Honky Tonk Angels

Honky Tonk Angels is a collaborative studio album by Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. It was released on November 2, 1993, by Columbia Records.[1] The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 5, 1994, for sales of 500,000 copies.

Honky Tonk Angels
Studio album by Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette
Released	November 2, 1993
Recorded	February 1993
Studio	Nightingale Studio (Nashville) Masterfonics (Nashville) The Doghouse (Nashville)
Genre	Country
Length	32:34
Label	Columbia
Producer	Steve Buckingham Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton chronology
Slow Dancing with the Moon (1993) Honky Tonk Angels (1993) Heartsongs: Live from Home (1994)
Loretta Lynn chronology
Making Believe (1988) Honky Tonk Angels (1993) Making More Memories (1994)
Tammy Wynette chronology
Heart Over Mind (1990) Honky Tonk Angels (1993) Without Walls (1994)
Singles from Honky Tonk Angels
"Silver Threads and Golden Needles" Released: November 8, 1993

Background

The album had been a long-rumored project between the country singers for over a decade. It was mostly Parton's idea to bring together the women who made their musical breakthroughs in the '60s. These were also the women who changed the texture of the music by weaving strands of modern life into the traditional country patterns they grew up with and helped enlarge the audience for country music. Once Parton talked the others into doing the project–an easy argument, by all accounts–she asked Buckingham to co-produce with her.[2]

Content

The album features many country standards, including "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" (which features a guest vocal appearance by the song's originator and the original country queen, Kitty Wells), "Wings of a Dove" (a 1960 hit for Ferlin Husky), "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" (a 1953 hit for the Davis Sisters), "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" (a 1966 Bill Phillips hit that was Parton's first success as a songwriter), "Lovesick Blues" (a pop standard known for Hank Williams' 1949 rendition; here the trio sings along with a vintage recording of the song by Patsy Cline), and "I Dreamed of a Hillbilly Heaven", Tex Ritter's 1962 classic that features new spoken dialogue written by Parton.

The original songs by Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette are solo performances by each of them with harmony vocals by Parton and "Sittin' on the Front Porch Swing" is a Parton solo. The album features liner notes written by Ralph Emery.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]

The review published in the November 27, 1993 issue of Billboard said that the album is "a spirited collaboration that brings together three country music cornerstones and throws in a pinch of Patsy Cline and Kitty Wells for good measure." The review went on to say, "There are a few musically inspired moments here, notably Parton's "Sittin' on the Front Porch Swing" and Wynette's "That's the Way It Could Have Been". But, for the most part, this is more of a nostalgic look back than a celebration of present–day glories."[4]

Kelly McCartney of AllMusic gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, saying that "for fans of traditional country or great singers, this is a fun listen because it nicely captures three of the best voices around."[3]

Commercial performance

The album peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart and No. 42 on the US Billboard 200 chart. In Canada, the album peaked at No. 6 on the RPM Country Albums chart and No. 44 on the RPM Albums chart.

The only single, "Silver Threads and Golden Needles", was released in November 1993[5] and peaked at No. 68 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

Accolades

The album and its single were nominated for several awards. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1994 TNN Music City News Country Awards and "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" was nominated for Vocal Collaboration of the Year. "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" also received a nomination at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals[6] and Vocal Event of the Year at the 28th Annual Country Music Association Awards.[7]

37th Annual Grammy Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1995	"Silver Threads and Golden Needles"	Best Country Collaboration with Vocals	Nominated

28th Annual Country Music Association Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1994	"Silver Threads and Golden Needles"	Vocal Event of the Year	Nominated

1994 TNN Music City News Country Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1994	Honky Tonk Angels	Album of the Year	Nominated
	"Silver Threads and Golden Needles"	Vocal Collaboration of the Year	Nominated

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" (with special guest Kitty Wells)	J.D. Miller	2:51
2.	"Put It Off Until Tomorrow"	Dolly Parton Bill Owens	2:38
3.	"Silver Threads and Golden Needles"	Jack Rhodes Dick Reynolds	2:24
4.	"Please Help Me I'm Falling (In Love with You)"	Don Robertson Hal Blair	2:35
5.	"Sittin' on the Front Porch Swing"	Buddy Sheffield	2:34
6.	"Wings of a Dove"	Bob Ferguson	2:54
7.	"I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know"	Cecil Null	2:12
8.	"Wouldn't It Be Great"	Loretta Lynn	3:03
9.	"That's the Way It Could Have Been"	Tammy Wynette	2:55
10.	"Let Her Fly"	Parton	3:04
11.	"Lovesick Blues" (with special guest Patsy Cline)	Cliff Friend Irving Mills	2:18
12.	"I Dreamed of a Hillbilly Heaven"	Hal Southern Eddie Dean	3:32
Total length:			32:34

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes.[1]

• Eddie Bayers – drums
• Harold Bradley – tic-tac ("Lovesick Blues")
• Owen Bradley – producer ("Lovesick Blues")
• Steve Buckingham – producer
• Patsy Cline – guest vocals ("Lovesick Blues")
• Don Cobb – editing
• Floyd Cramer – piano ("Lovesick Blues")
• Jimmy Day – steel ("Lovesick Blues")
• Richard Dennison – background vocals
• Hank Garland – electric guitar ("Lovesick Blues")
• Steve Gibson – guitar, tic-tac
• Rob Hajacos – fiddle
• Vicki Hampton – background vocals
• Buddy Harmon – drums ("Lovesick Blues")
• Roy Huskey – upright bass
• Bill Johnson – art direction, design
• Beth Kindig – art assistance
• Cari Landers – production assistant
• Jason Lehning – assistant engineer
• Loretta Lynn – lead vocals, harmony vocals
• Grady Martin – electric guitar ("Lovesick Blues")
• Bob Moore – upright bass ("Lovesick Blues")
• Marshall Morgan – engineer
• Farrell Morris – vibes
• Weldon Myrick – steel
• Louis Nunley – background vocals
• Jennifer O'Brien-Enoch – background vocals, vocal coordinator
• Gary Paczosa – engineer
• Dolly Parton – lead vocals, harmony vocals, producer
• Denny Purcell – mastering
• Tom Robb – bass
• Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano
• Billy Sanford – guitar
• Alan Schulman – additional engineering
• Toby Seay – additional engineering
• Ed Simonton – assistant engineer
• Adam Steffy – mandolin
• Bruce Watkins – acoustic guitar
• Cindy Reynolds Watt – harp
• Rollow Welch – art direction, design
• Kitty Wells – guest vocals ("It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels")
• Bruce Wolfe – cover painting
• Tammy Wynette – lead vocals, harmony vocals

• Note: "Lovesick Blues" was recorded by Patsy Cline on January 27, 1960 and produced by Owen Bradley. The musicians for this session are noted above.

Charts

Album

Chart (1993–1994)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA Charts)[8]	177
Canada Country Albums/CDs (RPM)[9]	6
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[10]	44
US Billboard 200[11]	42
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[12]	6

Singles

Title	Year	Peak position
		US Country [13]
"Silver Threads and Golden Needles"	1993	68

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[14]	Gold	500,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. "Loretta*, Dolly*, Tammy* - Honky Tonk Angels". Discogs. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
2. "Billboard - September 25, 1993" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. p. 41. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
3. Honky Tonk Angels at AllMusic
4. "Billboard - November 27, 1993" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. p. 98. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
5. "Parton / Wynette / Lynn - Silver Threads And Golden Needles". Retrieved 23 May 2019.
6. "Dolly Parton". GRAMMY.com. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
7. "Past Winners And Nominees". CMA Awards. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
8. "Dolly Parton ARIA chart history, received April 29, 2019". ARIA. Retrieved April 1, 2020 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
9. Canada, Library and Archives (17 July 2013). "Results: RPM Weekly Country Albums/CDs". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
10. Canada, Library and Archives (17 July 2013). "Results: RPM Weekly Top Albums/CDs". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
11. "Dolly Parton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
12. "Dolly Parton Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
13. "Dolly Parton Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
14. "American album certifications – DOLLY PARTON WITH TAMMY WYNETTE & LORETTA LYNN – HONKY TONK ANGELS". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 23, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.