''Country Boy & Country Girl'' is a studio album by American country music artists Jimmy Dean and Dottie West. It was released in November 1970 on RCA Victor Records and was produced by Jerry Bradley. The project was a collection duet recordings between both artists. It was Dean's first collaborative album and West's second. The album spawned one single entitled " Slowly", which would be released in 1971. ''Country Boy & Country Girl'' would also reach peak positions on national music publication charts following its release.

Background and content

Jimmy Dean had wanted to record an album of duets with Dottie West several years prior to the release of ''Country Boy & Girl''. However, scheduling conflicts required them to postpone the project until they could make arrangements. The album was produced by Jerry Bradley at RCA Studio B in September 1970. The record consisted of ten tracks, all of which were duet recordings. All of the album's tracks were previously recorded by other artists. Most of the songs were covers of duet recordings made hits by country music duo's. Among these tracks was "

Wish I Didn't Have to Miss You "Wish I Didn't Have to Miss You" is a song written by Hank Cochran and Dave Kirby. It was originally and released as a duet by American country music artists Jack Greene and Jeannie Seely. Released in October 1969, the song became a major hit on th ...

", which was originally a hit for

Jack Greene Jack Henry Greene (January 7, 1930 – March 14, 2013) was an American country musician. Nicknamed the "Jolly Greene Giant" due to his height and deep voice, Greene was a long time member of the Grand Ole Opry. A three-time Grammy Award nomine ...

and Jeannie Seely. A second featured track is " Jackson", which was first a hit for

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

and June Carter. A third example is " Let It Be Me", which had recently been a duet hit for Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry.

Release and reception

''Country Boy & Country Girl'' was released in November 1970 on RCA Victor Records. The album was issued 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 ...

, containing five songs on each side of the record. The album peaked at number 42 on the ''

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 chart following its release. The album only spawned one single, "Slowly". Released in January 1971, the single became a top 40 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart, reaching number 29 that year. Following its release, ''Country Boy & Country Girl'' was reviewed by ''Billboard'' in their November 1970 issue. Writers praised duet partnership, calling it powerful. They also highlighted several tracks that they believed were standout songs, including the single. "This is very powerful country merchandise, coupling two artists of name power in a series of great country duets," reviewers commented.

Track listing

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''Country Boy & Country Girl''. Musical personnel *

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 ...

– bass * David Briggs – piano * Jimmy Dean – vocals * Pete Drake – pedal steel guitar * Ray Edenton – guitar * Buddy Harman – drums * The Jordanaires – background vocals * Grady Martin – guitar * Charlie McCoy – harmonica, vibes * Bob Moore – bass * Bill West – pedal steel guitar * Dottie West – vocals * Morris Wix – guitar Technical personnel * Jerry Bradley – producer *Les Ladd – recording engineer *Roy Shockley – recording technician

Chart performance

Release history

References

External links

LP Discography entry for ''Country Boy and Country Girl''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Country Boy and Country Girl 1970 albums Albums produced by Jerry Bradley (music executive) Dottie West albums Jimmy Dean albums RCA Records albums Vocal duet albums