"He Was There (When I Needed You)" is a song written by Sue Richards, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...

. It was released in March 1980 as the first single from the album ''

Only Lonely Sometimes ''Only Lonely Sometimes'' is the twenty-first studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Tammy Wynette. It was released on June 9, 1980, by Epic Records. Commercial performance The album peaked at No. 37 on the ''Billboard'' Cou ...

''.

Background and reception

"He Was There (When I Needed You)" was recorded in January 1980 at the Columbia Recording Studio in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. The session featured tracks that would later appear on Wynette's 1980 album. The recording session was produced by

Billy Sherrill Billy Norris Sherrill (November 5, 1936 – August 4, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger best known for his association with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Sherrill and business partner Gle ...

and included renowned Nashville session musicians such as Johnny Gimble,

Pete Drake Roddis Franklin "Pete" Drake (October 8, 1932 – July 29, 1988), was a Nashville-based American record producer and pedal steel guitar player. One of the most sought-after backup musicians of the 1960s, Drake played on such hits as Lynn Anderson' ...

and

George Richey George Richey (born George Baker Richardson; November 30, 1935 – July 31, 2010) was an American songwriter and record producer. He was born in Arkansas, but raised in Malden, Missouri. Career Richey was a mainstay of the Nashville country music ...

(Wynette's husband). The song reached number 17 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 ...

'' Hot Country Singles chart. It released on her 1980 studio album ''

''.

Track listing

;7" vinyl single * "He Was There (When I Needed You)" – 3:15 * "Only the Names Have Been Changed" – 3:11

Charts

References

1980 songs 1980 singles Tammy Wynette songs Song recordings produced by Billy Sherrill Epic Records singles {{1980-country-song-stub