Stella Parton is an eponymous studio album by American singer-songwriter, Stella Parton. It was released in March 1978 by Elektra Records and consisted of ten tracks. The country album featured songs written by Parton herself and Shel Silverstein. Among them were two singles, including the US top-20 song, "Four Little Letters". The album itself made positions on the US and Canadian country LP's charts.
Background, recording and content Dolly Parton's younger sister, Stella, became a music artist in her own right during the 1970s with several songs that found commercial success on the country charts. Among them was "Four Little Letters", a top-20 single that was found on her 1978 self-titled studio album. The eponymous collection was co-produced by David Malloy and Jim Malloy at Quadraphonic Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, US. According to Billboard, the album featured "songs about love and life" with "spicy fiddling and guitar playing". It consisted of ten tracks, including two that were composed by Parton herself: "Lie to Linda" and "Fade My Blues Away". The final cut, "Down to Earth" and featured vocal harmonies from her family, including Dolly. The third track, "The Late Late Late Show", was written by Shel Silverstein.
Release and critical reception Stella Parton was released by Elektra Records in March 1978 and was one of several issued by the label that month including discs by Vern Gosdin and Eddie Rabbitt. It was offered in three formats in its original release: a vinyl LP, 8-track cartridge or a cassette. The album received a positive reception. Billboard named it among its "recommended LP's", praising her "lilting voice" and its lively production. Cashbox wrote, "For sure, Stella Parton can stand on her own without any help from sister Dolly. Her confidence has visibly grown on each record, and Stella can work effectively with any kind of material." AllMusic rated it three out of five stars but did not provide a written review.
Chart performance and singles Stella Parton reached the number 38 position on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart in 1978. It became her third album to make the chart and final to do to date. It also made Canada's RPM Country Albums chart in 1978, reaching number 21. It is Parton's only album to make the RPM chart in her career. The lead single was "Four Little Letters", which was released in March 1978. It reached number 20 on the US Hot Country Songs chart and number 36 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. "Undercover Lovers" was then spawned as a single from the collection in June 1978, peaking at number 28 on the US country chart and number 22 on the Canadian country chart.
Track listing
Charts Chart (1978) Peakposition Canada Country Albums/CD's (RPM)21 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)38
Release history + Release history and formats for Stella Parton Region Date Format Label Ref. Various March 1978 Elektra Circa 2017 Compact disc (CD) Man in the Moon Circa 2020 Elektra
References