...And Then I Wrote
...And Then I Wrote | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 1962 | |||
Recorded | August 22–23; September 11–12, 1962 | |||
Studio | Quonset Hut, Nashville | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 30:15 | |||
Label | Liberty | |||
Producer | Joe Allison | |||
Willie Nelson chronology | ||||
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...And Then I Wrote is the debut studio album by country singer Willie Nelson, recorded during August and September 1962 and released through Liberty Records.
Despite Nelson's fruitless efforts to succeed with his recording releases with
").Fueled by the success of his songwriting, he was signed by Liberty Records. During August, Nelson started recording his first album, produced by
Background
In 1958, Nelson released two records under a contract with Pappy Daily of D Records,[1] "Man With the Blues"/"The Storm Has Just Begun" and "What a Way to Live"/"Misery Mansion".[2] While working for D Records and singing in nightclubs, Nelson was hired by guitar instructor Paul Buskirk to teach in his school. He sold to Buskirk his original songs "Family Bible" for US$50, and "Night Life" for US$150.[3] "Family Bible" turned into a hit for Claude Gray in 1960.[4]
Nelson moved to
Recording and composition
In his 2015 autobiography, Nelson insists that he composed "Crazy", "Night Life", "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Mr. Record Man", "I Gotta Get Drunk" and "The Party's Over" in one songwriting jag while living in Houston before finally moving to Nashville: "Within an astounding short period of time – a week or two – I'd written a suite of songs that reflected my real-life situation. I knew these songs were damn good, but at the same time, I didn't know what to do with them."[9] Nelson unconsciously borrowed the first few notes of "Crazy" from the Floyd Tillman song "I Gotta Have My Baby Back."[10] "Hello Walls" was written after Nelson had been hired by Pamper Music. Initially collaborating with Hank Cochran, he was nervous at first, realizing "this was creativity on demand,"[11] and later recalling:
First few days found me a little uneasy. I had my guitar, a pencil, and a blank notebook. Hank might throw out an idea, hoping it might spark something in me. When that didn't work, he might tell me a joke, or I might tell him one, hoping that joking would lead to some kind of song. It didn't...And one afternoon, after we had just sat around throwing the bull, he said, "I'm going to the office to make a few calls. You work on something by yourself."[12]
By the time Cochran had returned from his phone call Nelson had written "Hello Walls" and sang it for him. "It's worth a fuckin' fortune," Cochran responded, adding, "Willie, my friend, you just wrote a hit."[13]
The recording sessions for his first album release, ...And Then I Wrote, began in the Nashville studios of Liberty Records. Nelson recorded on August 22–23, starting during the night and lasting until the morning of the following day. Dissatisfied with the results, Allison moved the sessions to the studios of the label in
It was during the recording of "Mr. Record Man" that Nelson met his second wife
Release
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [20] |
The record was released in September 1962.[21] "Touch Me" was released as a single, becoming Nelson's second top ten single, reaching No. 7 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart.[7] Billboard wrote a review about the single, describing it as an "interesting country-styled tune" with "good" lyrics.[22] AllMusic rated the album with four stars out of five.[20]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Willie Nelson, except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Touch Me" | 2:12 |
2. | "Wake Me When It's Over" | 2:48 |
3. | "Hello Walls" | 2:23 |
4. | "Funny How Time Slips Away" | 3:02 |
5. | "Crazy" | 2:50 |
6. | "The Part Where I Cry" | 2:18 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Mr. Record Man" | 2:10 | |
2. | "Three Days" | 2:33 | |
3. | "One Step Beyond" | 2:20 | |
4. | "Undo the Right" | Hank Cochran, Nelson | 2:56 |
5. | "Darkness on the Face of the Earth" | 2:19 | |
6. | "Where My House Lives" | 2:24 |
Personnel
- Willie Nelson – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Billy Strange – guitar
- Roy Nichols – guitar
- Johnny Western – guitar
- Earl Palmer - drums
- B. J. Baker – backing vocals
- Technical
- Joe Allison – producer
- Ralph Valentine – engineer
- Selby Coffeen – engineer
- Charlie Williams – liner notes
- Murray Garrett – photography
- Gene Howard – photography
Charts
Year | Song | Chart | Peak position[23] |
---|---|---|---|
1962 | "Touch Me" | Billboard Hot Country Singles | 7[7] |
Footnotes
- ^ Smith, Michael William (April 25, 2013). "Mr. Record Man: Willie Nelson". Houston Press. Voice Media Group. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
- ^ Nelson, Shrake & Shrake 2000, p. 117.
- ^ Nelson, Shrake & Shrake 2000, p. 118.
- ^ Patoski 2008, p. Nashville, 1960.
- ^ Kosser 2006, p. 73.
- ^ Erlewine 1997, p. 324.
- ^ a b c Edwards, David; Callahan, Mike. "The Liberty Records Story". Both Sides Now. Both Sides Now Publications. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
- ^ Nelson & Ritz 2015, p. 150.
- ^ Nelson & Ritz 2015, p. 124.
- ^ Nelson & Ritz 2015, p. 146.
- ^ Nelson & Ritz 2015, p. 140.
- ^ Nelson & Ritz 2015, p. 140-141.
- ^ Nelson & Ritz 2015, p. 142.
- ^ Patoski 2008, p. 127.
- ^ Thompson 2012, p. 62.
- ^ Patoski 2008, p. 128.
- ^ Nelson, Shrake & Shrake 2000, p. 125.
- ^ Patoski 2008, p. 131.
- ^ Nelson & Ritz 2015, p. 150-151.
- ^ AllMusic
- ISBN 978-0-292-71490-8.
- ^ Billboard staff 1962, p. 29.
- ^ "Red Headed Stranger: Charts & Awards (Billboard Singles)". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
Sources
- Billboard staff (1962). "Singles Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 74, no. 16. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 29. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Erlewine, Michael (1997). All Music Guide to Country: The Experts' Guide to the Best Recordings in Country Music. Miller Freeman. ISBN 978-0-87930-475-1.
- Kosser, Michael (2006). How Nashville Became Music City, U.s.a.: 50 Years of Music Row. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780634098062.
- Nelson, Willie; Ritz, David (2015). It's a Long Story: My Life. Little, Brown and Company.
- Nelson, Willie; Shrake, Bud; Shrake, Edwin (2000). Willie: An Autobiography. Cooper Square Press.
- Patoski, Joe Nick (2008). Willie Nelson: An Epic Life. Hachette Digital. ISBN 978-0-316-01778-7.
- Thompson, Graeme (2012). Willie Nelson: The Outlaw. Random House. ISBN 9781448133413.