Original Country Music Classic Album Series Vol. 6: Hello Walls (Faron Young)

For the 6th edition of our Classic Album Series we visited the archives of Capitol Records. There we found Faron Young and his seventh Capitol album, Hello Walls. Released in February of 1961, it yielded Faron four top-40 singles, including his giant No. 1 single "Hello Walls."

Hello Walls Capitol ST-1528 (1961): Recorded: March 9/1957 - Jan 7/1961, Bradley Film & Recording Studio, Nashville: Produced By: Ken Nelson & Marvin Hughes

Session Personnel: Hank Garland, Grady Martin, Chet Atkins, Jack Shook (guitar), Darrell McCall (rhythm guitar), Harold Bradley, Floyd Chance (bass guitar), Buddy Emmons, Ben Shauefele (steel guitar), Buddy Harman (drums), Marvin Hughes, Flody Cramer (piano/organ), Tommy Jackson (fiddle). The Anita Kerr Singers, The Jordanaires (Hoyt H. Hawkins, Hugh T. Jarrett, Neal Matthews Jr., Hugh Gordon Stoker). Session personnel are based on my extensive research of Bradley Film & Recording Studio recording sessions and Capitol Records artists and repertoire division (Nashville) archives.

Hello Walls: Written by Willie Nelson, it became a massive hit (No. 1, 1961) for Young and introduced Nelson to a national audience. Willie recorded "Hello Walls" the very next year for his debut album "And Then I Wrote." This song became Young's fourth and final No. 1 single during his ten year stint with Capitol Records. The song was covered by Bing Crosby (1965), Brook Benton (1966) and Ricky Nelson (1966).

There's Not Any Like You Left: Faron wasn't much of a songwriter, but he pinned this song and co-wrote four others on this album. Young took this song to No. 21 on the Billboard chart in 1960.

Anything Your Heart Desires: This song was written and later charted by Billy Walker (Charlies Shoes) (No. 10, 1967). This was possibly a filler song as Capitol Records didn't release Young's version as a single.

Forget the Past: Written by Young, it went to No. 20 on Billboard. To that point, Faron had 31 top-20 singles.

Congratulations: This up-tempo song was written by Willie Nelson and reached No. 28 (1961) on the Billboard chart. The song was his thirty-seventh top-40 single to that point. While on the Capitol roster, he racked up 36 top-20 songs.

Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way: Written by Loys Southerland & Louis Clark, Carl Smith made this his debut No. 1 single in 1951. The song made Smith a well-known name in country music. This was possibly a filler song as Capitol Records didn't release Faron's version as a single.

Big Shoes: Written by Justin Tubb, Tubb would later include this on his RCA (LSP 3591, 1966) album that he recorded with Lorene Mann. "Is She All You Thought She'd Be" (writer: Roy Drusky), "I Made a Fool of Myself" (writers: Faron Young, Johnny Paycheck), "Out of My Heart" (writers: Buddy Killen, Faron Young), "World So Full of Love" (writers: Roger Miller, Faron Young) and "Believing It Yourself" (writer: Justin Tubb) are weak tracks and were likely album fillers, but these songs make this collection a bit more human. Yet, these cuts are far better than the best work by lesser artists. This is music that sounds live even though it was recorded in a studio. It is raw, immediate, and full of an amiable good nature and clever wordplay with a cache of session instruments backing Faron.

Any album that generates four top-40 singles has to be considered a commercial success. However, it wasn't enough to sustain Young's contract with Capitol. By 1963, Faron began rejuvenating his career with a Mercury Records contract. Much of the material Faron recorded around this time (1960-61) was with members of his road band, including future superstars Roger Miller (drums) and Johnny Paycheck (then Donnie Young) on bass. He also a employed a few aspiring "front men," many of whom would later become stars. Faron had a knack for discovering good talent. The Wilburn Brothers, Willie Nelson, Darrell McCall, Jimmy and Johnny and Gordon Terry, got their start touring with Faron.

Note: What got Faron Young in the music business was a need for attention. He began entering talent contests at an early age, enjoying the spotlight and earning a few coins in the process. During the first half of his career, he was a driving force in country music. By the time his caree had ended, Faron garnered 63 top-20 singles and he is ranked No. 20 among the all-time country music charting artist. Unfortunately, when Faron was no longer in the spotlight; when he stopped drawing big crowds; when the phone was no longer ringing; when his records quit charting and when his health began to deteriorate; he made the decision to take his own life (12/10/1996). It was a very sad consequence for a singer who spent his entire life perfecting country music and entertaining a huge following. ~RJB: Country Music Historian, 11/2010.

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[barrygioportmorien1]

Fantastic song by Faron, flip side of Hello Walls, written by willie Nelson. should have been a #1 hit.

[jtls8]

Used to have some of Faron`s albums. One of my favorite artist!