''Connie Smith Sings Great Sacred Songs'' is the fourth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American country singer Connie Smith. It was released in June 1966 via RCA Victor Records and contained 12 tracks. It was also her first collection of gospel songs. The project included covers of popular gospel selections including " Father Along" and " Just a Closer Walk with Thee". The disc reached the top 20 of ''

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 albums chart in 1966.

Background, recording and content

Connie Smith launched her career in 1964 with her debut single called " Once a Day", which topped the American country songs chart for eight weeks. With three commercially-successful country music albums, Smith went into RCA Studio B in February 1966 to record her first album of gospel songs. The album was named ''Connie Smith Sings Great Sacred Songs'' because Smith wanted to avoid recording songs with gospel-style piano. "The way it turned out was country songs with sacred words and that's why it's called 'Great Sacred Songs'," she told author Colin Escott. Later in her career, Smith would become more religious and record more gospel material. Reflecting on her first gospel project, Smith said, "At that point I'd say I believed in God, but I was not a Christian." The project was recorded between February 24 and February 28, 1966 with producer Bob Ferguson. A total of twelve tracks comprised the album. The album mainly included covers of gospel selections and hymns. Among these songs was "I Saw a Man", which originally appeared on

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

's 1959 LP ''

Hymns by Johnny Cash ''Hymns by Johnny Cash'' is the third studio album and first gospel album by American singer Johnny Cash. The album was produced in 1958 and was then officially released in 1959. An alternate version of the song ''It was Jesus'' was an added bonu ...

''. Also included was Ferguson's self-penned " Wings of a Dove". According to writer Colin Escott, Smith was "the first to sing all three verses" of the song. Also included on the album were the original gospel hymns " Just a Closer Walk with Thee" and "Wayfaring Pilgrim".

Release and reception

''Connie Smith Sings Great Sacred Songs'' was originally released in June 1966 on RCA Victor Records. It was Smith's fourth studio album issued in her career. The disc was first issued as a vinyl LP containing six songs on either side of the record. Decades later, the album was re-issued to digital and streaming sites such as Apple Music. Following its original release, the disc spent 12 weeks on the ''

'' magazine Country LP's and peaked at number 19 in October 1966. The album was received positively by ''Billboard'' magazine who commented, "The spirit is with her when she does these sides, some of which have Jake Hess and the Imperials, big sellers in the religious field." AllMusic rated the album four out of five possible stars.

Track listings

Vinyl version

Digital version

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''Connie Smith Sings Great Sacred Songs''. Musical personnel * Willie Ackerman –

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Anita Carter Ina Anita Carter (March 31, 1933 – July 29, 1999) was an American singer who played upright bass, guitar, and autoharp. She performed with her sisters, Helen and June, and her mother, Maybelle, initially under the name The Carter Sisters and ...

– background vocals * Ray Edenton – guitar * Dolores Edgin – background vocals * Jake Hess – background vocals * Roy Huskey –

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 ...

* Millie Kirkham – background vocals * Jimmy Lance – guitar * Gary McSpadden – background vocals * Leonard Miller – drums * Armond Morales – background vocals * Weldon Myrick –

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 ...

* Charles Nelsen – background vocals * Dean Porter – guitar * Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano * Henry Slaughter –

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

* Connie Smith – lead vocals * Jerry Smith –

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, vibes * Gordon Stokey – background vocals * Pete Wade – guitar * Raymond Walker – background vocals

Chart performance

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1966 albums Connie Smith albums RCA Victor albums Albums produced by Bob Ferguson (music) Gospel albums by American artists