On this day (October 29) in 1967, Tammy Wynette was on a three-week run at the top of the country chart with “I Don’t Wanna Play House.” Written by Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton, it was her first solo single to reach No. 1. She continued to partner with producer/songwriter Sherrill throughout her career, notching 39 top 10 hits, 20 of which topped the chart.
Wynette moved to Nashville in 1966. Soon after arriving, she met Don Chapel, whom she would later marry. They put together a road show and toured regionally. At the same time, Chapel tried to get Wynette a record deal. However, nearly every label in town turned her away. Finally, she met Epic Records producer Billy Sherrill and pitched him a few songs. He saw what other labels missed and signed her to Epic.
Her first single, “Apartment No. 9,” reached No. 44 on the country chart in late 1966. The next year, she released “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad,” which reached No. 3. Then, Sherrill partnered her with David Houston for the duet “My Elusive Dreams.” It went to No. 1. Wynette’s next solo single was “I Don’t Wanna Play House.” She scored five more chart-toppers before the end of the decade.
“I Don’t Wanna Play House” wasn’t just a chart hit. It also earned Wynette the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. She won the same award in 1971 for “Stand by Your Man.”
Tammy Wynette Established an Image with “I Don’t Wanna Play House”
Most country music fans remember Tammy Wynette for her sad songs. Most of her biggest hits, including “I Don’t Wanna Play House,” “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” and “Kids Say the Darndest Things,” deal with heartache, loss, and marital turmoil. As a result, she gained a reputation as a purveyor of misery. Her first solo No. 1 helped solidify that image in the minds of listeners.
“I have a theory that great artists learn how to do one thing great,” Jimmy McDonough, author of Tammy Wynette: Tragic Country Queen, told NPR. “That’s Tammy. In terms of a slow, sad song, nobody could rip it up like Tammy. She is just unrelenting.”
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
The post On This Day in 1967, Tammy Wynette Scored Her First Solo No. 1 With a Heartbreaking Country Classic appeared first on American Songwriter.
Author: Clayton Edwards
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