The singles discography of Kitty Wells, an American country artist, consists of ninety singles, nineteen B-sides, and two music videos. In 1949 she was signed to RCA Victor Records, where she released her debut single, "Death at the Bar" also in 1949. Dropped from RCA in 1950, Wells signed with Decca Records and released the single "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" in 1952.[1] The song was an answer song to Hank Thompson's hit, "The Wild Side of Life", spending six weeks at number one on the Billboard Magazine Hot C&W Sides chart.[2] The single sold one million copies and made Wells the first female country artist to have a single reach number one on the Billboard country list. Until the end of the decade, Wells became the only woman on the country chart that would consistently receive radio airplay.[1] In 1953 the song, "Paying for That Back Street Affair" reached #6 on the Billboard Hot C&W Sides list, as well as twenty one additional Top Ten singles on the same chart between 1953 and 1959.[2] This included singles such as the Red Foley duet "One by One" (1954), "Making Believe" (1955), "I Can't Stop Loving You" (1958), "Mommy for a Day" (1959), and "Amigo's Guitar" (1959). The latter song was written by Wells herself and later won her a BMI Songwriter's Award.[1]
| Kitty Wells discography | |
|---|---|
| Singles | 90 |
| B-sides | 19 |
| Music videos | 2 |
In 1961, Wells had her second number one single with "Heartbreak U.S.A.", and an album of the same name was later released that year. During the decade, Wells had eleven more singles that would become Top Ten hits.[3] In 1962 all three of her singles reached the Top Ten: "Unloved, Unwanted", "Will Your Lawyer Talk To God", and "We Missed You". She had her final major hit with 1966's "It's All Over But the Crying", which went to #14 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. Wells continued recording for Decca until 1975, however most of her singles began to remain absent from the country chart.[2] In 1975 she released three singles from her album, Forever Young, however none of them were successful.[3] In 1979 she and her husband Johnnie Wright formed the label Rubocca Records, where she released the single "Thank You for the Roses" (1979), which peaked at #60 on the Hot Country Singles chart and became her final solo single to chart.
Singles
edit1940s and 1950s
edit| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [4] |
US [4] | ||||||||
| 1949 | "Death at the Bar" | — | — | — | |||||
| "Don't Wait for the Last Minute to Pray" | — | — | |||||||
| 1950 | "Make Up Your Mind" | — | — | ||||||
| "How Far Is Heaven" | — | — | |||||||
| 1952 | "Glory Land March" | — | — | ||||||
| "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" | 1 | 27 | Country Hit Parade | ||||||
| "A Wedding Ring Ago" | — | — | The Kitty Wells Story | ||||||
| 1953 | "The Things I Might Have Been" | — | 22 | Country Hit Parade | |||||
| "Paying for That Back Street Affair" | 6 | — | |||||||
| "Honky Tonk Waltz" | — | — | Country Heart | ||||||
| "I Don't Claim to Be an Angel" | — | — | Country Hit Parade | ||||||
| "Hey Joe" | 8 | — | Kitty Wells' Golden Favorites | ||||||
| "Cheatin's a Sin" | 9 | — | Country Hit Parade | ||||||
| 1954 | "Release Me" | 8 | — | ||||||
| "You're Not So Easy to Forget" | — | — | After Dark | ||||||
| "Thou Shalt Not Steal" | 14 | — | — | ||||||
| 1955 | "Making Believe" | 2 | — | Country Hit Parade | |||||
| "There's Poison in Your Heart" | 9 | — | |||||||
| "The Lonely Side of Town" | 7 | — | After Dark | ||||||
| 1956 | "How Far Is Heaven" (with Carol Sue) | 11 | — | Singing on Sunday | |||||
| "Searching (For Someone Like You)" | 3 | — | The Kitty Wells Story 1963 | ||||||
| "Repenting" | 6 | — | Kitty Wells' Golden Favorites | ||||||
| 1957 | "Three Ways (To Love You)" | 7 | — | ||||||
| "(I'll Always Be Your) Fraulein" | 10 | — | |||||||
| 1958 | "I Can't Stop Loving You" | 3 | — | ||||||
| "Jealousy" | 7 | 78 | |||||||
| "Touch and Go Heart" | 15 | — | The Lonely Side of Town | ||||||
| 1959 | "Mommy for a Day" | 5 | — | Kitty Wells' Golden Favorites | |||||
| "Your Wild Life's Gonna Get You Down" | 12 | — | After Dark | ||||||
| "Amigo's Guitar" | 5 | — | Seasons of My Heart | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||||
1960s
edit| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [4] |
CAN Country [5] | ||||||||
| 1960 | "Left to Right" | 5 | — | Kitty Wells' Golden Favorites | |||||
| "Carmel by the Sea" | 16 | — | — | ||||||
| 1961 | "The Other Cheek" | 19 | — | The Kitty Wells Story | |||||
| "Heartbreak U.S.A." | 1 | — | Heartbreak U.S.A. | ||||||
| "Day into Night" | 10 | — | — | ||||||
| 1962 | "Unloved, Unwanted" | 5 | — | Especially for You | |||||
| "Will Your Lawyer Talk To God" | 8 | — | |||||||
| "We Missed You" | 7 | — | |||||||
| 1963 | "Cold and Lonely (Is the Forecast for Tonight)" | 13 | — | ||||||
| "A Heartache for Keepsake" | 29 | — | — | ||||||
| 1964 | "This White Circle on My Finger" | 7 | — | Country Music Time | |||||
| "Password" | 4 | — | |||||||
| "I'll Repossess My Heart" | 8 | — | Burning Memories | ||||||
| 1965 | "You Don't Hear" | 4 | — | ||||||
| "Meanwhile, Down at Joe's" | 9 | — | Country All the Way | ||||||
| "A Woman Half My Age" | 15 | — | |||||||
| 1966 | "It's All Over But the Crying" | 14 | — | A Woman Never Forgets | |||||
| "A Woman Never Forgets" | 52 | — | Country All the Way | ||||||
| 1967 | "Love Makes the World Go Around" | 34 | — | Love Makes the World Go Around | |||||
| "Queen of the Honky Tonk Street" | 28 | — | Queen of the Honky Tonk Street | ||||||
| 1968 | "My Big Truck Drivin' Man" | 35 | 23 | Kitty Wells Showcase | |||||
| "Gypsy King" | 52 | 17 | The Cream of Country Hits | ||||||
| "Happiness Hill" | 47 | 10 | Guilty Street | ||||||
| 1969 | "Guilty Street" | 61 | — | ||||||
| "Just a Cheap Affair" | — | — | Bouquet of Country Hits | ||||||
| "White Christmas" | — | — | Christmas Day | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||||
1970s and 1980s
edit| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [4] |
CAN Country [5] | ||||||||
| 1970 | "I Don't See What I Saw" | — | — | Singing 'em Country | |||||
| "Your Love Is the Way" | 71 | — | Your Love Is the Way | ||||||
| "That Ain't a Woman's Way" | — | — | They're Stepping All Over My Heart | ||||||
| 1971 | "They're Stepping All Over My Heart" | 72 | — | ||||||
| "Pledging My Love" | 49 | 19 | Pledging My Love | ||||||
| "Reno Airport, Nashville" | — | — | Sincerely, Kitty Wells | ||||||
| 1972 | "Sincerely" | 72 | — | ||||||
| "Love Is the Answer" | — | — | |||||||
| "I've Got Yesterday" | — | — | I've Got Yesterday | ||||||
| "Full Grown Man" | — | — | Yours Truly | ||||||
| 1973 | "Easily Persuaded" | — | — | ||||||
| "Mississippi Missus" | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1974 | "Forever Young" | — | — | Forever Young | |||||
| "Too Much Love Between Us" | — | — | |||||||
| "I've Been Loving You Too Long" | — | — | |||||||
| 1975 | "Anybody Out There Wanna Be a Daddy" | 94 | — | — | |||||
| "Nickel Bar Candy" | — | — | |||||||
| 1979 | "Thank You for the Roses" | 75 | — | Hall of Fame, Vol. I | |||||
| 1980 | "Old Milwaukee's Talking" | — | — | — | |||||
| 1981 | "I'll Hold You in My Heart" | — | — | Hall of Fame, Vol. II | |||||
| 1983 | "You Don't Have to Hire a Wino (I'll Give You Mine for Free)" |
— | — | — | |||||
| 1989 | "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" (re-recording) |
— | — | Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 | |||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||||
Other singles
editCollaborative singles
edit| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [4] |
CAN Country [5] | ||||||||
| 1954 | "One By One" | Red Foley | 1 | — | Kitty Wells' and Red Foley's Golden Favorites | ||||
| "As Long as I Live" | 3 | — | |||||||
| 1955 | "You and Me" | 3 | — | ||||||
| 1957 | "Oh, So Many Years" | Webb Pierce | 8 | — | — | ||||
| "One Week Later" | 12 | — | |||||||
| 1960 | "I Can't Tell My Heart That" | Roy Drusky | 26 | — | |||||
| 1964 | "Finally" | Webb Pierce | 9 | 2 | |||||
| 1967 | "Happiness Means You" | Red Foley | 43 | — | Together Again | ||||
| 1968 | "Living as Strangers" | 63 | — | ||||||
| "We'll Stick Together" | Johnnie Wright | 54 | — | We'll Stick Together | |||||
| "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" | Red Foley | 74 | — | Together Again | |||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||||
Guest singles
edit| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [4] | ||||
| 1979 | "The Wild Side of Life" | Rayburn Anthony | 60 | — |
Charted B-sides
edit| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | A-Side Single | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [4] | |||||||||
| 1954 | "I'm a Stranger in My Home" (with Red Foley) | 12 | "One By One" (with Red Foley) | ||||||
| "Make Believe ('Til We Can Make It Come True)" (with Red Foley) | 6 | "As Long as I Live" (with Red Foley) | |||||||
| 1955 | "Who's Shoulder Will You Cry On" | 7 | "Makin' Believe" | ||||||
| "I'm in Love with You" | 12 | "There's Poison in Your Heart" | |||||||
| "I've Kissed You My Last Time" | 7 | "The Lonely Side of Town" | |||||||
| 1956 | "No One But You" (with Red Foley) | flip | "You and Me" (with Red Foley) | ||||||
| "I'd Rather Stay Home" | 13 | "Searching (For Someone Like You)" | |||||||
| "I'm Counting on You" | flip | "Repenting" | |||||||
| 1958 | "She's No Angel" | flip | "I Can't Stop Loving You" | ||||||
| "He's Lost His Love for Me" | 16 | "Touch and Go Heart" | |||||||
| 1959 | "All the Time" | 18 | "Mommy for a Day" | ||||||
| 1961 | "Fickle Fun" | 29 | "The Other Cheek" | ||||||
| "There Must Be Another Way to Live" | 20 | "Heartbreak U.S.A." | |||||||
| "Our Mansion Is a Prison Now" | 21 | "Day into Night" | |||||||
| 1963 | "I Gave My Wedding Dress Away" | 22 | "A Heartache for Keepsake" | ||||||
| 1964 | "I've Thought of Leaving You" | 34 | "Password" | ||||||
| 1965 | "Six Lonely Hours" | 27 | "I'll Repossess My Heart" | ||||||
| 1966 | "Only Me and My Hairdresser Know" | 49 | "A Woman Never Forgets" | ||||||
| 1967 | "Hello No. 1" (with Red Foley) | 60 | "Happiness Means You" (with Red Foley) | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||||
Music videos
edit| Year | Song | Director(s) | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Honky Tonk Angels Medley" (with k.d. lang with Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, and Kitty Wells) | David Hogan | [6] |
References
edit- ^ a b c Coyne, Kevin John (23 June 2008). "100 Greatest Women of Country Music – Kitty Wells (#9)". Country Universe. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ a b c Brian Mansfield and Stephen Thomas. "Kitty Wells > Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Kitty Wells Biography: OLDIES". Oldies. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ a b c "Search results for "Kitty Wells" under RPM Country Singles". RPM. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ^ Video Source Book A Guide to Programs Currently Available on Video. Thomson Gale. 2006. p. 3237. ISBN 978-1414406299.