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Sunday Morning with Nat Stuckey and Connie Smith (1970)
Old Man Willis (1970)
Singles from Sunday Morning with Nat Stuckey and Connie Smith
"If God Is Dead (Who's That Living in My Soul)" Released: February 1970
God Will cover
In 2002, the album was re-issued on a new label and renamed.
Sunday Morning with Nat Stuckey and Connie Smith is the second collaborative studio album by American country artists Nat Stuckey and Connie Smith, released in January 1970 by RCA Victor. The album was a collection of country gospel songs performed as duets by both artists and the pair's first album of religious music. Included was the song "If God Is Dead (Who's That Living in My Soul)". Released as a single, the song charted in the top 60 of the American country chart in 1970. The album received a positive review from Billboard magazine following its release. In 2002, the album was re-released under the title God Will and included a twelfth track.
Background
Nat Stuckey and Connie Smith were signed to the RCA Victor label as solo artists during the 1960s. After first breaking through with the 1966 top five single "Sweet Thang", Nat Stuckey had several more top ten singles with RCA including "Plastic Saddle". In 1964, Connie Smith's career was launched with her debut single called "Once a Day". Spending eight weeks at the top of the American country chart, the song set forth a series of top ten singles during the decade on RCA. The duo first collaborated together in 1969 with the country studio album Young Love. Included on the disc was a cover of the gospel song, "Whispering Hope". The song inspired the creating of a gospel album between the pair. It was also an opportunity for Smith to record more gospel material, after becoming a Christian in 1968 and pushing for more gospel material on recording sessions. "I wanted to do a gospel record at that point, so this was a way to record one," recalled Smith in 2012.
Recording and content
Stuckey and Smith recorded the tracks for Sunday Morning over the course of three days: December 9, December 10 and December 11, 1969. The sessions took place at the RCA Victor Studios, located in Nashville, Tennessee. The recordings were produced by Bob Ferguson and Felton Jarvis. It was the second album project pairing for Ferguson and Jarvis. Both producers had originally paired the performers together in 1969 for their first album. A total of eleven tracks (all recorded as duets) comprised the project. Some of the album's tracks were cover versions of previously recorded country gospel and sacred songs. Among these covers was Johnny Cash's "Daddy Sang Bass". The song was requested by Bob Ferguson to include on the project. Also included was a cover of Cash's "He Turned Water into Wine" and the gospel track "Crumbs from the Table". Other recordings were composed by popular Nashville songwriters such as John D. Loudermilk, Cindy Walker and Marijohn Wilkin.
Release and reception
Sunday Morning with Nat Stuckey and Connie Smith was released in January 1970 on the RCA Victor label. It was the eighth studio album of Stuckey's career and the fifteenth studio album of Smith's. The project was originally issued by the label as a vinyl LP, containing six songs on "side one" and five songs on "side two". According to biographer Barry Mazor, the cover photo was taken "at two completely different times and places by two different photographers" because Smith was involved in a car accident which setback album photos. In February 1970, Billboard magazine gave the album a positive response. "The coupling of Nat Stuckey and Connie Smith in an album of sacred material cannot fail to prove a powerful lure to country buyers," reviewers commented.
Decades later, the album was re-issued to digital and streaming markets through Sony Music Entertainment.
Following its original release, there were requests to radio for the album's track "If God Is Dead (Who's That Living in My Soul)". This demand led to RCA Victor releasing the song as a single in February 1970. The song later charted on the American BillboardHot Country Songs chart, peaking at number 59 in 1970. In 2002, the album was re-released via a compact disc and cassette through the label Music Row Talent Records. However, the album was re-titled with a different cover photo under the name God Will. A total of 12 tracks was included on the disc. The additional twelfth track was the duo's cover of "Whispering Hope", which was pulled from their 1969 Young Love album.
^ Smith, Connie; Stuckey, Nat (January 1970). "Sunday Morning with Nat Stuckey and Connie Smith (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". RCA Victor. LSP-4300.
Smith, Connie; Stuckey, Nat (February 1970). ""If God Is Dead (Who's That Living in My Soul)"/"Love Takes Care of Me" (7" vinyl single)". RCA Victor. 47-9805.
^ Stuckey, Nat; Smith, Connie (June 11, 2002). "God Will (CD Liner Notes and Album Information)". Music Row Talent Records. AMS-CD-11050.
^ Stuckey, Nat; Smith, Connie (June 11, 2002). "God Will (Cassette Liner Notes and Album Information)". Music Row Talent Records. AMS-CAS-11051.
In 2002, the album was re-issued on a new label and renamed.