Connie in the Country

Connie Smith had first signed with the RCA label in 1964 and released her first single the same year. That single, "Once a Day", reached number one on the country chart for eight weeks and brought forth a series of top ten singles during the decade.[2] Smith had released six studio albums with RCA Victor between 1965 and 1967.[3] Connie in the Country would be her first studio recording with RCA Camden, a budget subdivision of RCA Victor. Prior to Smith, only country artist Jim Reeves had recorded a studio album with RCA Camden. Smith's RCA Camden project would be a traditionally-influenced country album. According to biographer Colin Escott, "The underlying assumption seemed to be that people who liked hardcore country music wouldn't or couldn't pay full-price."[4]

Smith entered the studio to record the album's tracks between August 22 and August 23 of 1966.[5] The sessions were held at RCA Studio B, located in Nashville, Tennessee. The project was produced by Bob Ferguson and Ethel Gabriel.[6] It was Smith's first recording sessions with Gabriel (she had previously worked alongside Bob Ferguson). A total of ten tracks comprised the album.[1] The album's opening track was a new recording titled "Cry, Cry, Cry". The remaining nine tracks were covers of country music songs. Among these covers were two covers by Loretta Lynn: "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)" and "World of Forgotten People". It also featured two songs originally made popular by Buck Owens: "Foolin' Around" and "Love's Gonna Live Here".[4]

Connie in the Country was released in February 1967 on the RCA Camden label. It was the seventh studio album released in Smith's career and first album with RCA Camden. The disc was originally distributed as a vinyl LP, containing five songs on either side of the record.[6] Decades later, the album was re-issued to digital and streaming markets, which included Apple Music.[7] Although the album did not receive a review from AllMusic, its lead track ("Cry, Cry, Cry"), was named an "album pick".[1] "Cry, Cry, Cry" was the only single spawned from the project and was released in September 1968.[8] The single became the first in Smith's career to chart outside the top ten, peaking at number 20 in November 1968.[9]

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Connie in the Country[6] and the biography booklet by Colin Escott titled Born to Sing.[5]