''Jan Howard'' is a

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

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

Jan Howard Jan Howard (born Lula Grace Johnson; March 13, 1929 – March 28, 2020) was an American author and country music singer and songwriter. As a singer, she placed 30 singles on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country Songs, country song ...

. It was released by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

in June 1969 and contained ten tracks. The project contained a series of cover tunes, along with new songs. Among the new recordings were three

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

: " I Still Believe in Love", "

My Son My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Marke ...

" and "

When We Tried "When We Tried" is a song written by Jerry Chesnut that was originally recorded by American country artist Jan Howard. Released as a single by Decca Records, it made the top 40 on the US country chart in 1969. It was given a positive review by ''Ca ...

". "My Son" was a letter Howard put to music written to her son who was killed in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. The album was given positive reception by ''

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 ...

'' and ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' magazines. The album made the US country albums and its three singles reached positions on the North American country songs charts.

Background, recording and content

The wife of country music songwriter

Harlan Howard Harlan Perry Howard (September 8, 1927 – March 3, 2002) was an American songwriter, principally in country music. In a career spanning six decades, Howard is credited with writing more than 4,000 songs, over 100 of which reached country mus ...

, Jan Howard had her own recording career through the assistance of her husband. In 1960, she had a top 15 country single with "

The One You Slip Around With "The One You Slip Around With" is a song originally written by Harlan Howard and Fuzzy Owen that was originally recorded by American country artist Jan Howard. The wife of Harlan Howard, the song became her first top 20 single on the US country so ...

". It was not until the mid-1960s that her recording career gained momentum. In 1966 she reached the top ten with "

Evil on Your Mind Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extremel ...

", followed by "

For Loving You "For Loving You" is a 1967 duet by Bill Anderson (singer), Bill Anderson and Jan Howard. The single was the duo's most successful release. "For Loving You" went to number one on the country charts in four weeks and spent 20 weeks on the chart. ...

" (a duet with

Bill Anderson James William Anderson III (born November 1, 1937) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television host. His soft-spoken singing voice earned him the nickname "Whispering Bill" from music critics and writers. As a songwriter, hi ...

) and "

". The latter recording was one of the singles featured on her 1969 eponymous studio album. The project featured liner notes by Bill Anderson and consisted of ten tracks. "My Son" was self-penned by Howard herself and was originally written as a letter to her son who was later killed in the

. The album also contained several cover tunes, including " Happy State of Mind", "

Son of a Preacher Man "Son of a Preacher Man" is a song written and composed by American songwriters John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins and recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield in September 1968 for the album '' Dusty in Memphis.'' Springfield's version was produ ...

", " When the Grass Grows Over Me", "

Ribbon of Darkness "Ribbon of Darkness" is a song written by Gordon Lightfoot that was released in 1965 as a single by Marty Robbins. The song was Robbins' eleventh number one on the U.S. country singles chart, where it spent one week at the top and a total of nin ...

" and " Until My Dreams Come True".

Release and critical reception

''Jan Howard'' was released by Decca Records in June 1969 and was her seventh studio album. It was distributed as a

vinyl LP The LP (from long playing or long play) is an analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specificati ...

with five tracks on each side of the disc. It was among eight country music LP's released by the Decca label in June 1969. The album received positive reviews from music publications. ''

'' praised the project's production and Howard's vocal delivery: "Jan Howard's soulful vocals provide a set packed with emotion from beginning to end. Fine production enhances performances on a session with built-in appeal." ''

'' gave the album four stars praised the album's liner notes and thought the album would appeal to many listeners.

Chart performance and singles

''Jan Howard'' made its debut on the US ''

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 ...

Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...

chart on July 12, 1969 and spent five weeks there. On July 19, the album peaked at the number 25 position and was her sixth album to make the chart. A total of three singles were included on the eponymous project. Its earliest single was "I Still Believe in Love" and was first issued by Decca in June 1968. It rose into the US ''Billboard'' country songs top 40, peaking at number 27. It also made the top ten on Canada's ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' country chart, peaking at number eight. "My Son" was also a single and was issued in November 1968 by the Decca label. In the US, it rose into the top 20, rising to number 15 on the country songs chart. In Canada, it rose into the top 30, climbing to number 28. Issued as a single in February 1969, "When We Tried" was the album's most recent single. It reached the top 40 on the US country chart, peaking at number 24.

Track listing

Chart performance

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1969 albums Jan Howard albums Albums produced by Owen Bradley Decca Records albums