Barbara Mandrell has made a lasting impact on country music. Hits like “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool,” (If Loving You is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right,” and “Sleeping Single in a Double Bed” are among the many that have solidified her legacy. While she was sending solo hits flying up the charts throughout the 1970s and ’80s, Mandrell also teamed up with her contemporaries and idols alike on a series of duets. Check out three songs you didn’t know she was a featured artist on.
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1. “After Closing Time” by David Houston
As Mandrell was a burgeoning solo artist on the rise, she teamed up with established country star David Houston for a collaborative 1972 album, A Perfect Match. Much like Porter Wagoner and a young Dolly Parton, Houston and Mandrell teamed up for a series of duets that elevated both of their careers. One of their biggest hits off A Perfect Match is the lead single “After Closing Time,” which finds them catching one another’s eye at a honky tonk. The song reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, while the album reached the Top 40 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
2. “To Me” by Lee Greenwood
Though Mandrell was a star all on her own, she and Lee Greenwood teamed up for a collaboration album in 1984, Meant for Each Other. They traded vocals with one another on 10 tracks, including the opening number “To Me.” Penned by Academy Award-nominated songwriter Mack David and NFL player-turned-country-singer-songwriter Mike Reid, “To Me” is a piano-driven ballad that finds Greenwood and Mandrell singing: To me you are the truth I believe in / I believe in you / To me you are the love I have looked for / My whole life through. The song was released as the album’s lead single and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
3. “My Rose of Old Kentucky” by Bill Monroe
During the height of Mandrell’s career in the 1980s, she lent her voice to bluegrass legend Bill Monroe‘s 1983 album, Bill Monroe and Friends. Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Emmylou Harris are among the many other famous names that appear alongside Mandrell on the collaborative project.
“Barbara Mandrell, you’re a beautiful lady and a beautiful singer, and you helped me complete the album and I thank you so much,” he told her in the introduction of their recording of the bluegrass standard, “My Rose of Old Kentucky.” “There just aren’t enough words for me to tell what you a thrill this is for me,” she replied. “This is the greatest honor and privilege and I thank you so much for the opportunity to sing and be with you.”
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