Maps of Music

Lead Me On (1971)

Where the lyrics of Lead Me On take you, and where it was really made.

Critics praised the songs, but one trade paper said the cover was ruined by a blue border and 100 white stars.

Key places

Recording sessions at Bradley's Barn (1971)

Recording site Bradley's Barn — Recording sessions for the album took place at Bradley's Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, in November 1971. The point marks the building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Lead Me On is the second collaborative studio album by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
• Released January 17, 1972 by Decca Records
• The album's only single was the title track, 'Lead Me On'
• The duo's second album of duets

Background

• 'Lead Me On' was recorded on November 11, 1970, during the sessions for the 1971 album We Only Make Believe
• The single was released in September 1971, before the album came out
• The single peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, the duo's second chart-topper
• In Canada, the single peaked at No. 1 on the RPM Country Singles chart

Recording

• Recording sessions for the album were held at Bradley's Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, November 21–23, 1971
• Owen Bradley is credited as producer
• Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty share the lead vocals
• Harold Bradley plays bass guitar; Bob Moore plays bass
• Ray Edenton plays acoustic guitar; Herman Wade plays electric guitar
• John Hughey plays steel guitar
• Hargus Robbins and Jerry Smith play piano
• Tommy Markham plays drums
• The Jordanaires provide background vocals
• Darrell Johnson is credited with mastering

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born Loretta Webb on April 14, 1932, in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, the oldest daughter in a coal miner's family.
• Married Oliver Vanetta "Doolittle" Lynn in 1948 at age 15; the marriage lasted almost 50 years until his death in 1996.
• Began singing in local clubs in the late 1950s and formed her own band, the Trailblazers.

Career

• Signed with Zero Records in 1960; her first release was "Whispering Sea" and "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl".
• Joined Decca Records through the Wilburn Brothers; joined the Grand Ole Opry on September 25, 1962.
• Scored a string of hits from the 1960s, including "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)" and "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin'".
• Wrote songs on women's issues such as birth control ("The Pill") and double standards ("Rated 'X'"), many inspired by her own marriage.
• Recorded five No. 1 duets with Conway Twitty between 1971 and 1975.
• Her 1976 autobiography Coal Miner's Daughter became a bestseller and inspired the 1980 Oscar-winning film starring Sissy Spacek.
• Named Artist of the Decade for the 1970s by the Academy of Country Music, the only woman to win this honor.
• Released Van Lear Rose (2004), produced by Jack White, which won the Grammy for Best Country Album.
• Had a stroke in 2017 and broke her hip in 2018, which ended her touring after 57 years.
• Died on October 4, 2022, at age 90, at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Billboard (February 5, 1972 issue): called it another dynamite selection of material and a likely hot chart item for the duo's second package of duets
• Billboard singled out the title track as the spotlighted song, along with 'Never Ending Song of Love', 'Easy Loving', and 'You Blow My Mind'
• Cash Box (January 29, 1972 issue): described the duo's visual image as a stately and dignified couple whose different styles merge into a new style
• Record World (January 29, 1972 issue): praised the music as a great bunch of tunes
• Record World criticized the artwork, saying the cover photos were ruined by the blue border and the 100 white stars

Reappraisal

• No retrospective critical review of the album is listed in the source

Records

• Peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot Country LP chart
• Peaked at No. 106 on the US Billboard Top LP chart
• Certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of more than 500,000 copies
• Single peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart
• Single peaked at No. 1 on the RPM Country Singles chart in Canada

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• 'Lead Me On' was recorded a year before the album, during the sessions for We Only Make Believe
• Record World praised the songs but said the blue border and 100 white stars ruined the cover photos
• Cash Box described the two singers' styles as coordinated, two different halves that combine into a whole
• Billboard named 'You Blow My Mind' as a clever rhythm number written by Billy Edd Wheeler
• The single's chart run made it the duo's second song to top the US country singles chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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