Hillbilly Rock
| Hillbilly Rock | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 17, 1989 | |||
| Studio | Sound Stage Studios, Nashville, TN | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 32:42 | |||
| Label | MCA Nashville | |||
| Producer | Richard Bennett Tony Brown | |||
| Marty Stuart chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Hillbilly Rock | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | link |
Hillbilly Rock is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Marty Stuart. It was released in October 1989 by MCA Nashville. It peaked at #19 on the Top Country Albums chart but failed to chart on the Canadian charts. It was certified Gold in both countries. The songs "Cry! Cry! Cry!", "Don't Leave Her Lonely Too Long", "Hillbilly Rock", and "Western Girls" were released as singles.[1]
Musical style and composition
Hillbilly Rock has been described as a neotraditional country,[2] honky-tonk,[3] and country rock album,[4] with elements of rockabilly, bluegrass, and Western music.[3][4]
Critical reception
Peter Saros of Country Universe praised the album in a retrospective review, referring to it as "an essential album from the early '90s country canon that bristles with 'gutsy, imaginative, guitar-gramed [sic] arrangements, and stormy sensuality' even as it is too often overshadowed by the bigger commercial successes of its era."[5]
Content
Several songs on this album are covers or would later be covered by other artists. Johnny Cash's "Cry! Cry! Cry!" first appeared on his 1957 album With His Hot and Blue Guitar. "Me and Billy the Kid" was written and recorded by Joe Ely for his album Lord of the Highway and would later be covered by Pat Green and Kevin Welch and the Overtones. "Don't Leave Her Lonely Too Long" was covered by Gary Allan on his 1998 album It Would Be You.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hillbilly Rock" | Paul Kennerley | 2:38 |
| 2. | "Western Girls" | Kennerley, Marty Stuart | 3:38 |
| 3. | "Don't Leave Her Lonely Too Long" | Stuart, Kostas | 3:22 |
| 4. | "The Coal Mine Blues" | Stuart | 3:05 |
| 5. | "The Wild One" | Tillman Franks, Merle Kilgore | 3:12 |
| 6. | "Me and Billy the Kid" | Joe Ely | 3:56 |
| 7. | "Cry! Cry! Cry!" | Johnny Cash | 2:20 |
| 8. | "When the Sun Goes Down" | Stuart, Mark Collie | 2:42 |
| 9. | "Easy to Love (Hard to Hold)" | Stuart, Kennerley | 2:53 |
| 10. | "Since I Don't Have You" | Stuart, Collie | 5:33 |
Personnel
- Richard Bennett - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, 6 string bass
- Paul Franklin - steel guitar
- Glen Hardin - piano
- Paul Kennerley - background vocals
- Kostas - background vocals
- Joey Miskulin - concertina
- Ralph Mooney - steel guitar
- Leland Sklar - bass guitar
- Harry Stinson - background vocals
- WS "Fluke" Holland - drums
- Marty Stuart - lead vocals, electric guitar, mandolin, acoustic guitar
- Billy Thomas - drums, background vocals
- Alan Messer- photographer
Production
- Produced By Tony Brown & Richard Bennet
- Engineers, Assistant Engineers: Dave Boyer, Mark J. Coddington, Marty Williams
- Mixing: Chuck Ainlay
- Overdub Engineers: Chuck Ainlay, Mark J. Coddington
- Digital Editing: Milan Bogdan
- Mastering, Master Tape Preparation: Glenn Meadows
Chart performance
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | ||
| 1989 | "Cry! Cry! Cry!" | 32 | 59 |
| 1990 | "Don't Leave Her Lonely Too Long" | 42 | 25 |
| "Hillbilly Rock" | 8 | 6 | |
| "Western Girls" | 20 | 16 | |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[8] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[9] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2017). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2017. Record Research, Inc. p. 351. ISBN 978-0-89820-229-8.
- ^ Malone, Bill C.; Laird, Tracey E.W. (June 4, 2018). Country Music USA (50th Anniversary ed.). Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. p. 513. ISBN 9781477315378.
- ^ a b Pendragon, Jana. "Hillbilly Rock - Review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
- ^ a b Wolff, Kurt (2000). Duane, Orla (ed.). Country Music: The Rough Guide. London, UK.: Bobcat Books. pp. 494–495. ISBN 9781858285344. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
- ^ Saros, Peter (May 23, 2025). "Flashback Friday: Marty Stuart, Hillbilly Rock". Country Universe. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
- ^ "Marty Stuart Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Marty Stuart – Hillbilly Rock". Music Canada. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ "American album certifications – Marty Stuart – Hillbilly Rock". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 31, 2020.