On This Day in 1967, Tammy Wynette Had Her First No. 1 as a Solo Artist With a Mother’s Narration of Her Daughter Living in a Broken Home

October 29, 1967, was a historic day for Tammy Wynette. It was on this day that Wynette had her first No. 1 single as a solo artist, with “I Don’t Wanna Play House”. Written by Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton, the song is on Wynette’s third studio album, Take Me to Your World / I Don’t Wanna Play House, released in 1968.

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“Take Me To Your House” became a multi-week, No. 1 hit for Wynette. The song is her second single to reach the top of the charts, but the first one by herself. Right before releasing “I Don’t Wanna Play House”, Wynette was at the top spot on the charts with “My Elusive Dreams”, the title track of her collaborative album with David Houston.

“I Don’t Wanna Play House” also gave Wynette her first of two Grammy Awards. Wynette won the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Solo Vocal Performance, Female.

Tammy Wynette Continues Her Success After “I Don’t Wanna Play House”

“I Don’t Wanna Play House” is about a young girl. She tells the neighborhood boy that she doesn’t want to play house, since her parents are divorced.

“I don’t wanna play house,” Wynette sings in the song. “I know it can’t be fun, I’ve watched mommy and daddy / And if that’s the way it’s done, I don’t wanna play house / It makes my mommy cry / ‘Cause when she played house / My daddy said ‘goodbye.’”

When Tammy Wynette released “I Don’t Wanna Play House”, songs about broken homes were still considered risky. But Wynette went on to prove that she wasn’t afraid to tackle tough subjects. She followed “I Don’t Wanna Play House” with “D-I-V-O-R-C-E”, also a No. 1 hit for Wynette. But her biggest song might be the one that came after “D-I-V-O-R-C-E”, which was “Stand By Your Man“.

Only a few years after “I Don’t Wanna Play House”, Wynette began her successful streak of hits with George Jones. The two began with their We Go Together album, out in 1971, releasing a total of nine albums as a duo.

Wynette and Jones were married in 1969, splitting up in 1975. Wynette passed away on April 6, 1998, the same year she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The singer, who had health problems throughout much of her life, died in her sleep in her Nashville home. Wynette was just 55 years old when she passed away.

Photo by David Redfern/Redferns