tennessee as a center of country music; movie producer, and Choctaw Indian historian. Ferguson wrote the bestselling songs "On the Wings of a Dove" and "The Carroll County...
, and recording engineer Bill Porter. They invented the form by replacing elements of the popular honky tonk
Honky tonk
A honky-tonk is a type of bar that provides musical entertainment to its patrons...
style (fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
s, steel guitar
Steel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
, nasal lead vocals) with "smooth" elements from 1950s pop music (string sections, background vocals, crooning lead vocals), and using "slick" production
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
structures. The producers relied on a small group of studio musicians known as the Nashville A-Team
The Nashville A-Team
The Nashville A-Team was a nickname given to a group of session musicians in Nashville, Tennessee, who earned wide acclaim in the 1950s and 1960s. They backed dozens of popular singers, including Elvis Presley, Eddy Arnold, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Bob Dylan and others.The Nashville A-Team's...
, whose quick adaptability and creative input made them vital to the hit-making process. In 1960, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine reported that Nashville had "nosed out Hollywood as the nation's second biggest (after New York) record-producing center."
Country historian Rich Kienzle says that "Gone
Gone (Ferlin Husky song)
"Gone" is a 1957 single by Ferlin Husky written by Smokey Rogers. The song was Ferlin Husky's second #1 on the country chart where it stayed at the top for ten weeks with a total of twenty-seven weeks on the charts...
", a Ferlin Husky
Ferlin Husky
Ferlin Eugene Husky was an early American country music singer who was equally adept at the genres of traditional honky honk, ballads, spoken recitations, and rockabilly pop tunes...
hit recorded in November 1956, "may well have pointed the way to the Nashville sound." Writer Colin Escott proclaims Jim Reeves
Jim Reeves
James Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
' "Four Walls
Four Walls (song)
"Four Walls" is a country song published in 1957 by Marvin Moore and George Campbell, written by Winifred J. Bartly in 1957.Jim Reeves’ recording is the best known; it has been recorded by other artists, including Bing Crosby and Willie Nelson...
", recorded February 1957, to be the "first 'Nashville sound' record", and Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, the RCA-based producer and guitarist most often credited with being the sound's primary artistic brainchild, pointed to his production of Don Gibson
Don Gibson
Donald Eugene "Don" Gibson was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson penned such country standards as "Sweet Dreams" and "I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjoyed a string of country hits from 1957 into the early 1970s.-Biography:Don Gibson was...
's "Oh Lonesome Me
Oh Lonesome Me
"Oh Lonesome Me" is a popular song written and recorded by Don Gibson with Chet Atkins producing for RCA Victor in Nashville in 1958. The song topped the country chart for eight non consecutive weeks, in addition to reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" late that same year.
However, in an essay published in Heartaches by the Number: Country Music's 500 Greatest Singles, David Cantwell argues that Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
recording of "Don't Be Cruel
Don't Be Cruel
-Legacy:"Don't Be Cruel" went on to become Presley's biggest selling single recorded in 1956, with sales over six million by 1961. It became a regular feature of his live sets until his death in 1977, and was often coupled with "Jailhouse Rock" or "Teddy Bear" during performances from 1969.Many...
" in July 1956 was the record that sparked the beginning of the era now called the Nashville sound.
Regarding the Nashville sound, the record producer Owen Bradley
Owen Bradley
Owen Bradley was an American record producer who, along with Chet Atkins and Bob Ferguson, was one of the chief architects of the 1950s and 1960s Nashville sound in country music and rockabilly.-Before the fame:...
stated, "Now we've cut out the fiddle and steel guitar and added choruses to country music. But it can't stop there. It always has to keep developing to keep fresh."
Countrypolitan
In the early 1960s, the Nashville sound began to be challenged by the rival Bakersfield soundBakersfield sound
The Bakersfield sound was a genre of country music developed in the mid- to late 1950s in and around Bakersfield, California. The many hit singles were largely produced by Capitol Records country music head, Ken Nelson. Bakersfield country was a reaction against the slickly produced, string...
. Nashville's pop song structure became more pronounced and it morphed into what was called countrypolitan. Countrypolitan was aimed straight at mainstream markets and it sold well throughout the later 1960s into the early 1970s. Among the architects of this sound were producers Billy Sherrill
Billy Sherrill
Billy Sherrill is a record producer and arranger who is most famous for his association with a number of country artists, most notably Tammy Wynette...
(who was instrumental in shaping Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette
Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....
's early career) and Glenn Sutton
Glenn Sutton
Glenn Sutton was a country music songwriter and producer. Born Royce Glenn Sutton in Hodge, Louisiana, he was one of two chief architects of the countrypolitan sound .Sutton wrote or co-wrote many of Tammy Wynette's early hits including, "You're Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad",...
. Artists who typified the countrypolitan sound initially included Wynette, Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
, Lynn Anderson
Lynn Anderson
Lynn Rene Anderson is an American country music singer and equestrian known for a string of hits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, most notably her Grammy Award-winning, worldwide mega-hit, " Rose Garden." Helped by her regular exposure on national television, Anderson was one of the most...
, Charlie Rich
Charlie Rich
Charles Rich was an American country music singer and musician. A Grammy Award winner, his eclectic-style of music was often hard to classify in a single genre, playing in the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country, and gospel genres.In the latter part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname The Silver...
, and Charley Pride
Charley Pride
Charley Frank Pride is an American country music singer. His smooth baritone voice was featured on thirty-nine number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His greatest success came in the early- to mid-1970s, when he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis...
.
The Bakersfield sound and later, outlaw country
Outlaw country
Outlaw country is a subgenre of country music, most popular during the late 1960s and the 1970s , sometimes referred to as the outlaw movement or simply outlaw music...
, dominated country music among aficionados while countrypolitan reigned on the pop charts.
Upon being asked what the Nashville sound was, Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
would reach his hand into his pocket, shake the loose change around and say "That's what it is. It's the sound of money".
Tommy Overstreet
Tommy Overstreet
Tommy Overstreet is an American country singer. Often known simply as "T.O." by fans and radio disc jockeys, Overstreet has five top five hit singles in the Billboard country charts and 11 top 10 singles. His popularity peaked in the 1970s.-Early life:Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Overstreet...
is considered the "King of Countrypolitan".
Country pop
By the late 1970s and 1980s, many pop music singers picked up the countrypolitan style and created what is known as country popCountry pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
, the fusion of country music and soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
.
Examples of the Nashville sound
Classic examples of Nashville sound recordings:- "Four WallsFour Walls (song)"Four Walls" is a country song published in 1957 by Marvin Moore and George Campbell, written by Winifred J. Bartly in 1957.Jim Reeves’ recording is the best known; it has been recorded by other artists, including Bing Crosby and Willie Nelson...
" by Jim ReevesJim ReevesJames Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
(1957) - "GoneGone (Ferlin Husky song)"Gone" is a 1957 single by Ferlin Husky written by Smokey Rogers. The song was Ferlin Husky's second #1 on the country chart where it stayed at the top for ten weeks with a total of twenty-seven weeks on the charts...
" by Ferlin HuskyFerlin HuskyFerlin Eugene Husky was an early American country music singer who was equally adept at the genres of traditional honky honk, ballads, spoken recitations, and rockabilly pop tunes...
(1957) - "A Fallen Star" by Jimmy C. NewmanJimmy C. NewmanJimmy Yves Newman , better known as Jimmy C. Newman , is an American singer and a long time star of the Grand Ole Opry.-Biography:Newman was born near Big Mamou, Louisiana...
(1957) - "The Three BellsThe Three Bells"The Three Bells", also known as "Jimmy Brown" or "Little Jimmy Brown", is a song made popular by The Browns in 1959. The single reached number one on the U.S. country and pop charts,. outperforming a competing version by Dick Flood. The version by The Browns also hit number ten on the Hot R&B...
" by The BrownsThe BrownsThe Browns were an American country and folk music vocal trio best known for their 1959 Grammy-nominated hit, "The Three Bells". The group, composed of Jim Ed Brown and his sisters Maxine and Bonnie Brown, had a close, smooth harmony characteristic of the Nashville sound, though their music also...
(1959) - "He'll Have to GoHe'll Have to Go"He'll Have to Go" is an American country and pop hit recorded on October 15, 1959 by Jim Reeves. The song, released in the fall of 1959, went on to become a massive hit in both genres early in 1960.-Background:...
" by Jim ReevesJim ReevesJames Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
(1960) - "Last DateLast Date (song)"Last Date" is a 1960 instrumental written and performed by Floyd Cramer. "Last Date" peaked at number 11 on the country chart and peaked at number two on the Hot 100.-Chart performance:-Cover versions:...
" by Floyd CramerFloyd CramerFloyd Cramer was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville sound." He popularized the "slip note" piano style where an out-of-tune note slides effortlessly into the correct note...
(1960) - "I'm SorryI'm Sorry (Brenda Lee song)"I'm Sorry" is a 1960 hit song for 15-year-old American country pop singer Brenda Lee. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in July 1960. Allmusic guide wrote that it is the pop star's "definitive song", and one of the "finest teen pop songs of its era". It was written by...
" by Brenda LeeBrenda LeeBrenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
(1960) - "I Fall to PiecesI Fall to Pieces"I Fall to Pieces" is a single released by Patsy Cline in 1961, and was featured on her 1961 studio album, Patsy Cline Showcase. "I Fall to Pieces" was Cline's first #1 hit on the Country charts, and her second hit single to cross over onto the Pop charts...
" by Patsy ClinePatsy ClinePatsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
(1961) - "A Little Bitty TearA Little Bitty Tear"A Little Bitty Tear" is a song written by the American country music singer-songwriter Hank Cochran. It has been recorded by many musical acts, including Cochran himself and Burl Ives.-History:...
", "Call Me Mister In-Between", and "It's Just My Funny Way of Laughin'It's Just My Funny Way of Laughin'It's Just My Funny Way of Laughin' is a 1962 album by Burl Ives, recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. It scored No. 24 on Billboard s 1962 Pop Albums Chart. During the same year, the title song, composed by Hank Cochran, scored No. 3 on Billboard's Contemporary Adult Singles Chart, No. 9 on the...
" by Burl IvesBurl IvesBurl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....
(1962) - "The End of the World" by Skeeter DavisSkeeter DavisMary Frances Penick , better known as Skeeter Davis, was an American country music singer best known for crossover pop music songs of the early 1960s. She started out as part of The Davis Sisters as a teenager in the late 1940s, eventually landing on RCA Records. In the late '50s, she became a solo...
(1963) - "Here Comes My BabyHere Comes My Baby (Dottie West song)"Here Comes My Baby" is a popular Grammy-winning country song written and made popular by Dottie West in 1964.-History:"Here Comes My Baby" was the first song to be written and made famous by Dottie West. In 1964, Dottie West was trying to make it big in Nashville. She released a single the...
" by Dottie WestDottie WestDottie West was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her friends and co-recording artists Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, she is considered one of the genre's most influential and groundbreaking female artists...
(1964) - "Make the World Go AwayMake the World Go Away"Make the World Go Away" is a country-popular music song composed by Hank Cochran. It has become a Top 40 popular success three times: for Timi Yuro , for Eddy Arnold , and for the brother-sister duo Donny and Marie Osmond . The original version of the song was recorded by Ray Price during...
" by Eddy ArnoldEddy ArnoldRichard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...
(1965) - "Misty BlueMisty Blue"Misty Blue" is a song written by Bob Montgomery in 1966 which has become a hit in the pop, C&W and soul fields through various versions, the most successful being the 1976 pop/soul hit by Dorothy Moore.-C&W hit versions:...
" by Wilma BurgessWilma BurgessWilma Burgess was an American country music singer. She rose to fame in the mid 1960s and charted fifteen singles on the Billboard C&W charts between 1965 and 1975.-Background:...
(1966) - "Danny BoyDanny Boy-Background:The words to "Danny Boy" were written by English lawyer and lyricist Frederic Weatherly in 1910. Although the lyrics were originally written for a different tune, Weatherly modified them to fit the "Londonderry Air" in 1913, after his sister-in-law in the U.S. sent him a copy. Ernestine...
" by Ray PriceRay Price (musician)Ray Price is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone has often been praised as among the best male voices of country music...
(1967)
Examples of Countrypolitan
- "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" by Lynn AndersonLynn AndersonLynn Rene Anderson is an American country music singer and equestrian known for a string of hits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, most notably her Grammy Award-winning, worldwide mega-hit, " Rose Garden." Helped by her regular exposure on national television, Anderson was one of the most...
(1971) - "Help Me Make It Through the NightHelp Me Make It Through the Night"Help Me Make It Through the Night" is a country music ballad composed by Kris Kristofferson and released on his 1970 album Kristofferson.Kristofferson said that he got the inspiration for the song from an Esquire magazine interview with Frank Sinatra...
" by Sammi SmithSammi SmithSammi Smith was an American country music singer and songwriter. Born Jewel Faye Smith, she is best known for her 1971 country/pop crossover hit, "Help Me Make It Through the Night", which was written by Kris Kristofferson...
(1971) - "Kiss an Angel Good MorningKiss an Angel Good Morning"Kiss an Angel Good Mornin" is the title of a song written by Ben Peters and recorded by Charley Pride. The song has since become one of his signature tunes and became his eighth song to reach number one on the country charts...
" by Charley PrideCharley PrideCharley Frank Pride is an American country music singer. His smooth baritone voice was featured on thirty-nine number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His greatest success came in the early- to mid-1970s, when he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis... - "Behind Closed DoorsBehind Closed Doors (Charlie Rich song)"Behind Closed Doors" is a country song written by Kenny O'Dell and first recorded by Charlie Rich for his 1973 album Behind Closed Doors. The single became Rich's first number-one hit on the country charts, spent 20 weeks on this chart, and also became a crossover hit on the pop charts...
" by Charlie RichCharlie RichCharles Rich was an American country music singer and musician. A Grammy Award winner, his eclectic-style of music was often hard to classify in a single genre, playing in the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country, and gospel genres.In the latter part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname The Silver...
(1973) - "The Most Beautiful GirlThe Most Beautiful Girl"The Most Beautiful Girl" is a song recorded by Charlie Rich and written by Bill Sherrill, Norris Wilson, and Rory Michael Bourke. The country & western ballad reached #1 in the United States in 1973 on three Billboard music charts: the pop chart ; the country chart ; and the adult contemporary...
" by Charlie Rich (1973) - "Paper RosesPaper Roses"Paper Roses" is a popular song written by Fred Spielman and Janice Torre which was a hit in 1960 for Anita Bryant with Monty Kelly's Orchestra and Chorus and later for Marie Osmond in 1973....
" by Marie OsmondMarie OsmondOlive Marie Osmond is an American singer, actress, doll designer, and a member of the show business family The Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a solo country music artist in the 1970s and 1980s...
(1973) - "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen CampbellGlen CampbellGlen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
(1975) - "He Stopped Loving Her TodayHe Stopped Loving Her Today"He Stopped Loving Her Today" is the title of a song by American country music artist George Jones that has been named in several surveys as the greatest country song of all time. It was released in April 1980 as the lead single from the album I Am What I Am. The song was Jones's first No. 1 single...
" by George JonesGeorge JonesGeorge Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
(1980) - "Slow HandSlow HandSlow Hand is a ballad written by John Bettis and Michael Clark and recorded by the Pointer Sisters. It was first released in the spring of 1981 as the advance single for Black & White.-Background/ Impact:...
" by Conway TwittyConway TwittyConway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006...
(1982) - The music of Ronnie MilsapRonnie MilsapRonnie Lee Milsap is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country’s most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s...
- "LadyLady (Kenny Rogers song)"Lady" is the title of a song written by Lionel Richie and recorded by American country artist Kenny Rogers. It was released in September 1980 as the only single from the album, Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits....
", "You Decorated My LifeYou Decorated My Life"You Decorated My Life" is the title of a song written by Debbie Hupp and Bob Morrison, and recorded by American country music artist Kenny Rogers. It was released in September 1979 as the lead single from his album Kenny. It was a number-one hit on the Billboard Country Singles chart and peaked at...
" and similar songs by Kenny RogersKenny RogersKenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...