On this day (September 9) in 1968, Dolly Parton stepped into RCA Studio B in Nashville to begin recording In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad). At the same time, Just the Two of Us, her second album of duets with Porter Wagoner, hit record store shelves. Both albums became hits. Parton’s solo outing peaked at No. 15, and the duets package reached No. 5.
Parton wrote half of the songs on In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad), including the title track. She filled the rest of the title track with stellar covers, including “Harper Valley PTA,” “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” and “The Carroll County Accident.” However, the title track was the LP’s only single.
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“In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)” peaked at No. 25 on the country chart. While it wasn’t a huge hit, it marked an important milestone in her career. It was the first song she wrote about the hardships she endured while growing up in the Smoky Mountains. She revisited the subject several times, most notably with songs like “Coat of Many Colors.” Her 1973 album, My Tennessee Mountain Home, features several tracks in which she discusses her impoverished upbringing. That album also features a rerecording of “In the Good Old Days.”
[RELATED: The Iconic Words Dolly Parton Once Joked Could End Up on Her Tombstone]
Parton recorded In the Good Old Days quickly. She cut most of the album on September 9 and 10. Then, came back in early October to finish it.
Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner Return
Dolly Parton began recording her third solo album the same day that Just the Two of Us, her second album with Porter Wagoner, was released. The album peaked at No. 5, making it one of their most successful full-length releases. It also produced two top-10 singles. “Holding on to Nothin’,” the lead single, reached No. 7. They followed that with “We’ll Get Ahead Someday,” which reached No. 5.
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