Maps of Music
Higher Ground (1987)
Where the lyrics of Higher Ground take you, and where it was really made.
Higher Ground is Tammy Wynette's 27th studio album, yet its lead single reached No. 12 on the country singles chart while the album itself peaked at No. 43.
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Overview
- Higher Ground: the 27th studio album by American country singer-songwriter Tammy Wynette
- Released July 6, 1987, on Epic Records
- Peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart
- Lead single "Your Love" reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart
- Second single "Talkin' to Myself Again" peaked at No. 16
- Third and final single "Beneath a Painted Sky" peaked at No. 25
- Album photography credited to McGuire
Background
- Wynette's 27th studio album, placing it within a long recording career
- Released in the late 1980s, in the middle of the decade's country output
- Three singles were released from the album, in the order lead, second, third
- George Richey is credited for management
- Steve Buckingham is credited as producer
Recording
- Includes "A Slow Burning Fire", a cover of a George Jones song from his 1984 album Ladies' Choice
- Joe Bogan is credited as recording engineer
- Assistant engineers: Randy Best, Michael Koreiba, Dennis Richey, Lee Waters
- Mark O'Connor plays fiddle, mandolin and guitar
- Paul Franklin plays steel guitar and dobro
- Randy McCormick plays piano; Roy Huskey plays upright bass
- Guest harmony vocals from Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Rodney Crowell and others
- Vern Gosdin sings duet vocals on track 3
- Mastering by Denny Purcell at Georgetown Masters
Cover
- Album photography by McGuire
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com
Tracklist
| 1 | Your Love | 3:06 |
| 2 | Tempted | 3:18 |
| 3 | Some Things Will Never Change | 2:59 |
| 4 | Beneath a Painted Sky | 3:56 |
| 5 | I Wasn’t Meant to Live My Life Alone | 3:25 |
| 6 | Higher Ground | 3:17 |
| 7 | Talkin’ to Myself Again | 3:24 |
| 8 | A Slow Burning Fire | 3:05 |
| 9 | There’s No Heart So Strong | 3:26 |
| 10 | All Through Throwing Good Love After Bad | 3:27 |
Sources: musicbrainz.org
Artist
Early life
- Born Virginia Wynette Pugh on May 5, 1942, in Itawamba County, Mississippi.
- Raised by her mother, stepfather and maternal grandparents; picked cotton on the family farm as a child.
- Married Euple Byrd at age 17; divorced in 1965.
Formation
- Moved to Nashville in 1966 and signed with Epic Records, produced by Billy Sherrill.
- Debut single "Apartment No. 9" (1966) reached number 44 on the US country chart.
Career
- Twenty singles topped the US country chart, including "Stand by Your Man" and "D-I-V-O-R-C-E".
- Joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1969 and won two Grammy Awards.
- Recorded numerous duets with George Jones before their divorce in 1975.
- Returned as a solo headliner and continued charting into the 1980s.
- Collaborated with KLF on "Justified and Ancient" (1991) and with Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton on Honky Tonk Angels (1993).
- Died April 6, 1998, in Nashville at age 55.
Legacy
- Estimated 30 million records sold worldwide; inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1998.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
Records
- Higher Ground was released July 6, 1987, on Epic Records
- The album peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart
- The lead single "Your Love" reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart
- The second single "Talkin' to Myself Again" peaked at No. 16 on the same chart
- The third and final single "Beneath a Painted Sky" peaked at No. 25
- The lead single was the strongest of the three singles on the country singles chart
- Chart results are listed for the album and for each of its three singles
- The album was Tammy Wynette's 27th studio album
- The album's chart position was lower than its lead single's chart position
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- "A Slow Burning Fire" is a cover of a George Jones song from his 1984 album Ladies' Choice.
- Mastering was done at Georgetown Masters.
- Vern Gosdin sings duet vocals on track 3.
- Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs and Rodney Crowell contribute harmony vocals on separate tracks.
- Mark O'Connor plays fiddle, mandolin and guitar on the album.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com