''The Best of Connie Smith Volume II'' is a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

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 ...

singer

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 ...

, released in March 1970 by

RCA Victor 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 Aris ...

, her second "Best Of" compilation. The album compiled Smith's most popular

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

between 1967 and 1969. The album reached the top 30 of the American country albums chart following its release. Also included was two new recordings. Of these new recordings, one was released as a single in 1969. Titled " You and Your Sweet Love", it reached the top ten of the country singles chart.

Background and content

Connie Smith had been recording for RCA Victor since 1964 and reached the number one spot on the country chart with her debut single, "

Once a Day "Once a Day" is a song written by Bill Anderson and recorded as the debut single by American country artist Connie Smith. It was produced by Bob Ferguson for her self-titled debut album. The song was released in August 1964, topping the ''Bil ...

". The song launched a series of uninterrupted top ten and top 20 country singles through the decade. Smith's label released her first compilation in 1967 titled '' The Best of Connie Smith''. With more top ten and 20 singles through 1969 the label would compile a second compilation in 1970 titled ''The Best of Connie Smith, Volume II''. The album consisted of ten tracks, five of which had been top ten or top 20 country singles on the American country chart: "

Baby's Back Again "Baby's Back Again" is a single by American country music artist Connie Smith. Released in December 1967, the song reached #7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart. The single was later released on Smith's 1968 album entitled ''I Love Ch ...

" (1967), "

Burning a Hole in My Mind "Burning a Hole in My Mind" is a single by American country music artist Connie Smith. Released in September 1967, the song reached #5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart. The single was later released on Smith's 1968 album entitled '' I ...

" (1968), " Run Away Little Tears" (1968), " Cry, Cry, Cry" (1968) and " Ribbon of Darkness" (1969). The album also contained four songs originally included on Smith's studio albums from the 1960s. "Don't Feel Sorry for Me" first appeared on her 1967 album ''

I Love Charley Brown ''I Love Charley Brown'' is the tenth studio album by American country singer Connie Smith. It was released in April 1968 via RCA Victor and featured 12 tracks. The album reached the top 20 of the American country albums chart. It was described as ...

''. "Seattle" was pulled from Smith's 1969 disc ''

Connie's Country ''Connie's Country'' is the twelfth studio album by American country singer Connie Smith. It was released in April 1969 via RCA Victor and contained 12 tracks. The pop-inspired project included a mixture of original and cover songs. The album 'Conn ...

'', while "

How Great Thou Art "How Great Thou Art" is a Christian hymn based on an original Swedish hymn entitled "" written in 1885 by Carl Boberg (1859–1940). The English version of the hymn and its title are a loose translation by the English missionary Stuart K. Hine ...

" was pulled from her second 1969 album titled '' Back in Baby's Arms''. These tracks were originally recorded between 1967 and 1969 at RCA Victor Studios located 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 ...

. These sessions were produced by Bob Ferguson. "Only for Me" was a track not previously issued on an album, along with "You and Your Sweet Love".

Release and chart performance

''The Best of Connie Smith Volume II'' was released in March 1970 on the RCA Victor record label. It was the second compilation album released in Smith's career. It was originally issued by the label as a

vinyl LP 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 ...

, containing five recordings on each side of the disc. The album spent seven weeks on the America's ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales a ...

chart, debuting in April 1970. By May 16, the disc peaked at number 26 on the country albums chart, becoming her third release to chart outside the top 20. Of the album's two new recordings, the Bill Anderson-penned "You and Your Sweet Love" was released as a single. RCA Victor rush-released the song as a single in October 1969. Spending 15 weeks on the ''Billboard''

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, the single peaked at number six in December 1969. "You and Your Sweet Love" became Smith's thirteenth top ten single in her career.

Track listing

Chart performance

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best Of Connie Smith, Vol. 2 Albums produced by Bob Ferguson (music) 1970 greatest hits albums Connie Smith compilation albums RCA Records compilation albums