The late country queen Tammy Wynette has been the recipient of much reissue love lately, with release coming on both sides of the Atlantic from labels including Real Gone Music and BGO Records.  Now, Cherry Red Group imprint Morello Records has turned its attention to two of Wynette’s solo albums recorded during her famously tumultuous marriage to George Jones.  The First Lady/We Can Sure Love Each Other brings to one CD her Epic albums from 1970 and 1971, respectively.

Tammy Wynette’s winning streak began with her debut album for Epic, 1967’s Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad – a No. 7 hit on the Country Albums chart.  The First Lady, her eighth album for the label, reached No. 2 on the Country chart; indeed, every one of her LPs since 1967 had reached the Top 10 except for 1969’s Inspiration which plateaued at a more-than-respectable No. 19.  Billy Sherrill had co-produced and written songs for Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad, and was still working with Wynette in both capacities for The First Lady.  “Run, Woman, Run,” the LP’s opening track, continued Tammy’s streak of No. 1 Country hits.  (With its admonition to “run back to your man,” it didn’t endear Wynette to those who found the sentiment of her “Stand by Your Man” hopelessly antiquated.  No matter for Tammy; “Stand by Your Man” went to No. 1 Country, No. 19 Pop, No. 11 AC and was also the best-selling country single by a female artist ever to that point.  “Run, Woman, Run” – which also cracked the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 92 – was joined by other selections including covers of hits by Connie Smith (“I Never Once Stopped Loving You”) and Barbara Mandrell (“Playin’ Around with Love”).  Wynette co-wrote just one track on the album (“My Daddy Doll”), with Sherrill credited or co-credited for six tracks.  The Jordanaires also lent their vocal flair to The First Lady.

The solo Wynette followed up The First Lady in 1971 with the summer release of We Can Sure Love Each Other.  It did almost as well as its predecessor, reaching No. 8 Country.  Wynette teamed with producer Sherrill to co-write the title track which peaked at No. 2 Country and “bubbled under” the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 103.  Sherrill penned another trio of songs for the LP, including “Bring Him Safely Home to Me,” “Have a Little Faith,” and “If You Think I Love You Now.”  Wynette continued exploring familiar if controversial themes on such songs as “Don’t Liberate Me (Love Me).”  The Jordanaires again provided background vocals.  Just a few months after the release of We Can Sure Love Each Other, in November 1971, Tammy teamed with husband George Jones for their first album of duets, We Go Together.  It made No. 3 on the Country chart.

Morello’s two-fer release from the First Lady of Country Music is available now in the U.K. and on June 30 in the U.S.!  It contains a booklet with new liner notes from Michael Heatley as well as the original notes from The First Lady.  Alan Wilson has remastered both albums.  You can pre-order below!

Tammy Wynette, The First Lady/We Can Sure Love Each Other (Morello MRLL42, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

1. Run, Woman, Run
2. Wish I Had a Mommy Like You
3. True and Lasting Love
4. I Never Once Stopped Loving You
5. Safe in These Lovin’ Arms of Mine
6. Sally Trash
7. My Daddy Doll
8. The Lovin’ Kind
9. He’s Still My Man
10. Buy Me a Daddy
11. Playin’ Around with Love
12. We Sure Can Love Each Other
13. The Joy of Being a Woman
14. He Knows All the Way to Love
15. Make Me Your Kind of Woman
16. Don’t Liberate Me (Love Me)
17. Bring Him Safely Home to Me
18. The Only Thing
19. Longing to Hold You Again
20. Have a Little Faith
21. If You Think I Love You Now
22. Baby, Come Home

Tracks 1-11 from The First Lady, Epic LP E 30213, 1970
Tracks 12-22 from We Sure Can Love Each Other, Epic LP E 30658, 1971