It Don't Get Any Better Than This
Encyclopedia
It Don't Get Any Better Than This is an album by American
country music
singer George Jones
. This album was released on April 7, 1998 on the MCA Nashville Records label. This album was Jones's final album with MCA Nashville Records. The album's title track was used as the theme song to Jones's talk show which aired on what was then The Nashville Network
. Singles released from the album were "Wild Irish Rose" and "No Future in Our Past", both of which failed to chart.
on his 1994 album This Is Me
, and "Smack Dab" was later recorded by Ken Mellons
on his 2004 album Sweet. "When Did You Stop Lovin' Me" was originally recorded by George Strait
on the soundtrack to the 1992 film Pure Country
, and was a Top Ten single for him in 1993. "Don't Touch Me" is a cover of the Jeannie Seely
single.
Strings
performed by the Nashville String Machine
, conducted by Carl Gorodetzky and arranged by Bergen White.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
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...
singer George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
. This album was released on April 7, 1998 on the MCA Nashville Records label. This album was Jones's final album with MCA Nashville Records. The album's title track was used as the theme song to Jones's talk show which aired on what was then The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows...
. Singles released from the album were "Wild Irish Rose" and "No Future in Our Past", both of which failed to chart.
Content
"Small Y'all" was previously recorded by Randy TravisRandy Travis
Randy Travis is an American country music singer and actor. Since 1985, he has recorded 20 studio albums and charted more than 30 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, 22 of which were number one hits...
on his 1994 album This Is Me
This Is Me (Randy Travis album)
This Is Me is an album by country music star Randy Travis, and was released on April 26, 1994 by Warner Bros.. Producer Kyle Lehning, Travis, and A&R Martha Sharp considered more than 1,000 songs before settling on the final ten...
, and "Smack Dab" was later recorded by Ken Mellons
Ken Mellons
Kenneth Edward "Ken" Mellons is an American country music artist who released his self-titled debut album in 1994. This album produced the single "Jukebox Junkie", a Top Ten hit on the Hot Country Songs charts...
on his 2004 album Sweet. "When Did You Stop Lovin' Me" was originally recorded by George Strait
George Strait
George Harvey Strait is an American country music singer, actor, and music producer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional...
on the soundtrack to the 1992 film Pure Country
Pure Country (film)
Pure Country is a 1992 American dramatic musical western film directed by Christopher Cain. The film stars George Strait in his acting debut with Lesley Ann Warren, Isabel Glasser and Kyle Chandler. The film was considered a box office bomb, however the soundtrack was a critical success and to date...
, and was a Top Ten single for him in 1993. "Don't Touch Me" is a cover of the Jeannie Seely
Jeannie Seely
Jeannie Seely is an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry star. She is best-known for her 1966 Grammy award-winning Country hit, "Don't Touch Me", which peaked at No...
single.
Track listing
- "Wild Irish Rose" (Bobby BraddockBobby BraddockRobert Valentine Braddock is an American country music songwriter and record producer. A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Braddock has contributed numerous hit songs during more than 40 years in the industry, including 13 number-one hit...
) – 4:40 - "Small Y'all" (Braddock) – 2:46
- "Over You" (Braddock) – 3:56
- "It Don't Get Any Better Than This" (Buddy CannonBuddy CannonBuddy Cannon is an American country music songwriter and record producer. Active since the late 1970s, he is known primarily for his work as Kenny Chesney's record producer, for which he won the Academy of Country Music's Producer of the Year award in 2006.Along with Bill Anderson and Jamey...
, Norro WilsonNorro WilsonNorris "Norro" Wilson is an American country music singer, songwriter and producer, and member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame....
, Max D. BarnesMax D. BarnesMax D. Barnes was a country music singer and songwriter.As a songwriter, Barnes composed many familiar songs of the '80s and '90s, receiving 42 songwriter awards in his career...
) – 3:07- featuring Waylon JenningsWaylon JenningsWaylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
, Willie NelsonWillie NelsonWillie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, Merle HaggardMerle HaggardMerle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
, Bobby BareBobby BareRobert Joseph Bare is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is the father of Bobby Bare, Jr., also a musician.-Early career:...
, and Johnny PaycheckJohnny PaycheckJohnny Paycheck was the legal name of Donald Eugene Lytle , a country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member most famous for recording the David Allan Coe song "Take This Job and Shove It"...
(as "Cash")
- featuring Waylon Jennings
- "Smack Dab" (T.W. Hale, Kerry Kurt Phillips) – 2:54
- "Don't Touch MeDon't Touch Me"Don't Touch Me" is the name of a classic country music song originally recorded and made famous by Jeannie Seely in 1966.-History:"Don't Touch Me" was written by Jeannie Seely's husband, Hank Cochran, the songwriter who wrote Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces" and Eddy Arnold's "Make the World Go...
" (Hank CochranHank CochranGarland Perry "Hank" Cochran was an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting during the 1960s, Cochran was a prolific songwriter in the genre, including major hits by Patsy Cline, Ray Price, Eddy Arnold and others...
) – 4:23 - "Got to Get to Louisiana" (Steve Schuffert, Alex Harvey) – 3:02
- featuring T. Graham BrownT. Graham BrownAnthony "T." Graham Brown is an American country music artist. Active since 1986, Brown has recorded a total of thirteen studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts...
- featuring T. Graham Brown
- "When Did You Stop Loving MeWhen Did You Stop Loving Me"When Did You Stop Loving Me" is the title of a song written by Donny Kees and Monty Holmes and recorded by American country music artist George Strait. It was released in April 1993 as the third and final single from his album Pure Country...
" (Monty HolmesMonty HolmesMonty Holmes is an American country music singer-songwriter. Holmes signed to Bang II Records and released his debut album, All I Ever Wanted, in 1998. His highest charting single, "Why'd You Start Lookin' So Good," peaked at number 43 in 1998...
, Donny Kees) – 3:42 - "I Said All That to Say All This" (Claire Davidson, Karyn RochelleKaryn RochelleKaryn Rochelle is an American country music songwriter. Her credits include several hit singles by country music artists, including "I Wonder", "Red High Heels", and "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" for Kellie Pickler, as well as "Georgia Rain" and "This Is Me You're Talking To" for Trisha Yearwood...
) – 2:34 - "No Future for Me in Our Past" (Glen Martin, Leigh Dillard) – 2:59
- "I Can Live Forever" (Tony Stampley, Johnny Christopher, Bucky Lindsey) – 3:44
Personnel
As listed in liner notes.- Eddie BayersEddie BayersEddie Bayers is an American session drummer who has played on 150 gold and platinum albums. He received the Academy of Country Music 'Drummer of the Year Award' for eight straight years, and has three times won the Nashville Music Awards 'Drummer of the Year'...
– drums - David BriggsDavid Briggs (American musician)David Briggs is an American keyboardist, record producer, arranger, composer and studio owner....
– 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...
, Hammond B-3 organ - Buddy CannonBuddy CannonBuddy Cannon is an American country music songwriter and record producer. Active since the late 1970s, he is known primarily for his work as Kenny Chesney's record producer, for which he won the Academy of Country Music's Producer of the Year award in 2006.Along with Bill Anderson and Jamey...
– acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound... - Mark Casstevens – acoustic guitar
- Larry Franklin – fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
- Keith GattisKeith GattisKeith Gattis is an American country music artist. Gattis has released two studio albums. He also charted one single on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart: "Little Drops of My Heart", which peaked at #53 in 1996...
– electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Randy Howard – mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, fiddle - John HugheyJohn HugheyJohn Hughey was an American musician. He was known for his work as a session pedal steel guitar player for various country music acts, most notably Vince Gill and Conway Twitty...
– 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... - Paul Leim – drums, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
- Larry Marrs – background vocals
- Terry McMillan – harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
- Farrell Morris – vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
- Louis Nunley – background vocals
- Jennifer O'Brian – background vocals
- Larry Paxton – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, tic tac bass - Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano
- John Wesley RylesJohn Wesley RylesJohn Wesley Ryles is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1968 with the single "Kay", a Top Ten hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts, and the title track to his debut album for Columbia Records.Ryles later recorded one album, Reconsider Me, for the Plantation label,...
– background vocals - Scott Sanders – steel guitar
- Gary Smith – piano, clavinetClavinetA Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...
- Wayne ToupsWayne ToupsWayne Toups is one of the most commercially successful American Cajun singers. He is also a songwriter.-Biography:...
– accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist.... - Pete Wade – electric guitar
- Bergen White – background vocals
- Dennis Wilson – background vocals
Strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
performed by the Nashville String Machine
Nashville String Machine
Nashville String Machine is a musical collective comprising session musicians and has been credited on recordings as far back as 1974. The Nashville String Machine's composition varies from project to project. It has appeared as large as an orchestra, or as small as a duo.-Notable members:Being a...
, conducted by Carl Gorodetzky and arranged by Bergen White.
Chart performance
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 37 |
| Canadian RPM Country Albums | 15 |