Marilyn Sellars
Encyclopedia
Marilyn Sellars is an American
country music
and gospel
singer who had several hits
during the mid 1970s on Mega Records
, most notably the original version of "One Day At A Time
" in 1974.
, Minnesota
in 1944. She started singing in church
at the age of three singing "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning". Sellars began singing at functions and clubs around Minnesota as a teenager and after high school
graduation
singing all kinds of music with country and Gospel music being her favorites. Many of her family and friends enjoyed her singing and suggested Sellars moved to Nashville
, Tennessee
in 1973.
in 1973 and success began quite rapidly with a song
written
by Marijohn Wilkin
and Kris Kristofferson
called "One Day At A Time". This would become a hit for Sellars in 1974 and reached #19 on the country charts and #37 on the Billboard Hot 100
charts
. The album
of the same name went to #1 on the country charts. The song would become an even bigger hit for Cristy Lane
in 1980 going to number #1 on the country charts. Sellars had another Top 40 country hit in early 1975 with her cover version
of Sammi Smith
's "He's Everywhere" and released two more albums that year with Gather Me and The Door I Used To Close. Sellars had two minor hits in both 1975 and 1976 with the title tracks of both albums. After that, Mega Records closed its doors and Sellars faded quietly from view and decided to raise her family and moved back to Minnesota.
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...
and gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
singer who had several hits
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
during the mid 1970s on Mega Records
Mega Records
Mega Records was a Nashville, Tennessee-based music label that released albums by bands such as Apollo 100 and country and western singer Sammi Smith, as early as the early 1970s...
, most notably the original version of "One Day At A Time
One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time is an American situation comedy on the CBS network that aired from December 16, 1975 until May 28, 1984. It portrays Ann Romano, a divorced mother, played by Bonnie Franklin, her two teenage daughters Julie and Barbara Cooper and Schneider, their building superintendent .The show...
" in 1974.
Early career
Sellars was born in NorthfieldNorthfield, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,147 people, 4,909 households, and 3,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,452.2 people per square mile . There were 5,119 housing units at an average density of 732.1 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in 1944. She started singing in church
Church service
In Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
at the age of three singing "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning". Sellars began singing at functions and clubs around Minnesota as a teenager and after high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
singing all kinds of music with country and Gospel music being her favorites. Many of her family and friends enjoyed her singing and suggested Sellars moved to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
in 1973.
Breakthrough
Sellars signed with Mega RecordsMega Records
Mega Records was a Nashville, Tennessee-based music label that released albums by bands such as Apollo 100 and country and western singer Sammi Smith, as early as the early 1970s...
in 1973 and success began quite rapidly with a song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Marijohn Wilkin
Marijohn Wilkin
Marijohn Wilkin , née Melson, was an American songwriter, famous in the country music genre for writing a number of hits. Wilkin won numerous awards over the years and was referred to as "The Den Mother of Music Row," as chronicled in her 1978 biography from Word Books--Lord, Let Me Leave a Song...
and Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
called "One Day At A Time". This would become a hit for Sellars in 1974 and reached #19 on the country charts and #37 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...
charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. The album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
of the same name went to #1 on the country charts. The song would become an even bigger hit for Cristy Lane
Cristy Lane
Eleanor Johnston, known by her professional name as Cristy Lane is an American country music and gospel music singer, best known for a number of major country hits in the late 70s and the early 1980s, including her cover version of the song, "One Day at a Time".Lane's career began to take shape in...
in 1980 going to number #1 on the country charts. Sellars had another Top 40 country hit in early 1975 with her cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Sammi Smith
Sammi Smith
Sammi Smith was an American country music singer and songwriter. Born Jewel Faye Smith, she is best known for her 1971 country/pop crossover hit, "Help Me Make It Through the Night", which was written by Kris Kristofferson...
's "He's Everywhere" and released two more albums that year with Gather Me and The Door I Used To Close. Sellars had two minor hits in both 1975 and 1976 with the title tracks of both albums. After that, Mega Records closed its doors and Sellars faded quietly from view and decided to raise her family and moved back to Minnesota.
Life today
Sellars continues to perform to this day and has released several albums of country and gospel music, the most recent of these being the 2006 release of One Day At A Time: My Faith, My Country. In 2004, she was inducted into the Minnesota Country and Rock Hall of Fame.Albums
| Year | Album details | US Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | One Day at a Time
|
10 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
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... |
||||||||
| 1974 | "One Day at a Time One Day at a Time (song) "One Day at a Time" is a popular Country and Western-style Christian song written by Marijohn Wilkin and Kris Kristofferson. It has been recorded by over 200 artists and has reached No.1 in several territories.- Marilyn Sellars version :... " |
19 | 37 | One Day at a Time | |||||
| "He's Everywhere" | 39 | — | singles only | ||||||
| 1975 | "Gather Me" | 84 | — | ||||||
| 1976 | "The Door I Used to Close" | 91 | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart or not released | |||||||||