10 Golden Years is a compilation album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released on May 23, 1966, by Decca Records and consisted of ten tracks. The album was meant as a celebration of Lee's ten years as a recording artist for the Decca label. It featured ten tracks recorded between 1956 and 1965, many of which were her most popular singles from her career up to that point.
| 10 Golden Years | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | May 23, 1966 | |||
| Recorded | 1956–1965 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Producer | Owen Bradley | |||
| Brenda Lee chronology | ||||
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Background and content
editBrenda Lee first signed with Decca Records in 1956 in her preteen years. She early recordings such as "Dynamite" were in the Rockabilly style. Her recordings then moved towards pop with songs like "I'm Sorry", "Fool No. 1", "All Alone Am I" and "Losing You". Lee continued recording for Decca through the 1960s and was continuing to have charting records.[2] The year 1966 marked Lee's ten-year anniversary recording for Decca and the label celebrated it by deciding to create a compilation of her material.[3] 10 Golden Years consisted of ten tracks recorded between 1956 and 1965.[4] Featured on the album were her chart records from the previous ten years. This included songs like "Sweet Nothins", "I'm Sorry" and "All Alone Am I".[5]
Release, reception and chart performance
edit10 Golden Years was released on May 23, 1966, by Decca Records. It was distributed as a vinyl LP with five selections on each side of the record.[4] It was promoted through a "coast-to-coast" program, which included radio station visits. Decca also supplied material to record stores that allowed for them to display the record in their store windows.[3] The album was reviewed positively by Billboard. The magazine took notice in Lee's "growth" as a singer.[5] Record World commented that the album will be "a collector's item that will sell fast".[6] AllMusic gave the disc a three-star rating.[1] The disc reached the number 70 position on the US Billboard 200 in 1966. It was the first compilation album in Lee's career to make the any US record chart.[7]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" | Hank Williams | 2:06 |
| 2. | "Dynamite" | 1:57 | |
| 3. | "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home" | Hughie Cannon | 2:19 |
| 4. | "Sweet Nothin's" | Ronnie Self | 2:20 |
| 5. | "I'm Sorry" | Self | 2:40 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fool #1" | Kathryn R. Fulton | 2:22 |
| 2. | "Dum Dum" | 2:27 | |
| 3. | "All Alone Am I" | 2:37 | |
| 4. | "As Usual" | Alex Zanetis | 2:32 |
| 5. | "Too Many Rivers" | Harlan Howard | 2:46 |
Personnel
editAll credits are adapted from the liner notes of 10 Golden Years.[4]
- Dub Allbritten – Liner Notes
- Owen Bradley – Producer
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[8] | 70 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "10 Golden Years: Brenda Lee: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Brenda Lee Biography". Brendsa Lee Songs, Reviews, Bio and More. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Decca Gearing Brenda Lee Pitch on Special 'Years' LP". Billboard. May 28, 1966. p. 3. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Lee, Brenda (May 23, 1966). "10 Golden Years (Disc Information)". Decca Records. DL-4757 (Mono); DL-74757 (Stereo).
- ^ a b "Album Reviews: Pop Spotlight". Billboard. June 4, 1966. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "Albums of the Week" (PDF). Record World. Vol. 20, no. 990. May 28, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Albums Includes Every Album that Made the Billboard 200 Chart : 50 Year History of the Rock Era. Record Research, Inc. p. 591. ISBN 978-0898201666.
- ^ "Brenda Lee Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2024.