Why Not Me (The Judds album)
Encyclopedia
Why Not Me is the first full-length LP album
by American country
duo The Judds
, released by RCA Records
in 1984.
Why Not Me includes the duo's first Billboard
number one single on the Country music charts, "Mama He's Crazy". That single was first released on their 1983 EP
release The Judds: Wynonna & Naomi. Three more singles from the album reached number 1 on the country charts: "Why Not Me", "Girls Night Out", and "Love Is Alive".
The album reached number 1 on the country charts and went on to sell more than 1 million copies - a huge feat for a new female country act.
The song "Why Not Me" went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
in 1986, as did "Mama He's Crazy" in 1985.
The album was produced by Brent Maher and arranged by Don Potter
. Maher and Potter have had a hand in each Judds' album.
LP album
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...
by American 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...
duo The Judds
The Judds
The Judds were an American country music duo composed of Naomi Judd and her daughter, Wynonna Judd. Signed to RCA Records in 1983, the duo released six studio albums between then and 1991. One of the most successful acts in country music history, The Judds won five Grammy Awards for Best Country...
, released by RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
in 1984.
Why Not Me includes the duo's first Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
number one single on the Country music charts, "Mama He's Crazy". That single was first released on their 1983 EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
release The Judds: Wynonna & Naomi. Three more singles from the album reached number 1 on the country charts: "Why Not Me", "Girls Night Out", and "Love Is Alive".
The album reached number 1 on the country charts and went on to sell more than 1 million copies - a huge feat for a new female country act.
The song "Why Not Me" went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
The Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded from 1970 to 2011. The award has had several minor name changes:*In 1970 the award was known as Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group...
in 1986, as did "Mama He's Crazy" in 1985.
The album was produced by Brent Maher and arranged by Don Potter
Don Potter (musician)
Don Potter is an American musician and producer in Nashville, Tennessee. A longstanding producer for Wynonna Judd, he has become known as "the man who created the Judds' sound".-Musical career:...
. Maher and Potter have had a hand in each Judds' album.
Track listing
- "Why Not MeWhy Not Me (song)"Why Not Me" is the title track of the 1984 album by The Judds. "Why Not Me' was written by Harlan Howard, Sonny Throckmorton, and Brent Maher and was The Judds' second number one on the country chart. The single went to number one for two weeks and spent a total of fifteen weeks on the country...
" (Harlan HowardHarlan HowardHarlan Perry Howard was a prolific American songwriter, principally in country music. In a career spanning six decades, Howard wrote a large number of popular and enduring songs, recorded by a variety of different artists...
, Sonny ThrockmortonSonny ThrockmortonJames Fron "Sonny" Throckmorton is an American country music singer and songwriter. Known primarily for his songwriting, Throckmorton has had more than 1,000 of his songs recorded by various country singers...
, Brent Maher) - 3:29 - "Mr. Pain" (Kent RobbinsKent RobbinsKent Robbins was an American country music songwriter. He began writing for Charley Pride's Pi-Gem music in 1974. Between then and his death, he wrote songs for several other country music artists...
, Naomi JuddNaomi JuddNaomi Judd is an American country music singer, songwriter, and activist.-Personal life:She was born Diana Ellen Judd to Charles Glen Judd and his wife Pauline Judd on January 11, 1946, in Ashland, Kentucky. Her father owned a gas station; her mother started out as a homemaker but later became a...
) - 3:17 - "Drops of Water" (Bill LaBountyBill LaBountyBill LaBounty is an American musician. He was initially a singer-songwriter in the soft rock genre, first as a member of the band Fat Chance, and later as a solo artist. As a solo artist, LaBounty recorded six studio albums, including four on Curb Records/Warner Bros. Records...
, Roy Freeland) - 3:24 - "Sleeping Heart" (Don Potter, Rhonda "Kye" Fleming Gill) - 3:03
- "My Baby's Gone" (Dennis LindeDennis LindeDennis Linde was an American singer and songwriter whose work was primarily in country musicHe is best known for writing the 1972 Elvis Presley hit, "Burning Love"...
) - 2:48 - "Bye Bye Baby Blues" (Howard, Throckmorton, Maher) - 2:52
- "Girls' Night OutGirls' Night Out (The Judds song)"Girls' Night Out" is a 1985 single written by Brent Maher and Jeffrey Bullock and recorded by The Judds. "Girls' Night Out" was The Judds third number one hit on the country chart. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of fourteen weeks on the country chart .-Chart...
" (Maher, Jeff H. Bullock) - 2:50 - "Love Is AliveLove Is Alive"Love Is Alive" is a 1985 single by The Judds. "Love Is Alive" was written by Kent Robbins and was The Judds fourth number one country hit. The single spent one week at number one and spent a total of fourteen weeks on the chart .-Chart performance:...
" (Robbins) - 3:54 - "Endless Sleep" (Judy Reynolds, Dolores Nance) - 3:06
- "Mama He's CrazyMama He's Crazy"Mama He's Crazy" is the title of a song written by Kenny O'Dell and recorded by American country music duo The Judds. The song was The Judds' second country hit and the first of fourteen number one country hits. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of fourteen weeks on the...
" (Kenny O'DellKenny O'DellKenny O'Dell is an American country music singer and songwriter.Early in his career he worked with guitar legand,Duane Eddy,and his own band, Guys and Dolls. He is best known for writing the country hit "Behind Closed Doors", which Charlie Rich recorded, and "Mama He's Crazy" for The Judds...
) - 3:11
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'...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Mark Casstevens - rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, 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... - Sonny Garrish - 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...
, dobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar... - Bobby Ogdin - 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...
- Don Potter - 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...
, rhythm guitar - Gene Sisk - piano
- Jack Williams - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Chart performance
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 71 |
| Canadian RPM Top Albums | 78 |