''Bright Lights and Country Music'' is a studio album by Bill Anderson and the Po' Boys. It was released in November 1965 on

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

and was produced by

Owen Bradley William Owen Bradley (October 21, 1915 – January 7, 1998) was an American musician and record producer who, along with Chet Atkins, Bob Ferguson, Bill Porter, and Don Law, was one of the chief architects of the 1950s and 1960s Nashville sou ...

. It was Anderson's first studio album to include dual credit with his band, The Po' Boys. It was his fourth studio album overall. The album included one single release, the title track. This song became a major hit on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' country charts. The album itself also reached charting positions on ''Billboard'' shortly after its release.

Background and content

''Bright Lights and Country Music'' was recorded in July 1965 at the Columbia Recording Studio. The sessions were produced by Owen Bradley, whom Anderson had been collaborating with for several years. It was Anderson's first studio album that included lead credit with his band, The Po' Boys. The album consisted of 12 tracks. Like his previous studio releases, the album contained several songs written by Anderson. Among these songs was the title track, which appeared as the first song in the set. Other songs were new recordings and cover versions songs recorded by others. Among the record's covers was " The Wild Side of Life", which was first released by Hank Thompson in the 1950s. Another cover was the fifth track, "How the Other Half Lives". This song was first recorded by Wynn Stewart and Jan Howard as a duet.

Release and reception

''Bright Lights and Country Music'' was released in November 1965 on Decca Records. The album was released as a vinyl record, with six songs on side of the recording. The album peaked at number 6 on the ''

'' Top Country Albums chart on February 12, 1966. It became Anderson's fifth album release to reach a position on this chart. The title track was the only single released from the album. It was issued in August 1965 and became a major hit, peaking at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart in November 1965. The song "Golden Guitar" would later be included as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to a single not included on this album. The album was later reviewed by Allmusic, which gave the release a rating of 4.5 out of 5 possible stars.

Track listing

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''Bright Lights and Country Music''. Musical personnel * Bill Anderson – lead vocals * Harold Bradley – guitar,

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

* James Colvard – guitar * Floyd Cramer – piano * Pete Drake –

steel guitar A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...

* Ray Edenton – guitar * Jimmy Gateley – guitar * Roy Huskey – bass * The Jordanaires – background vocals * Jimmy Lance – guitar * Grady Martin – guitar * Len Miller –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Bob Moore –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Weldon Myrick – steel guitar * The Po' Boys – various * Joe Zinkan – bass Technical personnel * Owen Bradley –

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

* Hal Buksbaum – photography

Chart performance

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1965 albums Albums produced by Owen Bradley Bill Anderson (singer) albums Decca Records albums