Michael Johnson - The Michael Johnson Album (1978)

“The Michael Johnson Album” by Michael Johnson (1978)

Release Date: 1978
Produced by Steve Gibson and Brent Maher
Chart Positions: #81 (US), #83 (Canada)
Certifications: N/A
Singles: “Bluer Than Blue” (US #12, Canada #6, #1 on US and Canada Adult Contemporary), (New Zealand #24)
“Almost Like Being In Love” (US #32, Canada #40, US Adult Contemporary #4, Canada Adult Contemporary #10)
Sailing Without A Sail (US Adult Contemporary #44)

Michael Johnson, a Colorado born singer, songwriter and guitarist is best known for his 1978 Top Ten hit “Bluer Than Blue.” By that time he had been on the music scene for five years releasing music. “The Michael Johnson Album” was his fourth album, but the first that most people heard.

"The Michael Johnson Album" by Michael Johnson (1978)(Click Here)

With producers Steve Gibson and Brent Maher, Johnson created a two-song demo consisting of "Bluer Than Blue" and "Almost Like Being in Love" (first made famous by Frank Sinatra in 1947 and later recorded by Nat King Cole in 1955). EMI America took one listen and wasted no time in signing him, quickly getting The Michael Johnson Album out in 1978. The first single, "Bluer Than Blue", became Johnson's first Top 40 hit, peaking at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1978; the song became a chart-topping single on the Adult Contemporary chart. "Almost Like Being in Love" went to No. 91 on the R&B chart while hitting #4 on the AC chart and the #32 on the pop chart.

“Bluer Than Blue,” Johnson’s breakout single was written by Bernice Parks and veteran songwriter Randy Goodrum. Goodrum has written a string of Top 40 hits including “It’s Sad To Belong” by England Dan & John Ford Coley, “You Needed Me” and “Broken Hearted Me” both by Anne Murray, “Before My Heart Finds Out” by Gene Cotton, “Oh Sherrie” by Steve Perry and several others. Michael Johnson recorded a second Goodrum song for his 1979 album “Dialog” called “The Very First Time.”

In 1978, Johnson was quoted as saying, "I knew “Bluer Than Blue” was potentially a successful song but I didn't think it would go this far. It seemed, well, too mature. The experience of being married or living with someone is hard to identify with for younger people.

Michael Johnson (1978)

Johnson’s next single “Almost Like Being In Love” was written by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner, a duo that composed the music for several Broadway musicals including “My Fair Lady” and “Camelot.” “Almost Like Being In Love” was written for the musical “Brigadoon.” Johnson took the jazz influenced musical tune and revived it as a downbeat ballad.

"Almost Like Being In Love"

The third single “Sailing Without A Sail” did not fare so well but did receive a minor amount of airplay.

Another album highlight is a Latin influenced pop-jazz recording of Curtis Mayfield’s “Gypsy Woman.” The mournful ballad “When You Come Home,” written by Eric Kaz and Tom Snow, was considered by many to be strong enough to have been a single release and received moderate airplay on MOR and adult contemporary radio stations.

Link to “The Michael Johnson Album” (Click Here)

MICHAEL JOHNSON

Dolly Parton - All I Can Do (1976)

“All I Can Do” by Dolly Parton (1976)

Release Date: August 6, 1976
Produced by Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton
Chart Positions: #3 (US Country Chart)
Certifications: N/A
Singles: “All I Can Do” (US Country Charts #3, Canada Country Charts #1), “Hey Lucky Lady” (US Country Charts #19, Canada Country Charts #11)

“All I Can Do” is the album released just before Dolly made her mark as a worldwide music superstar. It is her 17th solo album and her 29th album overall (including collaboration albums with Porter Wagoner).

“All I Can Do” by Dolly Parton (Click Here)

The album includes eight songs written by Parton and two covers; Emmylou Harris' "Boulder to Birmingham" and Merle Haggard's "Life's Like Poetry". The album was released around the time Parton began appearing regularly in the supermarket tabloids, and "Shattered Image", which advised to "stay out of my closet if your own's full of trash" was said to be a reaction to that. Parton re-recorded "Shattered Image" for her 2002 Halos & Horns album. "The Fire That Keeps You Warm" was originally recorded by Parton and Porter Wagoner on the 1974 album Porter 'n' Dolly. This was the last Parton album on which Porter Wagoner would get producing credit.

Dolly received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal.

The upbeat “All I Can Do” was released as the album’s lead single and made it to #3 on the US Country Charts and #1 on the Canadian Country Music Charts. “Hey Lucky Lady” was the second single and reached #19 on the US Country Charts and #11 on the Canadian Country Music Charts.

"All I Can Do"

Link to “All I Can Do” (Click Here) 

DOLLY PARTON

Freddy Fender - Before The Next Teardrop Falls (1974)

“Before The Next Teardrop Falls” by Freddy Fender (1974)

Release Date: 1974
Produced by Huey P. Meaux
Chart Positions: #20 (US), #1 (New Zealand), #9 (Netherlands), #10 (Canada), #1 (US Country Music Chart)
Certifications: Gold (US, Canada)
Singles: “Before The Next Teradrop Falls” (US #1, New Zealand #2, Canada #6, Netherlands #6, Belgium #12), “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” (US #8, New Zealand #1, Canada #6, Belgium #7, Netherlands #14)

Freddy Fender, who was born Baldemar Garza Huerta first made it to the music scene in 1957 using the name El Bebop Kid and released two singles: Spanish versions of Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” (No Seas Cruel) and Harry Belafonte’s “Jamaica Farewell.” Both songs were hits in Mexico and parts of South America. In 1959 Fender wrote and recorded “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights,” the song was a hit but shortly after he was arrested for possession of marijuana and served 3 years times in jail. He was released from jail, in 1963, with the condition that he stay away from music and alcohol for the duration of his probation. Freddy recorded four singles between 1964-1969 but nothing came of them

In 1971 Freddy met producer Huey P. Meaux. Meaux had Fender focus more on country music while maintaining his Hispanic roots and by 1973 he was releasing music again on a regular basis.

“Before The Next Teardrop Falls” by Freddy Fender (Click Here) 

1974 was Freddy Fender’s banner year. It is the year he broke into the Top Ten. In the later part of ’74 Fender released his first album “Before The Next Teardrop Falls,” but nothing happened with it until January 1975 when he released the single of the same name. The song took off immediately with airplay across the US on AM pop radio.

“Before The Next Teardrop Falls” was written in the late 1960s and had been recorded more than two dozen times. The song had achieved modest success with recordings by various performers; the original version by Duane Dee reached #44 on the Billboard country chart in early 1968, and Linda Martell sent her version to #33 in early 1970. Jerry Lee Lewis recorded a version of the song on his 1969 album, Another Place Another Time.

In 1974, record producer Huey P. Meaux approached Fender about overdubbing vocals for an instrumental track. Fender agreed, performing the song bilingual style — singing the first verse in English, then repeating the verse in Spanish.
"The recording only took a few minutes," Fender once told an interviewer. "I was glad to get it over with and I thought that would be the last of it."

However, "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" immediately took off in popularity when released to country radio in January 1975. The song ascended to #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in March, spending two weeks atop the chart. Thereafter, the song caught on just as strongly at Top 40 radio stations and it was not long before Fender had a #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit as well. Billboard ranked it as the No. 4 song for 1975.

Riding on the success of “Before The Next Teardrop Falls” Fender released “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” as the next single. Fender wrote and recorded "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights", a blues ballad, for Duncan Records in 1959, during the early stages of his career. He was in the process of perfecting his mesh of rockabilly and Tejano, and the song showcased his new style. But he was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana, and in May 1960, he was convicted. The popularity of the song, along with his own popularity, plummeted.

Then, in 1975, "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" became a major hit, and Fender's career was rejuvenated. With the help of record producer Huey P. Meaux, Fender re-recorded "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights." This time, the song became a major pop and country hit, topping the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in August 1975. On other charts, "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" went to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and number nine on Billboard's Easy Listening chart.

"Wasted Days and Wasted Nights"

"Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" was certified gold for sales of 1 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song was a major hit in New Zealand. In 1975, it spent a total of 12 weeks in the number one position in the New Zealand singles charts, making it the longest running number-one single at the time and the third-longest running number-one single of all time.

Other highlights include a recording of “Roses Are Red (My Love)” a song made famous by Bobby Vinton and the Freddy Fender penned, mariachi influenced, “I Love My Rancho Grande.”

Freddy Fender (1975)

Link to “Before The Next Teardrop Falls” (Click Here)

FREDDY FENDER