My Man is a studio album by American country artist, Tammy Wynette. It was released on September 25, 1972 via Epic Records and was the fifteenth studio album of her career. The disc was a collection of 11 tracks whose themes centered around spousal loyalty and heartache. Two singles were spawned from the album: "My Man (Understands)" and "'Til I Get It Right". Both topped the country charts in 1972 and 1973, respectively. The album itself reached the top position on the American country albums chart.
| My Man | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 25, 1972 | |||
| Recorded | May 1971 – May 1972 | |||
| Studio | Columbia Studio B (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Billy Sherrill | |||
| Tammy Wynette chronology | ||||
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| Singles from My Man | ||||
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Background, recording and content
editTammy Wynette was among the most successful country artist of the sixties and seventies decades. She had a series of chart-topping and top ten country singles that earned her the title of "The First Lady of Country Music".[3] Between 1971 and 1973, she had five number one singles on the country charts including "My Man (Understands)".[4] The song served as the lead single and name for Wynette's next studio release. The sessions for My Man were recorded between May 1971 and May 1972 at Columbia Studio B (the "Quonset hut studio"), located in Nashville, Tennessee. The sessions were produced by Billy Sherrill.[5]
The project contained a total of 11 tracks.[1] Most of the album's material followed themes centered around housewives staying loyal to their husbands, such as the title track, "Hold On (To the Love I Got)" and "Good Lovin' (Makes It Right)". Other selections such as "You Can't Hang On" and "'Til I Get It Right" had lyrics that described heartbreak.[2][5] Four tracks on the project had writing credits from Carmol Taylor, while two had credits from Norro Wilson. Wynette herself contributed to two of the album's tracks.[5] A cover version of "The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A." by Donna Fargo also appeared.[5] Fargo's version was a number one country single in 1972. The track, "Hold On (To the Love I Got)" was released in 1972 as a single by Barbara Mandrell whose version was a top 40 country single.[6]
Release, chart performance, reception and singles
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
My Man was originally released on September 25, 1972 on Epic Records. It was originally distributed as both a vinyl LP and a cassette.[5] Decades later, it became available digitally.[7] My Man later peaked at number two on the American Billboard Top Country Albums chart in January 1973.[8] It peaked outside the Billboard 200, at number 201 during this period as well.[9] My Man was given only two out of five stars from AllMusic.[1] A compilation release (that also contained tracks from her 1972 LP Bedtime Story) was also reviewed by AllMusic. However, the recordings were given praise: "Wynette is in fine form as well, delivering heartbreak and determination in equal measure."[2]
Two singles were spawned from the album. The first was the title track, which was originally released by Epic Records in August 1972.[10] By November 1972, the song reached the number one spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.[11] The album's second single was "'Til I Get It Right" and was released in December 1972.[12] By March 1973, the single also reached the number one position on the Billboard country chart.[13] On Canada's RPM Country Tracks chart, both singles also reached number one.[14]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Man" |
| 2:50 |
| 2. | "Things I Love to Do" |
| 2:54 |
| 3. | "Hold On (To the Love I Got)" |
| 2:08 |
| 4. | "Loving You Could Never Be Better" | Montgomery | 3:01 |
| 5. | "'Til I Get It Right" | 2:36 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Walk Softly on the Bridges" |
| 2:58 |
| 2. | "The Bridge of Love" | Jae J. Kay | 2:45 |
| 3. | "You Can't Hang On" |
| 2:05 |
| 4. | "The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A." | Donna Fargo | 2:15 |
| 5. | "Gone with Another Man" | Taylor | 2:14 |
| 6. | "Good Lovin' (Makes It Right)" | Sherrill | 2:29 |
Personnel
editAll credits are adapted from the liner notes of My Man.[5]
- Bill Barnes – cover design
- Al Clayton – photography (front cover)
- The Jordanaires – backing vocals
- Slick Lawson – photography (back cover)
- The Nashville Edition – backing vocals
- Billy Sherrill – producer
Charts
edit| Chart (1972–1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 (Billboard)[9] | 201 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[15] | 2 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | September 25, 1972 | Vinyl | Epic Records | [16] |
| Europe | [17] | |||
| North America |
|
[5] | ||
| 2010s |
|
Sony Music Entertainment | [7] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "My Man: Tammy Wynette: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ a b c "Bedtime Story/My Man: Tammy Wynette: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Tammy Wynette Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ McDonough, Jimmy (2010). Tammy Wynette: Tragic Country Queen. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 195-196. ISBN 9781101189955.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Wynette, Tammy (September 25, 1972). "My Man (Original Liner Notes and Disc Information)". Epic Records. P-13259 (LP); ET-31717.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research.
- ^ a b "My Man by Tammy Wynette". Apple Music. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ "Billboard Magazine - January 27, 1973" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2007). Joel Whitburn Presents The Billboard Albums. Record Research. ISBN 978-0898201666.
- ^ Wynette, Tammy (August 1972). ""My Man (Understands)"/"The Things I Love to Do" (7" vinyl single)". Epic Records. 5-10909.
- ^ "Billboard Magazine - November 11, 1972" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ Wynette, Tammy (December 1972). ""'Til I Get It Right"/"The Bridge of Love" (7" vinyl single)". Epic Records. 5-10940.
- ^ "Billboard Magazine - March 10, 1973" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ "Search results for "Tammy Wynette" under Country Singles". RPM. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ "Tammy Wynette Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ Wynette, Tammy (September 25, 1972). "My Man (Disc Information)". Epic Records. ELPS-3656 (Australia).
- ^ Wynette, Tammy (September 25, 1972). "My Man (Disc Information)". Epic Records. EPC-65488 (Europe).