That's How I Got to Memphis
"That's How I Got to Memphis", also known as "How I Got to Memphis", is a country music standard written by Tom T. Hall. The song first appeared on Hall's 1969 album: Ballad of Forty Dollars & His Other Great Songs. It has been widely covered, most notably by Bobby Bare in 1970 and Deryl Dodd in 1996.
Bobby Bare version
| "How I Got to Memphis" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bobby Bare | ||||
| from the album This Is Bare Country | ||||
| B-side | "It's Freezing in El Paso"[1] | |||
| Released | August 1970 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:31 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Tom T. Hall | |||
| Producer(s) | Jerry Kennedy | |||
| Bobby Bare singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
It was covered by Bobby Bare on his 1970 album This Is Bare Country,[2] and by Deryl Dodd on his 1996 album One Ride in Vegas.
Critical reception
An uncredited review in Billboard called the song "potent Tom T. Hall material, delivered in one of Bare's finest performances."[3]
Chart performance
Bobby Bare's version spent 16 weeks on the Hot Country Songs charts, peaking at number 3.[1]
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4] | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 22 |
Deryl Dodd version
| "That's How I Got to Memphis" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Deryl Dodd | ||||
| from the album One Ride in Vegas | ||||
| Released | November 9, 1996 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:14 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Tom T. Hall | |||
| Producer(s) | Blake Chancey, Chip Young | |||
| Deryl Dodd singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In late 1996, Deryl Dodd covered the song for his debut album One Ride in Vegas. The song was the album's second single. In place of a b-side, the single release contained album snippets.[5]
Critical reception
Don Yates of Country Standard Time called Dodd's version of the song "impassioned".[6]
Other versions
Outside of Bare's and Dodd's version, the song has been widely covered and is considered to be a standard by commentators.[9]
References
- Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 42–43. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- "Album reviews". Billboard: 20. August 8, 1970.
- "Singles". Billboard: 72. July 18, 1970.
- "Bobby Bare Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- Whitburn, pp. 127-28
- Yates, Don. "One Ride in Vegas review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 9897." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. March 3, 1997. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
- "Deryl Dodd Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- Hall, Rashaun (9 February 2002). "Pearl Snaps". Billboard: 22.
