''Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe'' is a

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American singer Jody Miller. It was released in 1963 via

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 contained twelve tracks. It was the debut studio album of Miller's career and consisted of traditional folk songs. At the time of its release, Miller was a folk artist and was being promoted as such. It received a positive review from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

''.

Background, recording and content

Jody Miller had recently moved to Los Angeles, California and then signed with Capitol Records as a folk performer. Her debut studio album would be released in 1963 titled ''Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe''. "I was very into Folk Music at the time," Miller recalled on her official website. The album was recorded at

Capitol Studios Capitol Studios are recording studios located at the landmark Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, California. The studios, which opened in 1956, were initially the primary recording studios for the American record label Capitol Records. While t ...

, located in Hollywood, California. Sessions took place between December 1962 and January 1963. It was produced by Kermit Walter. The recording sessions were backed by The Wrecking Crew, a group that featured

Billy Strange William Everett Strange (September 29, 1930 – February 22, 2012) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and an actor. He was a session musician with the famed Wrecking Crew, and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Mus ...

and future artist Glen Campbell. The project consisted of 12 songs in total. According to the liner notes, the material for the album was songs Miller learned as a child. According to Miller herself, her favorite songs on the album were " The Hangman", "Railroad Boy" and "Butterfly".

Release and reception

''Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe'' was released in 1963 on Capitol Records. It was originally distributed 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 a ...

, offered in both mono and stereo versions. The original disc featured six songs on either side of the record. In 2021, Capitol released her entire catalog from the label to digital retailers which included her debut album. ''

'' magazine gave the disc a positive review in June 1963, calling her "a talent to watch". The magazine further commented, "The lark has a rich, deep, vibrant wide-range voice and a distinctive feelingful style of phrasing." The album helped Miller secure an opportunity to promote material on

Tom Paxton Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is an American folk singer-songwriter who has had a music career spanning more than fifty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

's folk television show in 1963. However, the album was not a commercial success. "By the time I cut my first LP with Capitol, folk music was on its way out," she told '' The Oklahoman''. Miller would go on to have her commercial breakout single with 1965's "

Queen of the House "Queen of the House" is a song originally recorded and made commercially successful by American singer Jody Miller. It was an answer song to Roger Miller's " King of the Road". It featured lyrics written by Mary Taylor, with credit also given to Ro ...

". She would have further success in the pop and country genres through the 1970s.

Track listing

Release history

References

{{Jody Miller 1963 debut albums Capitol Records albums Jody Miller albums