Bright Lights and Country Music

Bright Lights and Country Music is a studio album by Bill Anderson and the Po' Boys. It was released in November 1965 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was Anderson's first studio album to include dual credit with his band, The Po' Boys. It was his fourth studio album overall. The album included one single release, the title track. This song became a major hit on the Billboard country charts. The album itself also reached charting positions on Billboard shortly after its release.

Bright Lights and Country Music
Studio album by
Bill Anderson and the Po' Boys
ReleasedNovember 1965 (1965-11)
RecordedJuly 1965
StudioColumbia Recording Studio
Genre
LabelDecca
ProducerOwen Bradley
Bill Anderson and the Po' Boys chronology
From This Pen
(1965)		 Bright Lights and Country Music
(1965)		 I Love You Drops
(1966)
Singles from Bright Lights and Country Music

Background and content

Bright Lights and Country Music was recorded in July 1965 at the Columbia Recording Studio. The sessions were produced by Owen Bradley, whom Anderson had been collaborating with for several years. It was Anderson's first studio album that included lead credit with his band, The Po' Boys.[2] The album consisted of 12 tracks.[3] Like his previous studio releases, the album contained several songs written by Anderson. Among these songs was the title track, which appeared as the first song in the set. Other songs were new recordings and cover versions songs recorded by others. Among the record's covers was "The Wild Side of Life", which was first released by Hank Thompson in the 1950s. Another cover was the fifth track, "How the Other Half Lives". This song was first recorded by Wynn Stewart and Jan Howard as a duet.[2]

Release and reception

Bright Lights and Country Music was released in November 1965 on Decca Records.[2] The album was released as a vinyl record, with six songs on side of the recording.[3] The album peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart on February 12, 1966. It became Anderson's fifth album release to reach a position on this chart.[4] The title track was the only single released from the album. It was issued in August 1965 and became a major hit, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in November 1965.[5] The song "Golden Guitar" would later be included as a B-side to a single not included on this album.[6] The album was later reviewed by Allmusic, which gave the release a rating of 4.5 out of 5 possible stars.[1]

Track listing
Side one[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bright Lights and Country Music"
  • Bill Anderson
  • Jimmy Gateley
2:35
2."Wild Side of Life"
  • Arlie Carter
  • William Warren
2:46
3."Golden Guitar"
  • Billy Gray
  • Curtis Leach
4:13
4."Wine"Mel Tillis3:04
5."How the Other Half Lives"
2:09
6."Good Old Mountain Dew"
2:56
Side two[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Truck Drivin' Man"Terry Fell2:17
2."I'll Go Down Swinging"Anderson2:48
3."The Strangers' Story"Pete Stamper3:04
4."Sittin' in an All-Nite Cafe"Jim Glaser2:30
5."Cocktails"Anderson2:29
6."I'm Walking the Dog"
  • Cliff Grimsley
  • Tex Grimsley
2:02

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Bright Lights and Country Music.[2]

Musical personnel

Technical personnel

  • Owen Bradley – producer
  • Hal Buksbaum – photography

Chart performance
Chart (1965) Peak
position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[7] 6

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States February 1964 Vinyl Decca [3][1]
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References
  1. "Bright Lights and Country Music -- Bill Anderson -- Songs, Reviews, Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  2. Anderson, Bill (November 1965). "Bright Lights and Country Music (Liner Notes and Album Information)". Decca Records.
  3. "Bill Anderson & The Po' Boys: Bright Lights and Country Music (1965, Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  4. "Bright Lights and Country Music chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  5. ""Bright Lights and Country Music" [single] chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
  7. "Bill Anderson Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
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