"Kay" is a song written by Hank Mills and recorded by American country music artist John Wesley Ryles. It was released in late 1968 by Columbia Records as Ryles' debut single. "Kay," recorded and released while Ryles was still a teenager, began a string of country music hits for him that would continue into the 1980s.
| "Kay" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by John Wesley Ryles | ||||
| from the album Kay | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 1968 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:41 | |||
| Label | Columbia (1968) Dot (1978) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Hank Mills | |||
| Producer(s) | George Richey (1968) Johnny Morris (1978) | |||
| John Wesley Ryles singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Content
edit"Kay" is about a taxicab driver in Nashville, Tennessee. He sold everything he owned to bring the woman he has loved and been with for years from Houston to Nashville, where she is becoming a star and moving beyond needing him. It is a song full of feelings and sadness. The song describes some of the people that he carries. Among them are soldiers from Fort Campbell who tell him that they "hate that war in Vietnam". This line has been cited as an example of the anti-war movement's presence in country music in the late 1960s.[2][3][4]
Chart performance
editRyles' original version of "Kay" spent 17 weeks on the Hot Country Songs charts, peaking at number 9. It also reached number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ryles re-recorded it for ABC Records in 1978, including this version on his album Shine on Me.[1]
Original version
edit| Chart (1968–69) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles[1] | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[1] | 83 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks [5] | 6 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles [6] | 88 |
Re-release
edit| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles[1] | 50 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks [7] | 55 |
Other versions
editDaryle Singletary covered the song as a duet with Ryles on his 2002 album That's Why I Sing This Way.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 367. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ Andresen, Lee (May 1, 2003). Battle Notes: Music of the Vietnam War. Savage Press. p. 129. ISBN 9781886028593.
- ^ Cusic, Don (July 30, 2008). Discovering Country Music. ABC-CLIO. p. 97. ISBN 9780313352461.
- ^ Brummer, Justin. "The Vietnam War: A History in Song". History Today. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ "RPM Country Chart - April 21, 1969" (PDF).
- ^ "RPM Country Chart - January 20, 1969" (PDF).
- ^ "RPM Country week 75 - August 26, 1978" (PDF).
- ^ Dinoia, Maria Konicki. "That's Why I Sing This Way review". Allmusic. Retrieved 14 July 2012.