Honky Tonk Heroes (Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn album)

Honky Tonk Heroes is the eighth collaborative studio album by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. It was released on June 26, 1978, by MCA Records.[1]

Honky Tonk Heroes
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 26, 1978
RecordedMarch 6, 1973–March 15, 1978
StudioBradley's Barn, Mount Juliet, Tennessee
GenreCountry
Length25:37
LabelMCA
ProducerOwen Bradley
Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn chronology
Dynamic Duo
(1977)
Honky Tonk Heroes
(1978)
Diamond Duet
(1980)
Conway Twitty chronology
Georgia Keeps Pulling On My Ring
(1978)
Honky Tonk Heroes
(1978)
Conway
(1978)
Loretta Lynn chronology
Out of My Head and Back in My Bed
(1978)
Honky Tonk Heroes
(1978)
We've Come a Long Way, Baby
(1979)
Singles from Honky Tonk Heroes
  1. "From Seven Till Ten"
    Released: June 5, 1978

Critical reception

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Billboard's review of the album in the July 8, 1978 issue said, "Twitty and Lynn release their annual duet LP that includes some of the couple's latest singles, plus some new numbers that fans will hear for the first time. Instrumentation is straight country—with a bouncy, prominent bass line, frequent burst of harmonica and a surplus of guitar: lead, bass, rhythm, and steel. Similar talents and philosophies make for a comfortable pairing for Lynn and Twitty, both on stage and on record." The review noted "I've Already Loved You in My Mind", "How High Can You Build a Fire", "You're the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly", "We've Made It Legal", and "Live It Up" as the best cuts on the album, with a note to album dealers to "expect sales to be consistently strong."[2]

Commercial performance

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The album peaked at No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot Country LP's chart, becoming the duo's eighth consecutive album to peak in the top 10, as well as their lowest position on the chart at the time. In Canada, the album peaked at No. 2 on the RPM Country Albums chart.

The album's only single, "From Seven Till Ten", was released in June 1978[3] and peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, the duo's eighth single to peak in the top 10, but also their lowest position on the chart at the time. In Canada, the single peaked at No. 2 on the RPM Country Singles chart. It was backed with "You're the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly."

Recording

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Recording sessions for the album took place on March 8, 14 and 15, 1978, at Bradley's Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Three songs on the album were from previous recording sessions. "We've Made It Legal" was recorded on March 6, 1973, during a session for 1973's Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man. Two songs were from sessions for 1977's Dynamic Duo, "From Seven Till Ten" was recorded on March 15, 1977, and "How High Can You Build a Fire" was recorded on March 16, 1977.[4]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."From Seven Till Ten"
  • Troy Seals
  • Max D. Barnes
March 15, 19772:40
2."I've Already Loved You in My Mind"Conway TwittyMarch 8, 19782:45
3."The Last of It All"
  • L. E. White
  • Lola Jean Dillon
March 14, 19782:26
4."How High Can You Build a Fire"John RiggsMarch 16, 19772:19
5."Fire of Two Old Flames"
  • Seals
  • Barnes
March 8, 19782:50
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."You're the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly"
  • White
  • Lola Jean Dillon
March 14, 19782:29
2."We've Made It Legal"
  • Marie Wilson
  • Sudie Calloway
  • Lorene Mann
March 6, 19732:24
3."How Can You Keep from Lovin' (A Woman Like That)"
  • Dean Sanford
  • Barnes
March 15, 19782:18
4."Live It Up"
  • Norris Wilson
  • Ross Faith
  • Pal Rakes
March 15, 19782:41
5."Country Blues"
  • Marilyn Allyn
  • Joel Sonnier
March 14, 19782:45

Personnel

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Adapted from the album liner notes.

  • Bobby Bradley – engineer
  • Harold Bradley – bass
  • Owen Bradley – producer
  • Larry Boden – mastering
  • Carol Lee Cooper – backing vocals
  • Ray Edenton – rhythm guitar
  • Johnny Gimble – fiddle
  • John Hughey – steel guitar
  • The Jordanaires – backing vocals
  • Tommy "Porkchop" Markham – drums
  • Grady Martin – lead guitar
  • Charlie McCoy – harmonica
  • Joe Mills – engineer
  • Bob Moore – bass
  • The Nashville Sounds – backing vocals
  • Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano
  • L. E. White – backing vocals

Charts

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Album

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Chart (1978) Peak chart
position
US Hot Country LP's (Billboard)[5] 8
Canada Country Albums (RPM) 2

Singles

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Title Year Peak chart
position
US
Country

[6]
CAN
Country
"From Seven Till Ten" 1978 6 2

References

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  1. ^ "Honky Tonk Heroes – Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
  2. ^ "Billboard - July 8, 1978" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  3. ^ "Loretta Lynn / Conway Twitty - From Seven Till Ten". Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  4. ^ "Loretta's Recording Sess". Loretta Lynn Fan Website. Archived from the original on 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  5. ^ "Loretta Lynn Chart History - Hot Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Loretta Lynn Chart History - Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.