''I'll Sing You a Song and Harmonize Too'' is the debut studio album by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

artist

Skeeter Davis Skeeter Davis (born Mary Frances Penick; December 30, 1931September 19, 2004) was an American country music singer and songwriter who sang crossover pop music songs including 1962's " The End of the World". She started out as part of the Davis S ...

. The album was released in November 1959 by RCA Victor and was produced by

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music ...

. It signified Davis' first solo album ever released after departing from the duo,

The Davis Sisters The Davis Sisters of Philadelphia, PA were an American gospel group founded by Ruth ("Baby Sis") Davis and featuring her sisters Thelma, Audrey, Alfreda and Edna. Imogene Greene joined the group in 1950, and was later replaced by Jackie Verdell ...

Background and content

''I'll Sing You a Song and Harmonize Too'' was recorded in three recording sessions at the RCA Victor studio in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The first session took place in May 1958, followed by January 30, 1959, and then ending in September 1959. The album took its name from

' idea of harmonizing Davis' vocals with herself. Atkins used this technique because Davis' vocals were not suited to singing lead vocals, as she had previously sung harmony as part of The Davis Sisters. By using the technique of harmonizing with herself, it gave her voice a fuller sound and production. The debut record contained twelve tracks of material. Besides a selected number of new songs (" Am I That Easy to Forget", " Set Him Free", "Have You Seen This Man", and "Devil's Doll") the rest of the album contained cover versions of songs. It included cover versions of Hank Williams' " Your Cheatin' Heart",

Jan Howard Jan Howard (born Lula Grace Johnson; March 13, 1929 – March 28, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. As a singer, she placed 30 singles on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country Songs, country songs chart, w ...

's " The One You Slip Around With", and

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on ...

' "Under Your Spell Again". It also included a solo version of The Davis Sisters' 1953 hit, "

I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" (sometimes "I've Forgotten More Than You'll Ever Know About Him") is a song, written by Cecil Null. Song background The song was one of five tracks recorded (including two versions of the "B" side, "Rockab ...

". The album was originally released as an LP album with six songs on each side of the record. ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

'' rated the album and gave it four out of five stars, without an official written review provided.

Release

''I'll Sing You a Song and Harmonize Too'' spawned three singles between 1958 and 1960. The first single released was the cover version of "

", released in August 1958. The single failed to chart. " Set Him Free" was released as the second single in February 1959 and peaked at #5 on the ''

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the musi ...

'' Hot Country Songs chart, becoming Davis' first Top 10 hit. The third and final single was " Am I That Easy to Forget", which was released in January 1960. The single peaked at #11 on the ''Billboard Magazine'' Hot Country Songs chart that same year. The single would later become a hit for Debbie Reynolds,

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentleman ...

, and Engelbert Humperdinck. The album was officially issued in November 1959 on

RCA Victor Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Ari ...

, but failed to enter any ''Billboard'' chart (Billboard's country album chart did not debut until 1964).

Track listing

Personnel

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

Floyd Cramer Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "half step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signatu ...

–

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

* Skeeter Davis –

harmony vocals Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical c ...

, lead vocals * Jimmy Day – steel guitar *

Ray Edenton Ray Quarles Edenton (November 3, 1926 – September 21, 2022) was an American guitar player and country music session musician. Early life Ray Edenton was born into a musical family on November 3, 1926, and grew up near Mineral, Virginia. His f ...

– rhythm guitar *

Hank Garland Walter Louis Garland (11 November 1930 – 27 December 2004), professionally Hank Garland, was an American guitarist and songwriter. He started as a country musician, played rock and roll as it became popular in the 1950s, and released a jazz al ...

– guitar *

Buddy Harman Murrey Mizell "Buddy" Harman, Jr. (December 23, 1928 – August 21, 2008) was an American country music session musician. Career Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Harman played drums on over 18,000 sessions for artists such as Elvis Presley, Jerry ...

– drums * Bud Issac – steel guitar * Tommy Jackson – fiddle *

Grady Martin Thomas Grady Martin (January 17, 1929 – December 3, 2001) was an American session guitarist in country music and rockabilly. A member of The Nashville A-Team, he played guitar on hits such as Marty Robbins' " El Paso", Loretta Lynn's " Co ...

– guitar *

Bob Moore Bob Loyce Moore (November 30, 1932 – September 22, 2021) was an American session musician, orchestra leader, and double bassist who was a member of the Nashville A-Team during the 1950s and 1960s. He performed on over 17,000 documented recor ...

– bass * Donald Slayman – fiddle * Velma Smith – rhythm guitar

Sales chart positions

;Singles

References

{{Authority control 1959 debut albums Skeeter Davis albums Albums produced by Chet Atkins RCA Victor albums