Willingly
{{Infobox song
| name = Willingly
| cover = Willie Nelson and Shirley Collie - Willingly.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Willie Nelson and Shirley Collie
| album =
| B-side = Our Chain of Love
| released = March 17, 1962
| recorded = November 1961
| studio = Bradley Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
| venue =
| genre = Country
| length = 2:40
| label = Liberty
| writer = Hank Cochran
| producer = Joe Allison
| chronology = Willie Nelson
| prev_title = The Part Where I Cry
| prev_year = 1961
| next_title = Touch Me
| next_year = 1962
}}
"Willingly" is a duet by American country music singer Willie Nelson and Shirley Collie, produced by Joe Allison during Nelson's third session for Liberty Records. Released in March 1962, the album reached number ten on Billboard's Hot Country Singles.
Background
Leveraged by his prominence as a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, Nelson was signed as a recording artist by Liberty Records in 1961.{{sfn|Patoski, Joe Nick|2008|p=126}} Nelson produced two sides in his first session, and an entire album after his second one.{{sfn|Thomson, Graeme|2012|p=73}}
While touring with Ray Price as a Cherokee Cowboys bassist, Nelson had attended the Nashville disc jockeys convention. Songwriters Harlan Howard and Hank Cochran visited with Nelson California DJ Biff Collie's hotel room at the Hermitage Hotel. There they met Collie's wife, Shirley, a fellow Liberty recording artist.{{sfn|Nelson, Willie|Bud Shrake|Edwin Shrake|2000|p=173}}
During Nelson's second recording session at Radio Recorders, in California, Harlan Howard took Shirley Collie to the studio, where Nelson was cutting "Mr. Record Man". After the Collies attended a Ray Price concert at Harmony Park Ballroom, the couple socialized often with Nelson.{{sfn|Patoski, Joe Nick|2008|p=129}} While in California, Nelson and Collie began an affair.{{sfn|Nelson, Willie|Bud Shrake|Edwin Shrake|2000|p=174}}
Recording
Producer Joe Allison held Nelson's third Liberty Records recording session at Bradley Studios in Nashville in November 1961. The backing was composed of fiddler and guitarist Ray Edenton, pianist Pig Robbins, drummer Buddy Harman, bassist Bob Moore. The band also featured Ray Price's steel guitarist, Jimmy Day and the Anita Kerr singers.{{sfn|Patoski, Joe Nick|2008|p=128}}
At the persistence of Nelson, Allison added Shirley Collie to the session. Collie sang the lead on "Willingly", with Nelson blending on a high tenor to join her voice. The session also produced the duet "Our Chain of Love", that was used as the flipside of the single.{{sfn|Patoski, Joe Nick|2008|p=128}}
Release
On its January 1962 review, Billboard rated the single with four stars with "strong sales potential". The review noted the song as a "pleasant duo blend work on effective country theme with good lyrics".{{sfn|Billboard staff|1962|p=29}}
The single was released on March 17, 1962, reaching by May number ten on Billboard's Top country singles.{{sfn|Scobey, Lola|1982|p=111}}
Chart performance
| class="wikitable" |
| style="text-align:center;"|Chart (1962)
! style="text-align:center;"|Peak |
|---|
| align="left"|Billboard Hot Country Singles
| style="text-align:center;"|10{{sfn|Patoski, Joe Nick|2008|p=131}} |
Footnotes
{{Reflist}}
References
- {{cite magazine|author=Billboard staff|year=1962|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc|issn=0006-2510|volume=74|number=2}}
- {{cite book|author1=Nelson, Willie |author2=Bud Shrake |author3=Edwin Shrake |year=2000|title=Willie: An Autobiography|publisher=Cooper Square Press}}
- {{cite book|author=Patoski, Joe Nick|year=2008|title=Willie Nelson: An Epic Life|publisher=Hachette Digital|isbn=978-0-316-01778-7|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/willienelsonepic00pato}}
- {{cite book|author=Scobey, Lola|year=1982|title=Willie Nelson: Country Outlaw|publisher=Kensington Pub Corp|isbn=978-0-89083-936-2}}
- {{cite book|author=Thomson, Graeme|year=2012|title=Willie Nelson: The Outlaw|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-1-448-13341-3}}
{{Willie Nelson singles|state=collapsed}}
Category:Liberty Records singles
Category:Songs written by Hank Cochran