The Songs of Wynn Stewart

The Songs of Wynn Stewart is a studio album by American country artist Wynn Stewart. It was released in September 1965 via Capitol Records and was produced by Ken Nelson. The project was Stewart's debut studio recording in his career after nearly a decade prior hits behind him. The album marked Stewart's return to the Capitol label, where he began his recording career in 1956 and left shortly thereafter. Stewart would issued several more studio albums at the label over the next several years.

The Songs of Wynn Stewart
Studio album by
Wynn Stewart
ReleasedSeptember 1965 (1965-09)
Recorded1964–1965
StudioCapitol Recording Studio
Genre
LabelCapitol
ProducerKen Nelson
Wynn Stewart chronology
Sweethearts of Country Music
(1960)		 The Songs of Wynn Stewart
(1965)		 It's Such a Pretty World Today
(1967)
Singles from The Songs of Wynn Stewart
  1. "Half of This, Half of That"
    Released: September 1964
  2. "Sha-Marie"
    Released: April 1965

Background and content

The Songs of Wynn Stewart was Stewart's first recording sessions with Capitol Records since the mid 1950s. He had his first hit with the label in 1956 called "Waltz of the Angels." Yet, none of his follow-up singles became hits and left the company. However, after a series of setbacks, he re-signed with Capitol in 1964.[2] The songs recorded for this project came from his first new sessions with Capitol between 1964 and 1965. The sessions took place in Hollywood, California at the Capitol Recording Studio. They were produced by Ken Nelson, whom Stewart had first worked with in the 1950s. Nelson would remain with him during his time at Capitol.[3] The album was a collection of 12 tracks which were recorded in the Bakersfield Sound style. Seven of the album's tracks were written (or co-written) by Stewart himself.[1] This included the single "Half of This, Half of That," as well as "You Took Her Off My Hands," "Money Talks" and "Sing a Sad Song." Stewart co-wrote these tracks with established songwriters including Harlan Howard and Skeets McDonald.[3]

Release and reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
BillboardFavorable

The Songs of Wynn Stewart was released in September 1965 via Capitol Records. It was his debut studio album in his recording career, despite previous compilation released and several hit singles.[3] The project was released as a vinyl LP, containing six songs on each side of the record.[4] The album did not reach any chart positions on Billboard upon its release, including the Top Country Albums chart.[5] The album was reviewed favorably by Billboard upon its original release. "Wynn Stewart has come up with an excellent package with a lot of the material written by himself--for his first Capitol Records album," writers commented. Writers also highlighted his self-composed track "You Took Her Off My Hands" as a notable highlights.[6]

The Songs of Wynn Stewart spawned two singles released between 1964 and 1965. The first was "Half of This, Half of That," which was issued as a single in September 1964.[7] The song spent a total of 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and became a top 40 hit, climbing to number 30 in December.[8] "Sha-Marie" was spawned as the album's second single in April 1964. However, the song failed to chart any Billboard song publications.[7]

Track listing
Side one[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Half of This, Half of That"
2:20
2."You Kiss Like You're Waving Goodbye"
  • Buddy Cagle
  • Stewart
2:15
3."My Rosalie"Hap Lowell2:33
4."Money Talks"
  • Curtis Leach
  • Stewart
2:31
5."You Took Her Off My Hands"
2:32
6."Sha-Marie"
  • Bozo Darnell
  • Ben Hall
2:30
Side two[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Does He Love You Like I Do"
2:19
2."Happy Crazy"
  • Stewart
  • Vern Stovall
2:32
3."The Happy Part of Town"Danny Dill2:39
4."I Can Take It or Leave It"
  • Leach
  • Stewart
2:09
5."Sing a Sad Song"Stewart2:36
6."Do Die"
1:50

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Songs of Wynn Stewart.[3]

Musical personnel

Technical personnel

  • Ken Nelson – producer
  • George Jerman – photography

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United Kingdom 1966 Vinyl Capitol [9]
United States September 1965 [4][1]
United Kingdom 1986 Stetson Records [10]
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References
  1. "The Songs of Wynn Stewart: Wynn Stewart: Songs, Reviews, Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Wynn Stewart: Biography & History". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  3. Stewart, Wynn (September 1965). "The Songs of Wynn Stewart (Album Information and Liner Notes)". Capitol Records.
  4. "Wynn Stewart -- The Songs of Wynn Stewart (1965, Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (1997). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Albums: 1967-1997. Record Research Inc. ISBN 0898201241.
  6. "Album Reviews: Country Spotlight". Billboard. 77 (43): 60. October 23, 1965. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  8. ""Half of This, Half of That" chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  9. "Wynn Stewart -- The Songs of Wynn Stewart (1966, Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  10. "Wynn Stewart -- The Songs of Wynn Stewart (1986, Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
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