''Showcase'' is a 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 ...

singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released in November 1964 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. The album was Anderson's third studio release as a recording artist and second to be released in 1964. It included two singles that became major hits on the '' Billboard'' country chart along with subsequent B-sides.

Background and content

''Showcase'' was produced at the Columbia Recording Studio between 1963 and 1964. The venue itself was located 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 ...

. All recording sessions were produced by Owen Bradley, whom Anderson had previously collaborated with on his two previous album releases. The album consisted of 12 tracks. Four of the album's tracks were composed entirely by Anderson. These songs were " Then and Only Then", "

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

" and "In Case You Ever Change Your Mind". Both "Then and Only Then" and "Cincinnati, Ohio" would later become country hits for

Connie Smith Connie Smith (born Constance June Meador; August 14, 1941) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her contralto vocals have been described by music writers as significant and influential to the women of country music. A similarity h ...

. "Then and Only Then" would be featured on Smith's 1965 eponymous album while "Cincinnati, Ohio" was included on her 1967 album '' Connie Smith Sings Bill Anderson''.

Release and reception

''Showcase'' was officially released in November 1964 on Decca Records. It was issued as a

vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

, with six songs contained on each side of the record. Upon its release ''Showcase'' did not reach positions on any '' Billboard'' album publications. It was Anderson's first studio release to not enter such charts. The album also included three singles that were released and became major hits. Its first single was the second track, "Me". Released in June 1964, it peaked at number eight on the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles 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 sa ...

chart in September. The second single issued was the album's seventh track, "Three A.M." Released in October 1964, it also peaked at number eight on the country chart, reaching this position in February 1965. The single's B-side also became a charting single, "In Case You Ever Change Your Mind". Becoming a minor hit, the song reached number 38 on the country singles chart. Following its release, the album received ratings and reviews by music publishers. In 1964, ''Billboard'' positively reviewed the album in their December issue of the publication. "A powerful set of performances of material written by Bill Anderson (four songs)," writers commented. In a later review by

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 ...

, the album was given a rating of two out of five stars.

Track listing

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desc ...

of ''Showcase''. Musical personnel * Bill Anderson – lead vocals *

Harold Bradley Harold Ray Bradley (January 2, 1926 – January 31, 2019) was an American guitarist and entrepreneur, who played on many country, rock and pop recordings and produced numerous TV variety shows and movie soundtracks. Having started as a session ...

– guitar, banjo *

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, vibes * Jimmy Day – steel guitar *

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' ...

– steel guitar * Buddy Emmons – steel 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 * 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 * Morris Palmer – drums * Jimmy Riddle – harmonica * Joe Zinkan – bass Technical personnel * Owen Bradley – record producer * Hal Buksbaum – photography

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1964 albums Albums produced by Owen Bradley Bill Anderson (singer) albums Decca Records albums