Maps of Music

My Elusive Dreams (1967)

Where the lyrics of My Elusive Dreams take you, and where it was really made.

This duet album took its name from a title track that topped the country chart, and the duo never made a second album together.

Key places

Recorded at Columbia Studios, Nashville (1967)

Recording site Nashville — The album was recorded in June 1967 at Columbia Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The pin sits at the city centre, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• My Elusive Dreams: studio album by American country artists David Houston and Tammy Wynette
• Released on Epic Records in August 1967 (7 August 1967 per the Portuguese Wikipedia entry)
• Ten tracks in total
• The duo's first and only album together
• Mostly duets, with one solo track each: Wynette's "Set Me Free" and Houston's "Clinging Vine"
• Named after the title track, which topped the American country songs chart in 1967
• Another single, "It's All Over", also became a commercially successful country song

Background

• Both artists had individual careers in country music and shared the same producer, Billy Sherrill
• Houston first found success on Epic Records; in 1966 he reached his commercial peak with the number one country single "Almost Persuaded"
• That song crossed over to the pop charts and received accolades from the Grammy Awards
• Wynette signed with Epic in 1966 and had her first chart success with 1967's "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad"
• Sherrill paired the two after composing the song "My Elusive Dreams" with Glenn Sutton
• He first wanted it to be a solo release for Wynette, then decided to make an album of duets between the pair

Recording

• Recorded in June 1967 at Columbia Studios in Nashville, Tennessee
• Ten tracks, eight of them duets between Houston and Wynette
• Three covers: Patsy Cline's "Back in Baby's Arms", Hank Williams's "Hey Good Lookin'" and "Somethin' Stupid", which was originally a duet by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra
• Other duets: the title track, "It's All Over" and "I'll Take My Chances with You"

Cover

• Cover design credited to Michael Mendel

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

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

At release

• Billboard (19 August 1967 issue): said the duo's title song raced up the chart and even scored pop sales, and praised the performances on "Somethin' Stupid" and "Back in Baby's Arms"
• Cash Box (19 August 1967 issue): urged readers to watch the album for a top chart spot and called it a groovy LP, naming "Ill Take My Chances with You", "Somethin' Stupid" and "Marriage on the Rocks" as notable tracks
• Record World: said the title song is one of the year's best songs and makes the high quality duet album even better
• Overall, the album received positive reviews after its release

Records

• Peaked at number 11 on the American Billboard Country LP chart
• Title track topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1967
• "It's All Over" reached number 11 on the same Hot Country Songs chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Sherrill first planned a solo album for Wynette and then changed course to make a duet album with Houston.
• Three of the ten tracks are covers, including songs by Patsy Cline and Hank Williams.
• The album also includes Wynette's first songwriting credit.
• After this album, Houston recorded a duet album with Barbara Mandrell and Wynette recorded with her future husband George Jones.
• The album has never been reissued and is not on any streaming platform.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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