On This Day in 1972, Don Gibson Scored His Final No. 1 With a Song That Got a Honky-Tonk Makeover 22 Years Later

On this day (September 2) in 1972, Don Gibson reached the top of the Hot Country Songs chart for the final time with “Woman (Sensuous Woman).” While he only topped the chart three times in his career, he was incredibly successful. Gibson consistently released songs that landed within the top 40 for more than 20 years.

Gibson released more than 60 top 40 country hits. He also wrote “Sweet Dreams,” which was a hit for Patsy Cline, Emmylou Harris, and Reba McEntire. Additionally, he penned “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” which was a No. 1 for both Ray Charles and Conway Twitty. Kitty Wells also had a hit with the song. Count Basie won a Grammy Award with it in 1964.

Gibson didn’t just write hits for other artists, though. He also penned his first two No. 1 singles. He topped the chart for the first time in 1958 with “Oh Lonesome Me,” which also reached No. 7 on the Hot 100. Later that year, he went back to the top with “Blue, Blue Day.” He also took “Sweet Dreams” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You” to the top 10.

Don Gibson’s Final No. 1 Gets an Update

Don Gibson didn’t write his final No. 1. He was, however, the first to record the Gary S. Paxton gem. Several other artists followed his lead. For instance, in 1984, Ray Charles included it on his album Do I Ever Cross Your Mind. A decade later, Mark Chesnutt took the song back up the country chart.

[RELATED: 68 Years Ago, Don Gibson Was at No. 1 With a Country Classic That Was Later Covered by Johnny Cash, Neil Young, and the Muppets]

“Woman (Sensuous Woman) wasn’t as big a hit for Chesnutt as it was for Gibson. His version peaked at No. 21 on the country chart. However, that didn’t stop it from being in heavy rotation on country radio stations across the United States. As a result, the uptempo 90s country version was many fans’ introduction to this classic.

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