Heart to Heart (Merle Haggard and Leona Williams album)
Heart to Heart | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 1983 | |||
Recorded | 1983 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 28:38 | |||
Label | Mercury | |||
Producer | Merle Haggard | |||
Merle Haggard and Leona Williams chronology | ||||
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Heart to Heart is a duet album by Merle Haggard and Leona Williams with backing by the Strangers, released in June 1983 on Mercury Records.[1] It reached number 44 on the Billboard Country music chart.
Background
Heart to Heart was released just weeks after Haggard and Williams had divorced after five years of marriage. Williams, who had replaced
Haggard had to obtain permission from Epic Records to record with Williams, who was signed to Mercury. Heart to Heart was Haggard's third duet album in two years, having recorded A Taste of Yesterday's Wine with George Jones and Pancho and Lefty with Willie Nelson. Heart to Heart was not the success those LPs had been, however, peaking at number 44 on the Billboard country albums chart.[5] A single, the co-written "We're Stranger's Again," did not crack the country Top 40. Haggard contributed four songs to the set, including two written with Williams. Highlights include the Freddy Powers song "It's Cold in California" and "Don't Ever Let Love Sleep," as well as the title track, but on a couple of songs, "Sally Let Your Bangs Hang Down" and "I'll Never Be Free", Williams contributions are reduced significantly, reinforcing the stifling image of her as merely Haggard's backup singer. In the late nineties, Williams initially agreed—and then declined—to be interviewed by Tom Carter for Haggard's second autobiography My House of Memories, which would be published in 1999. Haggard alluded to this in the book and, apparently affronted, never mentions Williams by her name, simply referring to her as "wife number three." He also stated that Williams leaving him was "one of the best things to have ever happened to me."[6] Williams did later participate in the American Masters documentary dedicated to Haggard.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Track listing
- "Heart to Heart Talk" (Lee Ross)2:37
- "Let's Pretend We're Not Married Tonight" (Merle Haggard, Leona Williams)2:26
- "You Can't Break the Chains of Love" (Lewis Porter, Franklyn Tableporter, Jimmy Wakely 3:00
- "Waltz Across Texas" (Ernest Tubb) 2:39
- "We're Strangers Again" (Haggard, Williams)2:33
- "Waitin' On the Good Life to Come" (Haggard)3:06
- "Don't Ever Let Your Lover Sleep Alone" (Haggard)2:21
- "It's Cold In California" (Freddy Powers)3:10
- "I'll Never Be Free" (Bennie Benjamin, George Weiss)2:56
- "Sally Let Your Bangs Hang Down" (Rose Maddox)3:15
Total Time...28:38
Personnel
- Merle Haggard– vocals, guitar, fiddle
- Leona Williams – vocals, guitar
- Roy Nichols – guitar
- Norm Hamlet – steel guitar
- Tiny Moore – fiddle, mandolin
- Mark Yeary – keyboards
- Dennis Hromek – bass
- Biff Adams – drums
- Jimmy Belken – fiddle
- Don Markham – horns
with:
- David Kirby – guitar
- Freddie Powers – guitar
References
- ^ Gilmore, Mikal (2016-05-05). "Merle Haggard: The Outlaw". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- ^ Down Every Road 1962–1994 compilation album. Liner notes by Daniel Cooper
- ISBN 978-0-671-45275-9.
- ISBN 978-0-292-71771-8.
- ^ a b "Heart to Heart > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-062-02321-6.