Inspiration
Studio album by
Tammy Wynette
ReleasedMarch 1969
RecordedOctober 1968
StudioColumbia Studio B, Nashville
Genre
LabelEpic
ProducerBilly Sherrill
Tammy Wynette chronology
Stand by Your Man
(1969)		 Inspiration
(1969)		 The Ways to Love a Man
(1970)

Inspiration is a studio album by American country artist Tammy Wynette. It was released in March 1969 via Epic Records and contained 11 tracks. It was Wynette's first collection of inspirational music and her sixth studio album issued in her career. All of the album's songs were covers of gospel and other inspirational songs. It was received positively by several reviewers and charted on the American Country LP's chart following its original release.

Background, recording and content

Tammy Wynette was among country music's most popular artists during the 1960s and 1970s. Between 1968 and 1969 alone, she had five singles reach the top of the American country songs chart. Among these songs was 1969's "Stand by Your Man", which became her most commercially successful single.[3] Epic Records released six studio albums by Wynette between 1969 and 1970. Following the Stand by Your Man LP, the label released Wynette's first album of religious music titled Inspiration.[4] The album was recorded in October 1968 at the Columbia Studio in Nashville, Tennessee. Billy Sherrill served as the producer for the album's recording sessions.[5]

According to critic Thom Jurek, the album's traditional, religious material was modernized with a country pop production style. Jurek noted an emphasis on instruments such as the pedal steel guitar , fiddle and "honky tonk upright pianos".[1] Inspiration consisted of 11 tracks, all of which were covers of hymns or other inspirational numbers.[6][1] The album opens with a cover of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "You'll Never Walk Alone". Among its other covers are "Battle Hymn of the Republic", "How Great Thou Art" and "I Believe".[1][5]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Inspiration was originally released by Epic Records in March 1969. It was the sixth studio album of Wynette's career. The label initially issued it as a vinyl LP, containing five selections on "side A" and six selections on "side B".[5] In 1998, the album was reissued by Ranwood Records and Sony Music. The labels offered the album as both a cassette and a compact disc. A bonus track was also featured, which was Wynette's version of the hymn, "Precious Memories".[7] It was reissued again in 2019 by Epic and Sony Legacy in a digital form.[8] The album reached the American Billboard Top Country Albums chart following its original release, peaking at number 19 in May 1969.[9] On the Billboard 200, it reached number 189 during the same time period.[10]

The album received positive reception by writers and critics. In April 1969, Billboard magazine called it a "beautiful" and "inspiring" album. The publication also highlighted Wynette's singing, calling her vocal performance to have a "touch and go teardrop voice".[2] Biographer Jimmy McDonough called it "a riveting collection of gospel numbers". He also noted that Wynette herself considered it among her most favorite album projects in her career.[6] AllMusic's Thom Jurek gave the album three out of five stars. He found some selections to "pale in comparison" to the album's opener, "You'll Never Walk Alone". He also found other selections to be so "awe-inspiring" that they would make "a Buddhist reconsider". Jurek concluded by saying, "This album may not appeal to everyone, but for those willing to consider it on its own terms, it's a gem."[1]

Track listings

Vinyl version

Side two[5]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."How Great Thou Art"Stuart K. Hine3:35
2."He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"Traditional2:35
3."It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)"Stuart Hamblen2:27
4."Crying in the Chapel"Artie Glenn2:23
5."He"
  • Richard Mullan
  • Jack Richards
3:05
6."May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You"Meredith Willson2:58

CD version

Inspiration (compact disc)[7]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You'll Never Walk Alone"
  • Rodgers
  • Hammerstein
NA
2."Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep"BerlinNA
3."Just a Closer Walk with Thee"TraditionalNA
4."I Believe"
  • Drake
  • Graham
  • Shirl
  • Stillman
NA
5."Battle Hymn of the Republic"
  • Howe
  • Steffe
NA
6."How Great Thou Art"Stuart K. HineNA
7."He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"TraditionalNA
8."It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)"HamblenNA
9."Crying in the Chapel"GlennNA
10."He"
  • Mullan
  • Richards
NA
11."May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You"WillsonNA
Bonus track[7]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Precious Memories"J.B.F. WrightNA

Digital version

Inspiration (music download and streaming)[8][11]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You'll Never Walk Alone"
  • Rodgers
  • Hammerstein
2:46
2."Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep"Berlin2:39
3."Just a Closer Walk with Thee"Traditional3:18
4."I Believe"
  • Drake
  • Graham
  • Shirl
  • Stillman
2:16
5."Battle Hymn of the Republic"
  • Howe
  • Steffe
2:54
6."How Great Thou Art"Stuart K. Hine3:38
7."He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"Traditional2:39
8."It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)"Hamblen2:31
9."Crying in the Chapel"Glenn2:26
10."He"
  • Mullan
  • Richards
3:09
11."May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You"Willson3:00

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the original liner notes of Inspiration.[5]

Technical personnel

  • Bill Grimes – Photography
  • New World Photography – Photography
  • Don Richardson, Sr. – Liner notes
  • Billy Sherrill – Producer

Chart performance

Chart (1969) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[12] 189
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[13] 19

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Australia March 1969 Vinyl [14]
North America Epic Records [5]
1998
  • Cassette
  • compact disc
  • Ranwood Records
  • Sony Music
 [7]
2019
  • Music download
  • streaming
  • Epic Records
  • Sony Legacy
 [11][8]

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jurek, Thom. "Inspiration: Tammy Wynette: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Album Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 81, no. 15. April 12, 1969. p. 20. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  3. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen. "Tammy Wynette Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  4. ↑ McDonough 2010, p. 171-172.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wynette, Tammy (March 1969). "Inspiration (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". Epic Records. BN-26423.
  6. 1 2 McDonough 2010, p. 172.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Wynette, Tammy (1998). "Inspiration (CD/Cassette Liner Notes and Album Information)". Ranwood Records/Sony Music. 8273-2/A-33921.
  8. 1 2 3 "Inspiration: Tammy Wynette: Digital release". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Billboard Magazine - May 31, 1969" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  10. ↑ "Tammy Wynette Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  11. 1 2 "Inspiration by Tammy Wynette". Apple Music. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  12. ↑ "Tammy Wynette Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Tammy Wynette Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  14. ↑ Wynette, Tammy (March 1969). "Inspiration (Australia Liner Notes and Album Information)". Epic Records. -ELPS-3572.

Books

  • McDonough, Jimmy (2010). Tammy Wynette: Tragic Country Queen. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 9781101189955.
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