''Happy State of Mind'' is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released in September 1968 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 ...

. Anderson's tenth studio recording, it was also his second studio album released in 1968. Among the songs included on the release was the title track, which became a major hit in both the United States and Canada.

Background and content

''Happy State of Mind'' was recorded in August 1968 at

Bradley's Barn ''Bradley's Barn'' is the fifth studio album by American rock group The Beau Brummels. Released in October 1968, it contains the singles "Long Walking Down to Misery" and "Cherokee Girl." The album has received critical acclaim as an early example ...

studio in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. The sessions were supervised by the studio's owner,

, Anderson's long time producer. The record's production marked Anderson's tenth studio album to be recorded. The album contained 11 tracks. Six of the album's tracks were composed by Anderson, including the title track. ''Happy State of Mind'' also included cover versions of songs previously recorded by other performers. The third track on side two of the record was a cover of Merle Haggard's " Today I Started Loving You Again". "Did She Mention My Name" was previously written and recorded by Canadian folk artist Gordon Lightfoot. Another album track, " The Unicorn" was first cut by The Irish Rovers. Although not a cover, "

I Still Believe in Love "I Still Believe in Love" is a single by American country music artist Jan Howard. Released in July 1968, the song reached #28 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart. The single was later released on Howard's 1969 self-titled album. The son ...

", would later be recorded by Jan Howard in 1969 and released as a single.

Release and reception

''Happy State of Mind'' was released in September 1968 on Decca Records. It was issued as a vinyl record, with five songs on side one and six songs on side two. The album peaked at number 24 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 ...

'' Top Country Albums chart in November 1968 after spending 11 weeks on the list. The record's title track was the only single issued. It was released in July 1968 and peaked at number two on the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart in October 1968. The single also became his first to chart on the '' RPM'' Country Songs chart in Canada, where it reached number one. The album would later be reviewed from Allmusic who gave it 2.5 out of 5 possible stars.

Track listing

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''Happy State of Mind''. Musical personnel * Bill Anderson – lead vocals * Harold Bradley – guitar * Ray Edenton – guitar * 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 ...

* The Jordanaires – background vocals * Jimmy Lance – guitar * Grady Martin – guitar * Len Miller – drums * Hal Rugg –

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 ...

* Jerry Smith – piano Technical personnel * Owen Bradley – record producer * Hal Buksbaum – photography

Chart performance

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1968 albums Albums produced by Owen Bradley Bill Anderson (singer) albums Decca Records albums