"Mommy, Can I Still Call Him Daddy" is a song 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

Dottie West Dorothy Marie Marsh West (October 11, 1932 – September 4, 1991) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her friends and fellow recording artists Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, she is considered one of the genre's most in ...

. It was released as in July 1966 as the third single from the album ''

Suffer Time ''Suffer Time'' is a studio album by American country music artist Dottie West. It was released in July 1966 on RCA Victor Records and was produced by Chet Atkins. It was West's third studio album as a music artist and was her first concept album i ...

'' The song, written by West and her then-husband Bill West, became a top 40 chart single on the US country music chart and featured West's son Dale singing on the chorus.

Background and recording

Dottie West broke through as a recording artist for the first time in 1964 with the single " Here Comes My Baby". Over the next ten years, West established herself as a

Nashville Sound The Nashville Sound originated during the mid-1950s as a subgenre of American country music, replacing the chart dominance of the rough honky tonk music, which was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s, with "smooth strings and choruses", "sophist ...

country artist known for her emotional delivery of material. A series of singles were issued during this period, some of which reached the top ten like "

Would You Hold It Against Me "Would You Hold It Against Me" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Dottie West. It was released in March 1966 as the second single from the album '' Suffer Time''. West wrote the song with her then-husband Bill. ...

" (1966) and "

Paper Mansions "Paper Mansions" is a song written by Ted Harris, recorded by American country music artist by Dottie West Dorothy Marie Marsh West (October 11, 1932 – September 4, 1991) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her fr ...

" (1968). Other singles included 1966's "Mommy, Can I Still Call Him Daddy", which was co-written by Dottie West and husband Bill West. The track shows how a divorce is played out through a child's observations. The song was recorded on February 10, 1966 at RCA Victor Studios 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 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 s ...

. The recording featured West's son Dale, who was a young child at the time. When reviewing West's ''Suffer Time'' LP,

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 databas ...

's Greg Adams theorized that Atkins had a "tough time" recording the track because it sounds as if there are overdubs on the song.

Release, chart performance and critical reception

"Mommy, Can I Still Call Him Daddy" was released as a single by RCA Victor in July 1966. It was backed on the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

by the song "Suffertime". It was distributed as a seven-inch vinyl record. The song was the third single issued from West's 1966 album ''Suffer Time''. '' Cashbox'' magazine called the single "a heart-jugging bluser" as well as a "tear-jerking stanza". In later years, AllMusic's Greg Adams drew a similar comparison, commenting that it "could certainly drive its listeners to jump off a bridge. The wretched warbling of West's four-year-old son, Dale, renders nearly unbearable this maudlin tale of divorce as seen through the eyes of a child." Upon its original release, "Mommy, Can I Still Call Him Daddy" debuted on the US

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 on August 13, 1966. Spending a total of ten weeks there, it reached the number 24 position on October 1, 1966.

Track listing

7 inch vinyl single * "Mommy, Can I Still Call Him Daddy" – 2:56 * "Suffertime" – 2:22

Chart performance

References

{{Dottie West singles 1966 singles 1966 songs Dottie West songs RCA Victor singles Song recordings produced by Chet Atkins Songs written by Dottie West