On this day (October 9) in 1968, Jeannie C. Riley was on a three-week run at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs Chart with “Harper Valley PTA.” The song also topped the Hot 100, which made Riley the first woman to simultaneously top both charts. It also went to No. 1 in Canada and Australia.
In 1967, Bobbie Gentry had a major hit with “Ode to Billie Joe.” Country singer Margie Singleton asked Tom T. Hall to write something similar for her. Hall, a gifted storyteller, drove by Harpeth Valley Elementary School and was inspired to pen “Harper Valley PTA.” She recorded it but didn’t release it as a single.
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Riley was working as a secretary for Jerry Chesnut in Nashville when she heard the song. Initially, she had no interest in recording it. Eventually, her best friend convinced her to give it a shot.
Jeannie C. Riley Didn’t Want to Cut “Harper Valley PTA”
The song Jeannie C. Riley recorded and the demo she heard were as different as night and day. She recalled that Alice Joy recorded the demo in the style of “Ode to Billie Joe,” and it didn’t work. As a result, she had no interest in recording the song. Songwriter Royce Clark and his wife talked her into recording it.
Producer Shelby Singleton told the Clarks that if they could convince Riley to cut “Harper Valley,” he would give them the B-side of the single. They told her about the deal they’d made and asked her to record it as a favor to them because they’d been struggling in Nashville for years. “I did it for them. Mad at myself for saying yes when I wanted to say no. Upset at them for putting me on the spot. And yet, I loved them so much. I never harbored any bad thoughts toward them.”
She was upset about recording it. However, after it was finished and she listened to it, she knew she had a hit on her hands.
[RELATED: A Brazen Single Woman Inspired Jeannie C. Riley’s Biggest Hit in 1968]
That evening, Riley and Singleton took an acetate disc of the song to Ralph Emery at WSM. He listened to a few lines, started it over, and broadcast it to thousands of listeners. “You would not believe how the board lit up,” Riley recalled. “It was like Christmas,” she added.
She released the single in August, and it started a three-week run at No. 1 on September 28.
Featured Image by NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
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