"Somebody's Knockin" is a song 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, ...
singer
Terri Gibbs
Teresa Fay Gibbs (born June 15, 1954) is an American country music artist who is blind. Between 1980 and 2017, she has recorded eleven studio albums, including four for MCA Records and one for Warner Bros. Records. She also charted 13 singles ...
. It was released in October 1980 as her debut single and title track from her album ''Somebody's Knockin''. It was co-written by
Jerry Gillespie
Jerry Wayne Gillespie (born Decatur, Alabama) is an American country songwriter. He co-wrote " Do You Love as Good as You Look", a #1 song in 1981 for The Bellamy Brothers and wrote " Heaven's Just a Sin Away", a #1 country hit in 1977 for The K ...
and Ed Penney. Penney was a record company executive who liked Gibbs's voice when he first heard her audition tape, but felt she needed stronger material. Penney was a former Boston disc jockey who had promoted records and written a number of songs before moving to Nashville. He was the producer of "Somebody's Knockin'" and became Terri Gibbs's manager.
Critical reception
An uncredited review in ''
Billboard'' praised Gibbs' "unusual vocal sound" and the "Louisiana-flavored production".
The song's success led to Gibbs winning the 1981
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
Top Female Vocalist award, and the first Horizon (now New Artist) Award from the
Country Music Association.
It was also nominated for a
Grammy Award for Best Country Song
The Grammy Award for Best Country Song (sometimes known as the Country Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the songwriter(s) of the song, not to the artist, except if the artist is also the songwriter.
There ha ...
.
Chart performance
See also
*
List of 1980s one-hit wonders in the United States
A one-hit wonder is a musical artist who is successful with one hit song, but without a comparable subsequent hit. The term may also be applied to an artist who is remembered for only one hit despite other successes (such as "Take On Me, Take on ...
References
External links
Lyrics of this song*
{{Authority control
Terri Gibbs songs
1980 debut singles
MCA Nashville Records singles
Songs written by Jerry Gillespie
1980 songs