| Country Christmas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 17, 1966 | |||
| Recorded | July 7–15, 1966 | |||
| Studio | Bradley's Barn ( Mount Juliet) | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 26:39 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Producer | Owen Bradley | |||
| Loretta Lynn chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Country Christmas | ||||
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Country Christmas is the eighth solo studio album and first Christmas album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on October 17, 1966 by Decca Records. [1] Lynn would not release another Christmas album until 2016's White Christmas Blue, fifty years later.
The album includes four original compositions by Lynn, along with popular holiday songs, including " Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", " White Christmas", and " Frosty the Snowman".
In 2005, MCA Records reissued the album on CD as a part of their 20th Century Masters series, under the title The Christmas Collection: The Best of Loretta Lynn, with modified cover art.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  
[2] |
In the issue dated October 29, 1966, Billboard published a review of the album, which said, "The album's beautiful songs include "Country Christmas", "Away in a Manger" — all great programming material for country music stations, and this will create high sales. The "Manger" tune deserves a single. Possibly her best effort to date." [3]
Commercial performance
The album did not appear on any music charts.
The only single, "To Heck with Ole Santa Claus", was released in November 1966 [4] and did not chart.
Recording
Recording sessions for the album took place on July 7, 13, and 15, 1966, at Bradley's Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. [5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Country Christmas" | Loretta Lynn | July 7, 1966 | 2:06 |
| 2. | " Away in a Manger" | Traditional | July 15, 1966 | 2:20 |
| 3. | " Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" | July 7, 1966 | 2:08 | |
| 4. | " Silver Bells" | July 7, 1966 | 2:00 | |
| 5. | " Blue Christmas" |
| July 15, 1966 | 2:27 |
| 6. | "It Won't Seem Like Christmas" | Lynn | July 7, 1966 | 2:09 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "To Heck with Ole Santa Claus" | Lynn | July 13, 1966 | 2:01 |
| 2. | " White Christmas" | Irving Berlin | July 13, 1966 | 2:02 |
| 3. | " Frosty the Snowman" |
| July 13, 1966 | 2:58 |
| 4. | "Christmas Without Daddy" | Jackie Webb | July 13, 1966 | 2:07 |
| 5. | "I Won't Decorate Your Christmas Tree" |
| July 15, 1966 | 2:05 |
| 6. | "Gift of the Blues" | Hank Cochran | July 15, 1966 | 2:19 |
Personnel
Adapted from the Decca recording session records. [5]
- Harold Bradley – electric bass guitar
- Owen Bradley – producer
- Fred Carter Jr. – guitar, electric guitar
- Jon Corneal – drums
- Floyd Cramer – piano
- Buddy Harman – drums
- Junior Huskey – bass
- The Jordanaires – background vocals
- Loretta Lynn – lead vocals
- Grady Martin – guitar, lead electric guitar
- Hal Rugg – steel guitar
References
- ^ "Loretta Lynn – Country Christmas". Discogs.
- ^ Allmusic
- ^ "Billboard Magazine - October 29, 1966" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- ^ "Loretta Lynn - To Heck With Ole Santa Claus". Retrieved 13 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Loretta's Recording Sess". LORETTA LYNN FAN WEBSITE. Archived from the original on 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
