Coal Miner's Daughter is the sixteenth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on January 4, 1971, by Decca Records.[1]
| Coal Miner's Daughter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 4, 1971 | |||
| Recorded | May 28, 1969–August 19, 1970 | |||
| Studio | Bradley's Barn, Mount Juliet, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 28:17 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Producer | Owen Bradley | |||
| Loretta Lynn chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Coal Miner's Daughter | ||||
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The title song would go on to become Lynn's signature song. The album and song's title would later be used for the name of Lynn's best-selling autobiography as well as the 1980 Oscar-winning movie starring Sissy Spacek. It was also listed at No. 440 on Rolling Stone's 2020 ranking of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[2]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
In the issue dated January 16, 1971, Billboard published a review of the album that said, "The one and only Loretta Lynn has cut another great package here. The material is done in distinctive style, retaining true country flavor. "Coal Miner's Daughter", "Less of Me", "The Man of the House" are typical. Must merchandise."[4]
Cashbox also published a review in their January 16 issue which said, "Loretta Lynn has long been one of country music's most outstanding and most important female vocalists. She is a writer as well as an interpreter of feelings and emotions. "Coal Miner's Daughter", her most recent top 5 single record is the true story of Loretta and her father, a coal miner in Kentucky. After listening to that cut several times, you can begin to appreciate the sincerity that went into the session with Loretta. Also included in the package are "Hello Darlin'", "Snowbird", "For the Good Times", "What Makes Me Tick", and six other moving selections."[5]
Record World's review of the album said, "Pretty cover, pretty singing, pretty girl! Contents run like this: "Less of Me", "Anyone, Any Worse, Any Where" are super fine; "For the Good Times" is oversung but she really sinks her teeth into "Man of the House". "Another Man Loved Me Last Night" is ready for everything but airplay and she should have found "Snowbird" first. All in all, it's a good outing but the world needs an all-Loretta penned album."[6]
Commercial performance
editThe album peaked at No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot Country LP's chart and at No. 81 on the US Billboard Top LP's chart. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1983 for shipping 500,000 copies, becoming Lynn's third Gold album.[7]
The album's only single, "Coal Miner's Daughter", was released in October 1970[8] and peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, and at No. 83 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In Canada, the single peaked at No. 1 on the RPM Country Singles chart.
Recording
editRecording sessions for the album took place at Bradley's Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, on April 9, July 14 and 15, and August 19, 1970. Five of the album's eleven tracks were recorded during sessions for previous albums. "Coal Miner's Daughter" had been recorded during the October 1, 1969 session for 1970's Here's Loretta Singing "Wings Upon Your Horns". "It'll Be Open Season on You" was recorded on May 28, 1969, during a session for 1969's Woman of the World/To Make a Man. Three songs were recorded during sessions for 1970's Loretta Lynn Writes 'Em and Sings 'Em. "What Makes Me Tick" was recorded on December 22, 1969, while "Any One, Any Worse, Any Where" and "Another Man Loved Me Last Night" were recorded on December 23, 1969.[9]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Coal Miner's Daughter" | Loretta Lynn | October 1, 1969 | 3:00 |
| 2. | "Hello Darlin'" | Conway Twitty | July 14, 1970 | 2:22 |
| 3. | "Less of Me" | Glen Campbell | July 15, 1970 | 2:11 |
| 4. | "Any One, Any Worse, Any Where" |
| December 23, 1969 | 2:44 |
| 5. | "For the Good Times" | Kris Kristofferson | August 19, 1970 | 3:15 |
| 6. | "The Man of the House" |
| July 14, 1970 | 2:47 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What Makes Me Tick" | Lynn | December 22, 1969 | 2:00 |
| 2. | "Another Man Loved Me Last Night" |
| December 23, 1969 | 2:32 |
| 3. | "It'll Be Open Season on You" | Charlie Aldridge | May 28, 1969 | 2:39 |
| 4. | "Too Far" | Marty Robbins | April 9, 1970 | 3:10 |
| 5. | "Snowbird" | Gene MacLellan | August 19, 1970 | 2:22 |
Personnel
editAdapted from the album liner notes and Decca recording session records.[9]
- Harold Bradley – bass guitar, electric bass guitar
- Owen Bradley – producer
- Ray Edenton – guitar, acoustic guitar
- Buddy Harman – drums
- Junior Huskey – bass
- Darrell Johnson – mastering
- The Jordanaires – background vocals
- Loretta Lynn – lead vocals
- Grady Martin – guitar, lead electric guitar
- Bob Moore – bass
- Hargus Robbins – piano
- Hal Rugg – steel guitar, dobro
- Jerry Stembridge – acoustic guitar
- Bobby Thompson – banjo
- Pete Wade – guitar
- Doyle Wilburn – liner notes
- Jim Williamson – engineer
Charts
editAlbum
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country LP's (Billboard)[10] | 4 |
| US Top LP's (Billboard)[11] | 81 |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak position | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [12] |
US [13] |
CAN Country [14] | ||
| "Coal Miner's Daughter" | 1970 | 1 | 83 | 1 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[15] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Loretta Lynn – Coal Miner's Daughter". Discogs. 1970.
- ^ "Loretta Lynn – Coal Miner's Daughter". Rolling Stone. 22 September 2020.
- ^ Coal Miner's Daughter at AllMusic
- ^ "Billboard - January 16, 1971" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- ^ "Cashbox - January 16, 1971" (PDF). American Radio History. Cashbox. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- ^ "Record World - January 16, 1971" (PDF). American Radio History. Record World. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- ^ "Billboard - October 17, 1970" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Loretta's Recording Sess". LORETTA LYNN FAN WEBSITE. Archived from the original on 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
- ^ "Loretta Lynn Chart History - Hot Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ "Loretta Lynn Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- ^ "Loretta Lynn Chart History - Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ "Loretta Lynn Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ Canada, Library and Archives (17 July 2013). "Results: RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- ^ "American album certifications – Loretta Lynn – Coal Miner's Daughter". Recording Industry Association of America.