Thanks to a string of hit singles and a popular television variety series, vocalist Barbara Mandrell was arguably the biggest female star in country music in the late '70s and early '80s. Born the oldest daughter into a musical family in Houston, TX, on Christmas Day, 1948, Mandrell was already reading music and playing accordion by the age of... [+] Read More

Thanks to a string of hit singles and a popular television variety series, vocalist Barbara Mandrell was arguably the biggest female star in country music in the late '70s and early '80s. Born the oldest daughter into a musical family in Houston, TX, on Christmas Day, 1948, Mandrell was already reading music and playing accordion by the age of five. Just six years later, she was so adept at playing the steel guitar that her father escorted her to a music trade convention in Chicago, where her talents caught the attention of Chet Atkins and Joe Maphis. Soon after, she was a featured performer in Maphis' Las Vegas nightclub show, followed by television performances and tours with Red Foley, Johnny Cash, and Tex Ritter.

When Mandrell was 14, her family formed its own group, with her father Irby on vocals and guitar, her mother Mary Ellen on bass, and Barbara handling pedal steel and saxophone. The band also included drummer Ken Dudney, whom Mandrell would eventually marry. The Mandrells toured the U.S. and Asia before Barbara made her first recordings in 1963, among them the minor hit "Queen for a Day." After a few more years of touring, Mandrell briefly retired in order to become a housewife, but she soon grew restless and returned to the music business. After signing with Columbia in 1969, she notched her first chart hit, a cover of the Otis Redding classic "I've Been Loving You Too Long." In 1970, Mandrell scored the first of many Top 40 hits with "Playin' Around With Love." In the same year, she began performing with singer David Houston, and their partnership also generated considerable chart success.

In 1975, Mandrell jumped to the ABC/Dot label, and under the guidance of producer Tom Collins reached the Top Five for the first time with the single "Standing Room Only." After a series of successive hits, she earned her first number one with 1978's "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed," which was immediately followed by another chart-topper, "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right," in early 1979. Later in the year, "Years" also reached number one, as did three more singles -- "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool," "'Till You're Gone," and "One of a Kind Pair of Fools" -- between 1981 and 1983, a period during which Mandrell also received numerous industry awards and accolades.

In 1980, the TV program Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters premiered on NBC. In addition to hosts Barbara, Louise, and Irlene Mandrell, the show featured musical guests and comedy sketches. Each broadcast also closed with a gospel song, and in 1982 Mandrell released her own inspirational album, He Set My Life to Music. As a result of her busy schedule, she began suffering from vocal strain, and on doctor's orders pulled the plug on the television program in 1982. In 1983, she premiered The Lady Is a Champ, a Las Vegas stage show, and released two LPs, In Black & White and Spun Gold.

A collection of duets with Lee Greenwood, Clean Cut, followed in 1984. Tragedy struck later in the year, however, when Mandrell and two of her children were involved in a nightmarish head-on car crash that left the other driver dead. Though Mandrell and her kids survived, all three faced a long period of recovery. When she finally returned to performing a year later, the country music landscape had changed dramatically, with the "new traditionalist" movement gaining dominance while the glitzier, more pop-influenced music Mandrell favored began falling out of favor. As the 1980s became the 1990s, she began focusing almost exclusively on live performing, where she remained a significant draw; she also published her autobiography, Get to the Heart: My Story. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Juice Newton (born Judy Kay Newton, February 18, 1952, Lakehurst, NJ) was part of the first wave of country singers raised on rock, folk-rock, and singer/songwriters, which is evident from her hit singles. "Angel of the Morning" and "Queen of Hearts," her two crossover hits, have country-pop arrangements, but their roots are in '60s pop and new... [+] Read More

Juice Newton (born Judy Kay Newton, February 18, 1952, Lakehurst, NJ) was part of the first wave of country singers raised on rock, folk-rock, and singer/songwriters, which is evident from her hit singles. "Angel of the Morning" and "Queen of Hearts," her two crossover hits, have country-pop arrangements, but their roots are in '60s pop and new wave roots rock, respectively. That's why she managed pop crossover hits in the early '80s and also why she was able to sustain country success throughout the decade.

Although Newton was born in New Jersey, she was raised in Virginia. As she entered high school, her mother gave her a guitar, prompting her infatuation with folk music. After graduating from high school, she attended Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, CA, where she continued to play folk in coffeehouses. During this time, she met Otha Young, a fellow guitarist and songwriter. The two formed a folk-rock band called Dixie Peach and began playing bars around northern California.

Dixie Peach only lasted a year, but they did gain a local following while they were active. After the band broke up, Newton and Young formed Juice Newton & Silver Spur, which had more country leanings than Dixie Peach. They were also more successful. Their fan base was large enough to convince the band to go to Los Angeles and try to land a record contract. In 1975, Juice Newton & Silver Spur signed to RCA Records and released an eponymous debut which spawned the minor hit single "Love Is a Word" in early 1976. Later that year, the group released After the Dust Settles, which didn't attract much attention, and RCA dropped them after its release. The band signed with Capitol Records, releasing Come to Me in 1978. Like its predecessor, the album was more or less ignored, causing the Silver Spur to disband.

Though Silver Spur had broken up, Newton and Young continued to work together. Newton still had a contract with Capitol, and the pair immediately began working on her solo debut. The result, Juice, was released in early 1981 and quickly became a crossover hit. The first single from the record, "Angel of the Morning," reached number four on the pop charts, and it peaked at 22 on the country charts. "Queen of Hearts" was a bigger hit, reaching number two on the pop charts and number 14 on the country charts. "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)," the third single taken from Juice, was her biggest country hit, peaking at number one; on the pop charts, it hit number seven. Juice would eventually go platinum

Newton's follow-up album to Juice, Quiet Lies, was released in the spring of 1982. It was also a hit, spawning the pop Top Ten "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me" and the number two country hit "Break It to Me Gently." The album won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female; it also went gold by the end of the year. Dirty Looks, her third solo album, was released in 1983. The record marked the first time Newton failed to crack either the pop or country Top 40.

In 1984, she switched labels, signing with RCA. Newton's first album for the label, Can't Wait All Night, was a transitionary album, seeing her move away from pop and begin to concentrate on country. Old Flame, released in 1985, was her country breakthrough, spawning the hits "You Make Me Want to Make You Mine," "Hurt," and the duet with Eddie Rabbitt "Both to Each Other (Friends & Lovers)," which all went to number one; the album had three additional Top Ten hits -- "Old Flame," "Cheap Love," and "What Can I Do With My Heart."

Old Flame happened to be Newton's only major country hit. Its follow-up, 1987's Emotion, only yielded one Top Ten hit, "Tell Me True." In 1989, she released Ain't Gonna Cry, which featured the single "When Love Comes Around the Bend," which barely scraped the Top 40.

Ain't Gonna Cry turned out be Newton's last album for several years. She abandoned country and began performing showy mainstream pop, which she performed in nightclubs. Throughout the '90s, she continued to perform live concerts without recording any new material for years. Finally, she reunited with producer Richard Landis in 1997, recording The Trouble With Angels, a collection of re-recorded hits and new songs that was released in the spring of 1998. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

As a songwriter and a performer, Willie Nelson played a vital role in post-rock & roll country music. Although he didn't become a star until the mid-'70s, Nelson spent the '60s writing songs that became hits for stars like Ray Price ("Night Life"), Patsy Cline ("Crazy"), Faron Young ("Hello Walls"), and Billy Walker ("Funny How Time Slips Away")... [+] Read More

As a songwriter and a performer, Willie Nelson played a vital role in post-rock & roll country music. Although he didn't become a star until the mid-'70s, Nelson spent the '60s writing songs that became hits for stars like Ray Price ("Night Life"), Patsy Cline ("Crazy"), Faron Young ("Hello Walls"), and Billy Walker ("Funny How Time Slips Away") as well as releasing a series of records on Liberty and RCA that earned him a small, but devoted, cult following. During the early '70s, Willie aligned himself with Waylon Jennings and the burgeoning outlaw country movement which made him into a star in 1975. Following the crossover success of that year's The Red Headed Stranger and "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," Nelson was a genuine star, as recognizable in pop circles as he was to the country audience; in addition to recording, he also launched an acting career in the early '80s. Even when he was a star, Willie never played it safe musically. Instead, he borrowed from a wide variety of styles, including traditional pop, Western swing, jazz, traditional country, cowboy songs, honky tonk, rock & roll, folk, and the blues, creating a distinctive, elastic hybrid. Nelson remained at the top of the country charts until the mid-'80s, when his lifestyle -- which had always been close to the outlaw clichés his music flirted with -- began to spiral out of control, culminating in an infamous battle with the IRS in the late '80s. During the '90s, Nelson's sales never reached the heights that he had experienced a decade earlier, but he remained a vital icon in country music, having greatly influenced the new country, new traditionalist, and alternative country movements of the '80s and '90s as well as leaving behind a legacy of classic songs and recordings.


Nelson began performing music as a child growing up in Abbott, TX. After his father died and his mother ran away, Nelson and his sister Bobbie were raised by their grandparents, who encouraged both children to play instruments. Willie picked up the guitar, and by the time he was seven, he was already writing songs. Bobbie learned to play piano, eventually meeting -- and later marrying -- fiddler Bud Fletcher, who invited both of the siblings to join his band. Nelson had already played with Raychecks' Polka Band, but with Fletcher, he acted as the group's frontman. Willie stayed with Fletcher throughout high school. Upon his graduation, he joined the Air Force but had to leave shortly afterward, when he became plagued by back problems. Following his disenrollment from the service, he began looking for full-time work. After he worked several part-time jobs, he landed a job as a country DJ at Fort Worth's KCNC in 1954. Nelson continued to sing in honky tonks as he worked as a DJ, deciding to make a stab at recording career by 1956. That year, he headed to Vancouver, WA, where he recorded Leon Payne's "Lumberjack." At that time, Payne was a DJ and he plugged "Lumberjack" on the air, which eventually resulted in sales of 3,000 -- a respectable figure for an independent single, but not enough to gain much attention. For the next few years, Willie continued to DJ and sing in clubs. During this time, he sold "Family Bible" to a guitar instructor for 50 dollars, and when the song became a hit for Claude Gray in 1960, Nelson decided to move to Nashville the following year to try his luck. Though his nasal voice and jazzy, off-center phrasing didn't win him many friends -- several demos were made and then rejected by various labels -- his songwriting ability didn't go unnoticed, and soon Hank Cochran helped Willie land a publishing contract at Pamper Music. Ray Price, who co-owned Pamper Music, recorded Nelson's "Night Life" and invited him to join his touring band, the Cherokee Cowboys, as a bassist.


Arriving at the beginning of 1961, Price's invitation began a watershed year for Nelson. Not only did he play with Price -- eventually taking members of the Cherokee Cowboys to form his own touring band -- but his songs also provided major hits for several other artists. Faron Young took "Hello Walls" to number one for nine weeks, Billy Walker made "Funny How Time Slips Away" into a Top 40 country smash, and Patsy Cline made "Crazy" into a Top Ten pop crossover hit. Earlier in the year, he signed a contract with Liberty Records and began releasing a series of singles that were usually drenched in strings. "Willingly," a duet with his then-wife Shirley Collie, became a Top Ten hit for Nelson early in 1962, and it was followed by another Top Ten single, "Touch Me," later that year. Both singles made it seem like Nelson was primed to become a star, but his career stalled just as quickly as it had taken off, and he was soon charting in the lower regions of the Top 40. Liberty closed its country division in 1964, the same year Roy Orbison had a hit with "Pretty Paper."


When the Monument recordings failed to become hits, Nelson moved to RCA Records in 1965, the same year he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Over the next seven years, Willie had a steady stream of minor hits, highlighted by the number 13 hit "Bring Me Sunshine" in 1969. Toward the end of his stint with RCA, he had grown frustrated with the label, who had continually tried to shoehorn him into the heavily produced Nashville sound. By 1972, he wasn't even able to reach the country Top 40. Discouraged by his lack of success, Nelson decided to retire from country music, moving back to Austin, TX, after a brief and disastrous sojourn into pig farming. Once he arrived in Austin, Nelson realized that many young rock fans were listening to country music along with the traditional honky tonk audience. Spotting an opportunity, Willie began performing again, scrapping his pop-oriented Nashville sound and image for a rock- and folk-influenced redneck outlaw image. Soon, he earned a contract with Atlantic Records.


Shotgun Willie (1973), Nelson's first album for Atlantic, was evidence of the shift of his musical style, and although it initially didn't sell well, it earned good reviews and cultivated a dedicated cult following. By the fall of 1973, his version of Bob Wills' "Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer)" had cracked the country Top 40. The following year, he delivered the concept album Phases and Stages, which increased his following even more with the hit singles "Bloody Mary Morning" and "After the Fire Is Gone." But the real commercial breakthrough didn't arrive until 1975, when he severed ties with Atlantic and signed to Columbia Records, who gave him complete creative control of his records. Willie's first album for Columbia, The Red Headed Stranger, was a spare concept album about a preacher, featuring only his guitar and his sister's piano. The label was reluctant to release with such stark arrangements, but they relented and it became a huge hit, thanks to Nelson's understated cover of Roy Acuff's "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain."


Following the breakthrough success of The Red Headed Stranger as well as Waylon Jennings' simultaneous success, outlaw country -- so named because it worked outside of the confines of the Nashville industry -- became a sensation, and RCA compiled the various-artists album Wanted: The Outlaws!, using material Nelson, Jennings, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter had previously recorded for the label. The compilation boasted a number one single in the form of the newly recorded Jennings and Nelson duet "Good Hearted Woman," which was also named the Country Music Association's single of the year. For the next five years, Nelson consistently charted on both the country and pop charts, with "Remember Me," "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time," and "Uncloudy Day" becoming Top Ten country singles in 1976; "I Love You a Thousand Ways" and the Mary Kay Place duet "Something to Brag About" were Top Ten country singles the following year.


Nelson enjoyed his most successful year to date in 1978, as he charted with two very dissimilar albums. Waylon and Willie, his first duet album with Jennings, was a major success early in the year, spawning the signature song "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys." Later in the year, he released Stardust, a string-augmented collection of pop standards produced by Booker T. Jones. Most observers believed that the unconventional album would derail Nelson's career, but it unexpectedly became one of the most successful records in his catalog, spending almost ten years in the country charts and eventually selling over four million copies. After the success of Stardust, Willie branched out into film, appearing in the Robert Redford movie The Electric Horseman in 1979 and starring in Honeysuckle Rose the following year. The latter spawned the hit "On the Road Again," which became another one of Nelson's signature songs.


Willie continued to have hits throughout the early '80s, when he had a major crossover success in 1982 with a cover of Elvis Presley's hit "Always on My Mind." The single spent two weeks at number one and crossed over to number five on the pop charts, sending the album of the same name to number two on the pop charts as well as quadruple-platinum status. Over the next two years, he had hit duet albums with Merle Haggard (1983's Poncho & Lefty) and Jennings (1982's WWII and 1983's Take It to the Limit), while "To All the Girls I've Loved Before," a duet with Latin pop star Julio Iglesias, became another major crossover success in 1984, peaking at number five on the pop charts and number one on the singles chart.


Following a string of number one singles in early 1985, including "Highwayman," the first single from the Highwaymen, a supergroup he formed with Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson, Nelson's popularity gradually began to erode. A new generation of artists had captured the attention of the country audience, which began to drastically cut into his own audience. For the remainder of the decade, he recorded less frequently and remained on the road; he also continued to do charity work, most notably Farm Aid, an annual concert that he founded in 1985 designed to provide aid to ailing farmers. While he career was declining, an old demon began to creep up on Willie -- the IRS. In November of 1990, he was given a bill for 16.7 million dollars in back taxes. During the following year, almost all of his assets -- including several houses, studios, farms, and various properties -- were taken away, and to help pay his bill, he released the double-album The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories? Originally released as two separate albums, the records were marketed through television commercials, and all the profits were directed to the IRS. By 1993 -- the year he turned 60 -- his debts had been paid off, and he relaunched his recording career with Across the Borderline, an ambitious album produced by Don Was and featuring cameos by Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon, Sinéad O'Connor, David Crosby, and Kris Kristofferson. The record received strong reviews and became his first solo album to appear in the pop charts since 1985.


After the release of Across the Borderline, Nelson continued to work steadily, releasing at least one album a year and touring constantly. In 1993, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, but by that time, he had already become a living legend for all country music fans across the world. Signing to Island for 1996's Spirit, he resurfaced two years later with the critically acclaimed Teatro, produced by Daniel Lanois. Nelson followed up that success with the instrumental-oriented Night and Day a year later; Me and the Drummer and Milk Cow Blues followed in 2000. The Rainbow Connection, which featured an eclectic selection of old-time country favorites, appeared in spring 2001.


Amazingly prolific as a recording artist, Nelson released Great Divide on Universal in 2002. A collection of his early-'60s publishing demos for Pamper Music called Crazy: The Demo Sessions came out on Sugar Hill in 2003. Later in 2003 Nelson released Run That by Me One More Time, which reunited him with Ray Price and kicked off a relationship with Lost Highway Records. It Always Will Be and Outlaws and Angels both appeared on Lost Highway in 2004, followed by the release of Nelson's long-delayed attempt at a country-reggae fusion, Countryman, also on Lost Highway, in 2005. You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker arrived the following year. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Music icon Anne Murray has sold more than 50 million albums in a distinguished career that spans four decades. On January 15th, Manhattan/EMI will release Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends, an exceptional 17-track collection of her top hits and favorites, newly recorded as duets with some of the world’s top female recording artists. [+] Read More

Music icon Anne Murray has sold more than 50 million albums in a distinguished career that spans four decades. On January 15th, Manhattan/EMI will release Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends, an exceptional 17-track collection of her top hits and favorites, newly recorded as duets with some of the world’s top female recording artists.
Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends showcases a wide variety of Anne's favorite female vocalists. Among the album’s tracks and collaborating artists are "Snowbird" with Sarah Brightman, "You Needed Me" with Shania Twain, "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" with Anne’s daughter Dawn Langstroth, "Danny's Song" with Martina McBride, “Another Pot O’ Tea” with Emmylou Harris, “A Little Good News” with Indigo Girls, “Cotton Jenny" with Olivia Newton-John, “Could I Have This Dance” with Amy Grant, “Daydream Believer” with Nelly Furtado, “A Love Song” with k.d. lang, “Time Don’t Run Out On Me” with the song’s writer, Carole King, and more.
In 1979, Anne and Dusty Springfield each recorded the song "I Just Fall In Love Again." Anne's version became a hit single that garnered her Canada’s Juno Award for "Single of the Year" in 1980. Anne and Dusty remained friends until Dusty’s passing in 1999, and for Anne, releasing an album with this type of sisterly theme wouldn't seem complete without Dusty's inclusion. With the blessing of the Springfield family and estate, a new version pairing Dusty's original with Anne’s newly recorded vocals is featured on the album.
Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends was produced by one of the most respected music producers in the world, Phil Ramone (Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel), who counts 14 Grammy Awards and 32 Grammy nominations among his many honors. Together, Anne and Phil decided they would treat the songs on their own terms and not adhere rigidly to the arrangements of Anne’s classic versions. While Anne had designs on how she imagined the arrangements, she gave Phil free rein to rework the songs.
“We approached the sessions as if we were just handed these songs and told to make this record,” explains Ramone. “While arrangements were changed, there are also licks on some songs that I didn’t mess with. We stayed true to the song.”
Working with Anne for the first time, Ramone adds, was an easy task. “What I love about Anne is there are no words minced about whatever she feels,” he says. “This is not a person you have to think, ‘Will she tell me the truth?’ When we met for a few hours in Michigan before we started, we agreed we wanted to bring some daring ideas and some freshness to this album.”
“I said to Phil,” joked Anne, “The only reason I asked you was that I’m the only singer left that you haven’t worked with!”
“I’ve done duets throughout my career,” Anne says. “I did duets when I started out on (CBC Television’s) ‘Singalong Jubilee.’ I did a duets album in 1971 with Glen Campbell. Growing up I did lot of group singing at school and sang with my brothers. I’ve always loved singing harmony.”
Since releasing her debut album in 1967, Anne Murray has been honored with a spectacular number of awards. She is the proud recipient of four Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, three Country Music Association Awards, three Canadian Country Music Association Awards and twenty-four Juno Awards. Anne has also been honored with the Legacy Award from the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (2006), the East Coast Music Association Directors' Special Achievement Award (2001), induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame (2002), and induction into the Juno Hall of Fame (1993).
Anne Murray will tour to several U.S. cities in February and March 2008 (confirmed tour dates listed below). For updates and additional information, visit Anne Murray’s official Website: www.annemurray.com [-] Hide

Ronnie Milsap was one of the major figures of country music in the 1970s, developing a hybrid of country and pop which brought him a large audience. Milsap was born in Robbinsville, North Carolina, and was raised by his father and grandparents following his parents' divorce. He was born blind from congenital glaucoma, and when he was five began... [+] Read More

Ronnie Milsap was one of the major figures of country music in the 1970s, developing a hybrid of country and pop which brought him a large audience. Milsap was born in Robbinsville, North Carolina, and was raised by his father and grandparents following his parents' divorce. He was born blind from congenital glaucoma, and when he was five began attending the Governor Moorhead School for the Blind. When he was seven, his instructors noticed his extraordinary musical talents and he began to study classical music formally. A single year after he began learning the violin, Milsap was declared a virtuoso; he also mastered piano, guitar and a variety of other stringed instruments, as well as various woodwinds. Eventually, he became interested in rock & roll music and while still in school formed his first rock band, the Apparitions. He briefly attended college in Atlanta where he studied pre-law; though he was awarded a comprehensive scholarship, Milsap decided to become a full-time musician instead. His first professional gig was as a member of J.J. Cale's band in the early '60s.

In 1965, Milsap started his own band and four years later, after having an R&B hit with "Never Had It So Good," moved to Memphis to become a session musician. There he frequently worked for Chips Moman and can be heard playing keyboards on Elvis' "Kentucky Rain" and singing harmony on "Don't Cry Daddy." When not doing session work, Milsap and his backing group were the house band at TJ's Club. In 1970, he had a pop hit with "Loving You Is a Natural Thing." Following its success, in 1971 he released his eponymous debut. Two years later, Milsap moved to Nashville in hopes of jump-starting his flagging career, and became a client of Charley Pride's manager Jack D. Johnson. Within a year, he signed to RCA Victor, where he would remain for the bulk of his career. "I Hate You," his first single for RCA, reached the country Top Ten in the summer of 1973. The following year, he had three number one hits in a row -- "Pure Love," "Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends," and "(I'd Be) A Legend in My Time," a cover of Don Gibson's classic.

Milsap had a handful of Top Ten hits in 1975 and but in late 1976, he became a genuine star, with a string of six number one hits in a row. In turn, that string of hits begat a remarkable run where Milsap didn't leave the Top Ten for 15 straight years. During that time, he had a number of pop crossover hits, beginning with 1977's "It Was Almost like a Song." Between 1980 and 1982, Milsap had ten more consecutive number one hits including the crossover smashes "Smoky Mountain Rain," "No Gettin' Over Me" and "Any Day Now." Milsap had yet another string of uninterrupted number one hits between 1985 and 1987, racking up eight consecutive chart toppers. He had his last number one hit in 1989, when "A Woman in Love" spent two weeks on the top of the charts. In total, he had 35 number one singles.

In the early '90s, Milsap's commercial appeal began to decline -- after 1992, he wasn't able to break into the country Top Ten. Nevertheless, he continued to record. In 1992, he left RCA and signed to Liberty, where he recorded True Believer, which failed to yield any major hits. Despite his decline in popularity, Milsap continued to record and perform successfully throughout the '90s. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 contains a 11-track cross-section of Alabama's hit singles from the mid- and late '80s, including the number one singles "Dixieland Delight," "Lady Down On Love," "The Closer You Get," "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)," "Fallin' Again," "Song of the South," "High Cotton," and "Take Me Down." On the, this second volume is even... [+] Read More

Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 contains a 11-track cross-section of Alabama's hit singles from the mid- and late '80s, including the number one singles "Dixieland Delight," "Lady Down On Love," "The Closer You Get," "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)," "Fallin' Again," "Song of the South," "High Cotton," and "Take Me Down." On the, this second volume is even stronger than the first and represents some of the best mainstream rock-influenced country of the '80s. ~ Thom Owens, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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Best of the Bellamy Brothers is a ten-track budget-priced collection that features some of his biggest hits, including "Let Your Love Flow," "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me, " "Kids of the Baby Boom, " "Old Hippie, " "Dancin' Cowboys, " "Slippin' Away, " "Ole Faithful" and "Satin Sheets." Although this isn't a... [+] Read More

Best of the Bellamy Brothers is a ten-track budget-priced collection that features some of his biggest hits, including "Let Your Love Flow," "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me, " "Kids of the Baby Boom, " "Old Hippie, " "Dancin' Cowboys, " "Slippin' Away, " "Ole Faithful" and "Satin Sheets." Although this isn't a bad budget-priced disc, there are better collections available, offering more songs and better sound for not much more money. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Willie Nelson's smooth interpretation of "Always on My Mind" became an unexpected pop crossover hit, climbing into the Top 10 and spending two weeks at the top of the country charts. The accompanying album of the same name contains a handful of songs that match the casual grace of "Always on My Mind," including fine versions of "Do Right Woman,... [+] Read More

Willie Nelson's smooth interpretation of "Always on My Mind" became an unexpected pop crossover hit, climbing into the Top 10 and spending two weeks at the top of the country charts. The accompanying album of the same name contains a handful of songs that match the casual grace of "Always on My Mind," including fine versions of "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," "Let it Be Me," and "Bridge over Troubled Water," plus lesser-known songs and originals like "Old Fords and a Natural stone" and "Party's Over." There's a handful of mediocre songs, including an awkward "Whiter Shade of Pale," but Always on My Mind is a laidback, nearly pop album that is one of his best contemporary crossover efforts. ~ Thom Owens, All Music Guide [-] Hide

A Legend In My Time contains 26 tracks from Don Gibson's peak years of 1957-1965, including all of his country Top 10 hits ("Oh Lonesome Me," "I Can't Stop Lovin' You," "Blue Blue Day," "Sweet Dreams," and several others), as well as a selection of lesser-known material that is all first-rate. It's the definitive retrospective. Although hardcore... [+] Read More

A Legend In My Time contains 26 tracks from Don Gibson's peak years of 1957-1965, including all of his country Top 10 hits ("Oh Lonesome Me," "I Can't Stop Lovin' You," "Blue Blue Day," "Sweet Dreams," and several others), as well as a selection of lesser-known material that is all first-rate. It's the definitive retrospective. Although hardcore fans will want Bear Family's box sets and casual fans might want a collection that's a little more concise, A Legend in My Time has every essential item from the classic singer/songwriter. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide