''Country Partners'' is the fourth collaborative studio album by

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

and Loretta Lynn. It was released on June 10, 1974, by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

Critical reception

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 ...

'' review published in the June 22, 1974 issue said, "Tremendous singing partners they are, and joined once more in a collection which will surprise many of their closest fans. A couple of the tunes border on pop, and it's a great change of pace for them. But there's plenty of country and, as usual, excellent material." The review noted "I'm Getting Tired of Losing You", "Sweet Things Remember About You", and the fast-paced "It All Falls Down" as the best cuts on the album. A note to album dealers said, "The cover alone should help make this saleable." '' Cashbox'' published a review in the June 22, 1974 issue saying, "Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty stand as two of the leading singers on the country scene. Both tremendously talented in their own careers, when they make an LP together you can be sure that it is going to be very special. The LP kicks off with their latest chart novelty single entitled "As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone". "Don't Mess Up a Good Thing" is an up-tempo tune that blends these two superb voices together and augments the track with some excellent instrumentation. "Two Lonely People" is a moving ballad that will at once capture your heart. Also included in this fine LP are "Spiders and Snakes", "Country Bumpkin", and "It All Falls Down"."

Commercial performance

The album peaked at No. 1 on the US ''

'' Hot Country LP's chart, the duo's second album to top the chart. The album's only single, "

As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone "As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone" is a song written by American country artist Conway Twitty, and recorded by Twitty and Loretta Lynn as a duet. It was released in 1974 as the first single from the album ''Country Partners ''Country Partners'' i ...

", was released in May 1974 and peaked at No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart, their fourth consecutive No. 1 single together. In Canada, the single peaked at No. 1 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Country Singles chart, the duo's third consecutive songs to top the chart. The single peaked at No. 57 on the

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July ...

in Australia.

Recording

Recording sessions for the album took place on April 23, 24 and 25, 1974, at Bradley's Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Two songs on the album were recorded during the sessions for 1973's ''

Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man ''Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man'' is the third collaborative studio album by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. It was released on July 9, 1973, by MCA Records. Critical reception In the July 21, 1973 issue, ''Billboard'' published a review o ...

''. "As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone" was recorded on March 7, 1973, and "Lifetime Before" was recorded on April 5.

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes and MCA recording session records. *Harold Bradley – bass guitar *Owen Bradley – producer *Ray Edenton – acoustic guitar *Bud Gray – photography *John Hughey – steel guitar *Loretta Lynn – lead vocals *Tommy Markham – drums *Grady Martin – guitar *The Nashville Sounds – background vocals *Bob Moore – bass *Hargus Robbins – piano *Conway Twitty – lead vocals

Charts

Album Singles

References

{{Authority control 1974 albums Vocal duet albums Loretta Lynn albums Conway Twitty albums Albums produced by Owen Bradley Decca Records albums