''Songs of a Love Affair'' 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 the ...

artist

Jean Shepard Ollie Imogene "Jean" Shepard (November 21, 1933 – September 25, 2016) was an American honky-tonk singer-songwriter who pioneered for women in country music. Shepard released a total of 73 singles to the Hot Country Songs chart, one of which ...

. The album was released in 1956 on

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

and was produced by Ken Nelson. The release has been said to have been one of country music's first concept albums in history and also one of the first to be released by a female country music artist.

Background and content

''Songs of a Love Affair'' comprised twelve tracks of recorded material. The record was recorded in five separate recording sessions at the Capitol Recording Studio in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

. The first took place August 26, 1953. It was not until two years later that the album's production was concluded in four separate recording sessions in between December 27 and December 30, 1955. Dan Cooper and

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

of ''

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 ...

'' noted that ''Songs of a Love Affair'' was "arguably the first concept album in country music history," as it was one of the first official

LP album The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...

s issued in country music and by female artists. Country music authority Rich Kienzle made much the same point in the 1990s. The album itself acquired its name from the songs themes that depicted a marriage that was ended by a love affair. One side of the record is written from a romance's dissolution. Songs such as "Passing Love Affair", "Shadows on the Wall", and "Hello Old Broken Heart" depicted the album's theme. The material consisted of all new material, and none were cover versions of other songs. The ninth track entitled "Sad Singin' and Slow Ridin'" was written by country artists

Curly Fox Arnim LeRoy Fox (November 9, 1910 – November 10, 1995), better known as Curly (or Curley) Fox, was an American old-time and country fiddler, singer and country musician. Biography Fox was born in Graysville, Tennessee, United States, as ...

and

Texas Ruby Ruby Agnes Owens (June 4, 1908 – March 29, 1963), professionally better known as Texas Ruby, was an American pioneering country music female vocalist and musician of the late 1930s through to the early 1960s. Her brother was famous as Tex ...

. The fifth track "Hello Old Broken Heart" was composed by songwriters

Joe Allison Joseph Marion Allison (October 3, 1924 – August 2, 2002) was an American songwriter, radio and television personality, record producer, and country music business executive. Allison won five BMI performance awards for hit singles he wrote and ...

and Audrey Allison, who would later write the number one single "

He'll Have to Go "He'll Have to Go" is an American country and pop hit recorded on October 15, 1959, by Jim Reeves. The song, released in the fall of 1959, went on to become a hit in both genres early in 1960. Background The song is about a man who's talking by ...

" for

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 ...

Release

''Songs of a Love Affair'' was released as Jean Shepard's debut studio album in 1956 and was the only album she released that year. The album did chart any ''

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 music ...

'' albums list upon its release. Singles were not originally issued from the release, however in 1960 the songs "The Mysteries of Life" and "Did I Turn Down a Better Deal" were spawned from the record. Although two singles were sent to radio, neither charted the ''Billboard Magazine''

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 or make the ''Billboard Magazine''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

list either. The record was originally issued as a 12-inch

, and contained six songs on each side of the record. ''

'' reviewed ''Songs of a Love Affair'' and gave it four in half out five stars, however a written review was not provided. The album was reissued on the Avid label.

Track listing

;Side one #"A Passing Love Affair" – (

Jack Rhodes Andrew Jackson "Jack" Rhodes (January 12, 1907 – October 9, 1968) was an American country music producer and songwriter, with songwriting credits on over 625 released songs. Several of his songs became hit records, including "A Satisfied Mind" ...

, Jack Rollins) #"Shadows on the Wall" – (Ronnie Badger, Tommy Reiff) #"Girls in Disgrace" – (Mary McDaniel, Dan Welch) #"Over and Over" – (McDaniel, Welch) #"Hello Old Broken Heart" – (Audrey Allison,

) #"The Mysteries of Life" – (Virgil F. Stewart) ;Side two #"Tell Me What I Want to Hear" – (Gertrude Cox, Rhodes) #"I'll Thank You All My Life" – (Lucille Dean, Dick Reynolds) #"Sad Singin' and Slow Ridin'" – (

) #"Did I Turn Down a Better Deal" – ( Tommy Collins) #"I Married You for Love" – (Rhodes) #"It's Hard to Tell the Married from the Free" – (

Don Helms Donald "Don" Hugh Helms (February 28, 1927 – August 11, 2008) was a steel guitarist best known as the steel guitar player of Hank Williams's Drifting Cowboys group. He was a member of the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame (1984). Biography Helms was ...

, Gene Jackson)

Personnel

* Tommy Collins –

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 stri ...

* John Cuivello –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Clarence Lee – bass *

Red Murrell Joyce Wayne "Red" Murrell (June 27, 1921 – February 10, 2001) was a Western swing performer from Missouri. He led one of the more notable Western swing bands in California California is a state in the Western United States, locate ...

– bass * Fuzzy Owen – guitar *

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 the Buckaroos, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 ...

– guitar * Jelly Sanders –

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

* Jean Shepard –

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

* Lewis Talley – guitar * Bill Woods – leader,

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 keyboa ...

References

{{Authority control 1956 debut albums Jean Shepard albums Albums produced by Ken Nelson (United States record producer) Capitol Records albums