"A Wanderin' Man" is a song written by

Hank Cochran Garland Perry "Hank" Cochran (August 2, 1935 – July 15, 2010) 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 ...

that was originally recorded by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

artist

Jeannie Seely Marilyn Jeanne Seely (born July 6, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and author. Primarily identified with country music, Seely found success with the Grammy Award-winning song " Don't Touch Me" (1966). Her soul-ins ...

. Released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

Monument Records Monument Records is an American record label co-founded in 1958 by Fred Foster. Originally founded in Washington, D.C., the label moved to Nashville in 1960, and experienced success over the next two decades with a number of artists including ...

, it reached the top 20 of the US country songs chart in 1967. It was Seely's third top 20 single in her career and was given positive reviews from music magazines following its release. It appeared on her second studio album called ''

Thanks, Hank! ''Thanks, Hank!'' is a studio album by American country artist Jeannie Seely. It was released in May 1967, by Monument Records and was produced by Fred Foster. The album contained songs written entirely by songwriter Hank Cochran, some of which w ...

''.

Background and recording

Jeannie Seely broke through into country music stardom with the 1966 Hank Cochran-penned ballad "

Don't Touch Me "Don't Touch Me" is a song written by Hank Cochran. It was originally written for and recorded by American country artist Jeannie Seely. The song was released as a single on Monument Records in March 1966 and became a major ''Billboard'' country ...

". The song received a

Grammy award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

and became a top ten US country single. Her follow-up single releases would become top 20 country songs: " It's Only Love" and "A Wanderin' Man". Cochran also composed "A Wanderin' Man" and the track was produced by

Fred Foster Fred Luther Foster (July 26, 1931 – February 20, 2019) was an American record producer, songwriter, and music business executive who founded Monument Records and Combine Music. As a record producer he was most closely associated with Roy Orbi ...

Release, critical reception and chart performance

"A Wanderin' Man" was released as a single by Monument Records in December 1966. The label issued it as a seven-inch vinyl record and included a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

: "Darling, Are You Ever Coming Home". The song received a positive response from music magazines. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' praised Seely's vocal, commenting that she "sings to perfection". ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it a "plaintive offering" and believed it would do "nice business" on the record charts. "A Wanderin' Man" made its debut on the US ''Billboard''

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart on December 17, 1966. It spent 13 weeks on the chart, reaching the number 13 position on February 4, 1967. It became Seely's third top 20 single in her career and her third to make any ''Billboard'' chart. The song was then featured on Seely's second studio album titled ''

''.

Track listing

7" vinyl single * "A Wanderin' Man" – 2:20 * "Darling, Are You Ever Coming Home" – 2:20

Charts

Weekly charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wanderin' Man 1966 singles 1966 songs Jeannie Seely songs Monument Records singles Songs written by Hank Cochran Song recordings produced by Fred Foster