Carolina Cousins

Carolina Cousins
Studio album by
Dottie West
ReleasedMay 1975 (1975-05)
RecordedJanuary 1975
StudioRCA Studio A, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerBilly Davis
Dottie West chronology
House of Love
(1974) 		Carolina Cousins
(1975) 		When It's Just You and Me
(1977)
Singles from Carolina Cousins
  1. "Rollin' in Your Sweet Sunshine"
    Released: March 1975

Carolina Cousins is a studio album by American country music artist Dottie West. It was released in May 1975 on RCA Victor Records and was produced by Billy Davis. Carolina Cousins was West's 24th studio recording and contained a total of ten tracks. It would be her final album release with the RCA label before moving to United Artists Records in 1976. The album contained one single, "Rollin' in Your Sweet Sunshine," which became a minor hit in 1975.

Background and content

Carolina Cousins was recorded at the RCA Studio A in Nashville, Tennessee. The sessions were produced by Billy Davis. It was West's third production collaboration with Davis, who had also written her 1973 hit "Country Sunshine". The album's ten tracks contained a variety of musical stylings.[1][2] Liner notes writer, Bill Becker, called the album's style "a musical trip, literally and figuratively." Four of the album's songs were penned by West herself. This included a re-recording of "Country Sunshine" and "I'm Your Country Girl". Also included was a cover of John Denver's pop hit "Back Home Again." The album also included a variety of songwriters, such as Barbara Fairchild, who wrote the track "This Stranger, My Little Girl".[2] The album's cover photo featured West posing with a Coca-Cola, a nod to the "Country Sunshine"'s origins as a jingle for a 1972 Coke commercial.

Release and chart performance

Carolina Cousins was released in May 1975 on RCA Victor Records. It was West's 24th studio album and her final for the RCA label. It was offered as a vinyl LP, containing five songs on each side of the record.[2] The album made the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It spent two weeks on the chart and peaked at number 45 in June 1975.[3] "Rollin' in Your Sweet Sunshine" was the only single included on the album. It was first issued as a single in March 1975.[4] Spending ten weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, it only reached number 68 by July 1975.[5]

Track listing

Side one[2]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Carolina Cousins"
3:48
2."This Stranger, My Little Girl"
3:51
3."I'm Your Country Girl"
  • Billy Davis
  • Dottie West
2:15
4."Destroy Me, Again"
  • Jay Marshall
  • West
2:13
5."A Beautiful Way to Live"Ben Peters2:56
Side two[2]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Route 65 to Nashville"
  • Backer
  • McBrien
2:48
2."Back Home Again"John Denver4:58
3."Country Sunshine"
  • Davis
  • West
1:57
4."A Rock 'n' Roll Drummer in a Country Girl's Band"West2:25
5."Rollin' in Your Sweet Sunshine"
  • Bob Morrison
  • Harris
2:26

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Carolina Cousins.[2]

Musical personnel

Technical personnel

  • Bill Backer – liner notes
  • Billy Davis – producer
  • Byron Metcalf – percussion
  • D. Bergen White – string arrangement

Chart performance

Chart (1975) Peak
position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[6] 45

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
North America May 1975 Vinyl RCA Victor [2]
United Kingdom [7]

References

  1. ^ a b "Carolina Cousins: Dottie West: Songs, Reviews, Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g West, Dottie (May 1975). "Carolina Cousins (Liner Notes & Album Information)". RCA Records. APL1-1041.
  3. ^ "Carolina Cousins chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  5. ^ ""Rollin' in Your Sweet Sunshine" chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Dottie West Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  7. ^ West, Dottie (May 1975). "Carolina Cousins (UK Liner Notes)". RCA Records. LSA-3235.