''Just the Two of Us'' is the second collaborative studio album by

Porter Wagoner Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...

and

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

. It was released on September 9, 1968, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson. It peaked at number five on the '' Billboard''

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 ...

chart and number 184 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The album spawned three singles. "Holding on to Nothin'" and "We'll Get Ahead Someday" were top ten hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at numbers seven and five, respectively. The third single, "Jeannie's Afraid of the Dark", peaked at number 51.

Recording

Recording sessions for the album took place at

RCA Studio B RCA Studio B was a music recording studio built in 1956 in Nashville, Tennessee by RCA Victor. Originally known simply as "RCA Studios," Studio B, along with the larger and later RCA Studio A became known in the 1960s for being an essential fa ...

in Nashville, Tennessee, beginning on January 31, 1968. Three additional sessions followed on May 20, 21 and 22.

Release and promotion

The album was released September 9, 1968, on LP.

Singles

The album's first single, "Holding on to Nothin'", was released in March 1968 and debuted at number 60 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart dated April 13. It peaked at number seven on the chart dated June 1, its seventh week on the chart. It charted for 16 weeks. It also peaked at number 17 in Canada on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Country Singles chart. "We'll Get Ahead Someday" was released as the second single in July and debuted at number 68 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart dated July 27. It peaked at number five on the chart dated September 28, its tenth week on the chart. The single charted for 13 weeks. The third single, "Jeannie's Afraid of the Dark", was released in September and debuted at number 66 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart dated October 5. It peaked at number 51 on the chart dated November 2. It charted for six weeks.

Critical reception

'' Billboard'' published a review of the album in the September 21, 1968 issue, which said, "Wagoner and Parton have proved a hot sales combination for the singles charts, and their second LP built around their singles hits, "Holding on to Nothin'", "The Dark End of the Street", and "We'll Get Ahead Someday", is sure to prove a hot piece of album product." '' Cashbox'' published a review of the album also, saying, "After scoring excellent success with their initial duet LP, as well as with several singles, Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton launch their second album on the heels of their latest single, "Holding on to Nothin'". Kicking off the set with that track, the twosome also make a winning combination with such additional tracks as "The Dark End of the Street" and "I Washed My Face in the Morning Dew", among others."

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 databa ...

gave the album 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 41 on the '' Billboard''

chart dated October 5, 1968. It peaked at number five on the chart dated April 5, 1969, its 27th week on the chart. The album charted for a total of 49 weeks.

Reissues

The album was included in the 2014 box set '' Just Between You and Me: The Complete Recordings, 1967–1976'', marking the first time it had been reissued since its original release. The album was released as a digital download on August 17, 2018.

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes and RCA recording session records. *

Jerry Carrigan Jerry Kirby Carrigan (September 13, 1943 – June 22, 2019) was an American drummer and record producer. Early in his career he was a member of the original Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and later worked as a session musician in Nashville for over ...

– drums *

Anita Carter Ina Anita Carter (March 31, 1933 – July 29, 1999) was an American singer who played upright bass, guitar, and autoharp. She performed with her sisters, Helen and June, and her mother, Maybelle, initially under the name The Carter Sisters an ...

– backing vocals *

Pete Drake Roddis Franklin "Pete" Drake (October 8, 1932 – July 29, 1988), was a Nashville-based American record producer and pedal steel guitar player. One of the most sought-after backup musicians of the 1960s, Drake played on such hits as Lynn Anderson' ...

– steel *Dolores Edgin – backing vocals *Bob Ferguson – producer, liner notes * Roy M. Huskey, Jr. – bass *

Mack Magaha Mack Magaha (August 1, 1929 – August 15, 2003) was an American bluegrass fiddler best known as a member of Porter Wagoner's band, and a long-time backup player in the pioneering bluegrass band, Reno and Smiley. Music career In 1955, Magaha ...

– fiddle *George McCormick – rhythm guitar *

Wayne Moss Wayne Moss (born February 9, 1938 in Charleston, West Virginia, United States) is an American guitar player, bassist, record producer and songwriter best known for his session work in Nashville. Moss was one of the founders of Area Code 615 and Bar ...

– electric guitar *Al Pachucki – recording engineer *Dolly Parton – lead vocals * Hargus Robbins – piano *Jerry Stembridge – electric guitar * Buck Trent – banjo *Porter Wagoner – lead vocals

Charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Just the Two of Us (Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton album) 1968 albums Dolly Parton albums Porter Wagoner albums Vocal duet albums Albums produced by Bob Ferguson (music) RCA Records albums