All the Way (Brenda Lee album)
Encyclopedia
All the Way is the fifth studio album by American pop
and country
artist Brenda Lee
. The album was released August 7, 1961 on Decca Records
and was produced by Owen Bradley
. It was the second of two studio albums released by Brenda Lee in 1961 and spawned the single "Dum Dum", which became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100
.
. It also included a cover version of Ray Charles
's "Talkin' About You" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street
". Songwriter Ronnie Self, whom had previously written other songs by Lee, co-wrote the songs "Dum Dum" and "Eventually" for the album. Allmusics Richie Unterberger praised the album's production, calling it a "pretty good record" and "certainly well-produced". Overall, Unterberger gave the album three in a half out of five stars, explaining that while he felt the album was "pretty good", he said that it seemed to "showcase versatility", like "many albums of its time". Unterberger commented, "It seems a little strange to apply the adjective "overlooked" to a singer as popular as Lee was at this time, but the album, like so much of her early-'60s work, is further evidence of her underrated skills as a rock and pop singer. And it was appreciated by listeners at the time, the album making the Top 20, even if most of the songs are unfamiliar today even to many Brenda Lee fans." All the Way was released originally as an LP record
, containing six songs on each side of the record. The album was reissued on a compact disc in both the United Kingdom and Russia.
, peaking at #4, while also reaching #22 on the UK Singles Chart
. The single's B-side "Eventually" also gained significant radio airplay and peaked at #56 on the Billboard Hot 100 around the same time of the single's release to radio. All the Way was officially released on August 7, 1961 on Decca Records
and peaked at #17 on the Billboard 200
albums chart, her first album that year to peak within the Billboard 200 Top 20. The album also became Lee's first album to chart in the United Kingdom, peaking at #20 on the UK Albums Chart
.
Side two
Singles
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
. The album was released August 7, 1961 on Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
and was produced by Owen Bradley
Owen Bradley
Owen Bradley was an American record producer who, along with Chet Atkins and Bob Ferguson, was one of the chief architects of the 1950s and 1960s Nashville sound in country music and rockabilly.-Before the fame:...
. It was the second of two studio albums released by Brenda Lee in 1961 and spawned the single "Dum Dum", which became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
Background and content
All the Way was recorded in four separate recording sessions at the Bradley Film and Recording Studio, beginning on August 16, 1960 and ending on May 21, 1961. The album contained twelve tracks of material, seven of which were cover versions of previously-recorded songs. The album's cover versions included "Kansas City", first recorded by Little Willie LittlefieldLittle Willie Littlefield
Little Willie Littlefield is an American R&B pianist and singer.-Career:By 1947, at the age of sixteen, Littlefield was already a local attraction on many of Houston's Dowling Street Clubs and was recording for local record shop proprietor Eddie Henry who ran his own label "Eddies".Influenced by...
. It also included a cover version of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
's "Talkin' About You" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street
On the Sunny Side of the Street
"On the Sunny Side of the Street" is a song with music composed by Jimmy McHugh and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, which was introduced in the Broadway musical Lew Leslie's International Revue, starring Harry Richman and Gertrude Lawrence....
". Songwriter Ronnie Self, whom had previously written other songs by Lee, co-wrote the songs "Dum Dum" and "Eventually" for the album. Allmusics Richie Unterberger praised the album's production, calling it a "pretty good record" and "certainly well-produced". Overall, Unterberger gave the album three in a half out of five stars, explaining that while he felt the album was "pretty good", he said that it seemed to "showcase versatility", like "many albums of its time". Unterberger commented, "It seems a little strange to apply the adjective "overlooked" to a singer as popular as Lee was at this time, but the album, like so much of her early-'60s work, is further evidence of her underrated skills as a rock and pop singer. And it was appreciated by listeners at the time, the album making the Top 20, even if most of the songs are unfamiliar today even to many Brenda Lee fans." All the Way was released originally as an LP record
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, containing six songs on each side of the record. The album was reissued on a compact disc in both the United Kingdom and Russia.
Release
All the Way spawned its lead single in June 1961 entitled "Dum Dum". The song became Lee's seventh consecutive Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, peaking at #4, while also reaching #22 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The single's B-side "Eventually" also gained significant radio airplay and peaked at #56 on the Billboard Hot 100 around the same time of the single's release to radio. All the Way was officially released on August 7, 1961 on Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
and peaked at #17 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart, her first album that year to peak within the Billboard 200 Top 20. The album also became Lee's first album to chart in the United Kingdom, peaking at #20 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
Track listing
Side one- "Lover Come Back to Me" (Oscar HammersteinOscar Hammerstein IIOscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for...
, Sigmund RombergSigmund RombergSigmund Romberg was a Hungarian-born American composer, best known for his operettas.-Biography:Romberg was born as Siegmund Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Gross-Kanizsa during the Austro-Hungarian kaiserlich und königlich monarchy period...
) – 2:32 - "All the Way" (Sammy CahnSammy CahnSammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 3:00 - "Dum Dum" (Jackie DeShannonJackie DeShannonJackie DeShannon is an American singer-songwriter with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards. She was one of the first female singer-songwriters of the rock 'n' roll period.- Life and early career :...
, Sharon SheeleySharon SheeleySharon Sheeley was an American songwriter, born in California, who wrote songs for Glen Campbell, Ricky Nelson, Brenda Lee, and Sheeley's former fiancé, Eddie Cochran.-Life:...
) – 2:22 - "On the Sunny Side of the StreetOn the Sunny Side of the Street"On the Sunny Side of the Street" is a song with music composed by Jimmy McHugh and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, which was introduced in the Broadway musical Lew Leslie's International Revue, starring Harry Richman and Gertrude Lawrence....
" (Dorothy FieldsDorothy FieldsDorothy Fields was an American librettist and lyricist.She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films...
, Jimmy McHughJimmy McHughJames Francis McHugh was a U.S. composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he composed over 270 songs...
) – 3:16 - "Talkin' 'Bout You" (Ray CharlesRay CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
) – 2:34 - "The Prisoner's SongThe Prisoner's Song"The Prisoner's Song", is a song copyrighted by Vernon Dalhart in 1924 in the name of Dalhart’s cousin Guy Massey, who had sung it while staying at Dalhart’s home and had in turn heard it from his brother Robert Massey, who may have heard it while serving time in prison.The Prisoner’s Song rates...
" (Guy Massey) – 2:40
Side two
- "Do I Worry (Yes I Do)" (Jerry LordanJerry LordanJerry Lordan , born Jeremiah Patrick Lordan in Paddington, west London, was an English songwriter, composer and singer.-Career:...
) – 2:04 - "Tragedy" (Fred Burch, Gerald Nelson) – 2:42
- "Kansas City" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 2:35
- "Eventually" (Dub Albritten, Ronnie SelfRonnie SelfRonnie Self was a United States rockabilly singer and songwriter. His solo career was unsuccessful, despite being signed to contracts with Columbia and then Decca from the late 1950s through the early 1960s. His only charted single was "Bop-A-Lena"; recorded in 1957 and released in 1958, it...
) – 2:58 - "Speak to Me Pretty" (By Dunham, Henry Vars) – 2:13
- "Big Chance" (Burch, Nelson) – 2:12
Personnel
- Brenton Banks – strings
- Harold BradleyHarold BradleyHarold Bradley is a pop guitarist and an American country guitarist.Harold played banjo as a child but switched to guitar on the advice of his elder brother, Owen Bradley. Owen arranged for Harold to tour with Ernest Tubb while Harold was still in high school. After graduation, Harold joined the...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Howard Carpenter – strings
- Floyd CramerFloyd CramerFloyd Cramer was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville sound." He popularized the "slip note" piano style where an out-of-tune note slides effortlessly into the correct note...
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Dottie Dillard – background vocals
- Ray Edenton – guitar
- Buddy EmmonsBuddy EmmonsBuddy Emmons , is an American guitarist.Emmons has been called "The World's Foremost Steel Guitarist" and his talent is greatly admired by fellow steel guitarists...
– steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use... - Buddy HarmanBuddy HarmanBuddy Harman was an American session musician.-Career:Born in Nashville, Tennessee, he played drums on over 18,000 sessions for artists such as Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Brenda Lee, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison, Connie Francis, Chet Atkins, Marty Robbins, Roger Miller,...
– drums - Lillian Hunt – strings
- Anita KerrAnita KerrAnita Jean Grilli , known profesioanlly as Anita Kerr, is an American singer, arranger, composer, conductor, pianist, and music producer. She recorded and performed successfully with her vocal harmony groups in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Europe.-Nashville:Kerr was born in Memphis, Tennessee...
– background vocals - Douglas Kirkham – drums
- Brenda Lee – lead vocals
- Grady MartinGrady MartinThomas Grady Martin was one of the most renowned, inventive and historically significant American session musicians in country music and rockabilly....
– guitar - Louis Nunley – background vocals
- Boots RandolphBoots RandolphHomer Louis "Boots" Randolph III was an American musician best known for his 1963 saxophone hit, "Yakety Sax"...
– saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846... - Vernel Richardson – strings
- Bill Wright – background vocals
- Joe Zinkan – bassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
Sales chart positions
Album| Chart (1961) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
17 |
| U.K. Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
20 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||
| 1961 | "Dum Dum" | 4 | 22 |
| "Eventually" | 56 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||