On this day (November 19) in 1968, Jeannie C. Riley was at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart with Harper Valley PTA. The album spent four consecutive weeks at the top of the chart. Earlier in the year, the album’s title track topped both the Hot Country Songs and Hot 100 charts, making her the first female artist to top both charts.
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Over the course of her long career, Riley has released more than 20 albums and dozens of singles. However, none reached the commercial or critical success of her debut album, Harper Valley PTA, and her debut single, the album’s title track. Both were major hits that quickly propelled her to fame.
“Harper Valley PTA” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated September 28. It retained the top spot for three consecutive weeks. A week earlier, on September 21, it hit the top of the Hot 100, where it stayed for a single week. Riley became the first woman to top both charts. It has proven to be a rare feat. The next woman to achieve it was Dolly Parton, when “9 to 5” topped both charts in 1981.
Tom T. Hall Helped Launch Jeannie C. Riley’s Career
According to Songfacts, Tom T. Hall wrote “Harper Valley PTA” for country singer Margie Singleton. She asked him to write something similar to “Ode to Billie Joe.” One day, Hall drove past Harpeth Valley Elementary School in Bellevue, Tennessee. Soon, the story of a widow confronting a small-town parent-teacher association formed in his mind.
At the time, Jeannie C. Riley wasn’t working as a recording artist. Instead, she was working as a secretary. She heard “Harper Valley PTA” and chose to record it. She released the song as her debut single in August 1968. Nearly 20 years later, Hall penned “Return to Harper Valley” for Riley. She released it in 1984, but it failed to chart.
Featured Image by William Lovelace/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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