Comments on: Forgotten Artists: Webb Pierce (1921-1991)

By: “Slowly” | Webb Pierce « 3 Chords a Day

“Slowly” | Webb Pierce « 3 Chords a Day — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:45:12 +0000

[...] all of music. Its position of prominence in country can be traced to this song, a No. 1 single for Webb Pierce in 1954. Bud Isaacs, who played steel for Red Foley, was hired for the “Slowly” [...]

By: Forgotten Artists: Cal Smith | The 9513

Forgotten Artists: Cal Smith | The 9513 — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:19:25 +0000

[...] Webb Pierce [...]

By: 2packs4sure

2packs4sure — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 22:58:13 +0000

Hey Jody, that album is one of his mid 70’s albums of re recorded hits. Tons of them on ebay.

He must have signed thousands of them. In fact he got sued by his neighbor Ray Stevens around that time because the tour buses would constantly be coming to Webb’s house to see it, the pool, and Webb, and that’s where 90% of all those signed albums come from.

By: John Maglite

John Maglite — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:06:58 +0000

Jody: I don't have any info on that particular record, but did find a picture of Webb with the mailbox (the same picture on your cover?) at the Heart of Texas Country Music Museum site. It's about halfway down the right column on this page.

By: Jody

Jody — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:14:46 +0000

Hi, I am 60 and have an 33 1/3 For Promotional Use Only Album by Webb Pierce called NUMBER ONE HITS. On the cover he is standing by a mailbox that reads Webb Pierce wandering Acres and has a Guitar base to the mailbox. It is in Stereo and signed My Best, Webb Pierce. The Album itself is White and has no name label. NR3690 is on the record center. I cannot find anything on this record, internet, library or nothing. Can anyone help me? Thanks Jody

By: Paul W Dennis

Paul W Dennis — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 03:24:41 +0000

While Pierce was no longer the top dog in Country music by 1960, he remained near the top during the early part of the decade and was still having major hits as late as 1967 when “Fool Fool Fool” went to #1 on Record World, #3 on Cashbox and #6 on Billboard.

Pierce didn’t have another Billboard #1 during the 1960s but he had eight top five records, seven that landed between 6-10, another nine that landed in the top 20 and 13 more tht landed somewhere in the top 40. That’s 37 top forty records which is more chart action than many artists have in a whole career

Although not reflected in the Billboard data, two of Webb’s records hit #1 on Cashbox or Record World. Cashbox was the top competor to Billboard and was as highly regarded as Billboard during the span of Pierce’s career. A lot of country radio stations kept their own charts, but those that didn’t were as likely to use Cashbox’s charts for their countdown shows as to use
Billboard’s charts.

By: luckyoldsun

luckyoldsun — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:47:13 +0000

Webb was unquestionably the top country artist (chartwise) of the ’50s, but it’s some quirk in methodology that has him listed as No. 7 in the ’60s.

He was out of favor by the ’60s and his records did not chart well. Webbe had zero No. 1 hits in the ’60s and Merle Haggard must have had more than half a dozen–but that Billboard chart rates Webb higher than Merle for the ’60s. Ridiculous.

By: Brody Vercher

Brody Vercher — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:42:02 +0000

I fixed the sentence so that it makes sense now.

By: Paul W Dennis

Paul W Dennis — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:30:46 +0000

The paragraph should read “continued to record for Decca from 1967-1972″

CEB – you are correct, Isaacs was never a member of Pierce’s road band . He appeared with Pierce in the studio a few times and was reported to have played a few local dates with Pierce around Nashville (I have no first-hand knowledge of this)

2packs4sure – you are correct – the first two cuts were from 1968 GREATEST HITS album – I sent Brady a CD with some 3 lps of Webb Pierce material including the GREATEST HITS album which I labeled as remakes. I assumed that they had access already to the original recordings. My error – mea culpa. Like you I am a huge Webb Pierce fan – I think I have every album that isn’t a gospel or Christmas album (I have one of the gospel albums) including the abominal Pierce-Channing collaboration. I dubbed the Four Legends album onto CD using a volume enhancement program but it isn’t a very well recorded album. Audifidelity had a two-fer of SWEET MEMORIES and another album from the 1960s for a while, so a little of the post-1959 material can be located with a little effort

By: 2packs4sure

2packs4sure — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:48:52 +0000

Webb was great. It’s a shame that none of his Decca stuff from 1959 — 1969 is available.
Lots of awesome cuts from that era, particularly 59′ — 64′.
I’ve been waiting for about 16 years now, ever since the Bear Family release of his 51′ — 58′ catalog. He was with Decca from 1951 -1974 I believe, straight thru.

I’ve got it all, Albums, 45’s and 90% of the 59′ — 66′ stuff is terrific , 67′ — 70′ is much weaker, but there is still some great cuts. I put together the cleanest of it all on cd’s and it’s very good, but I want it remastered and released asap � Please.

By the way, of the 3 songs on the player there, 2, There stands the Glass and Wondering are NOT the originals but re recordings for Stereo done around 1964.
Back Street Affair IS the original.

I hope someday Webb’s post 58′ Decca catalog will be made available.
I’ve posted everywhere I could , but it just ain’t happening.

It’s wild that the CARL SMITH album was mentioned. I’ve had that album for 20 years and the first thing I noticed was how Webb wasn’t mentioned. I assumed because it was a Columbia album they didn’t want to plug the competition.

The only way to get the FOUR LEGENDS album is to watch for it on ebay.
Some people love it, but I have to say Webb’s voice started to peter out around 1970 and by 1974 it just wasn’t the same. It happens. But he kicked butt for almost 20 years.