Joshua is the seventh solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on April 12, 1971, by RCA Victor.[1] The album's single, "Joshua", was nominated for a Grammy and was Parton's first song to reach No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
The album was reissued on CD in 2001 with Parton's 1971 album, Coat of Many Colors.[2] It was released as a digital download on December 4, 2015.[3]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [4] |
The review published in the April 24, 1971 issue of Billboard said, "Dolly Parton took "Joshua" right to the top of the country singles chart, and she should now take him right to the top of the LP chart as well, with this exceptional album followup. Most of the tunes are originals, and there are many standouts, among them "You Can't Reach Me Anymore", "The Last One to Touch Me", and "Chicken Every Sunday"."[5]
The April 10, 1971 issue of Cashbox featured a review that said, "Dolly Parton's "Joshua" has to be one of the all-time best country records ever recorded. Now the title tune of her latest album, it enables those who missed it the first time around to hear it along with nine other fine selections. Always a best seller, this LP containing "The Last One to Touch Me", "Walls of My Mind", "Chicken Every Sunday", "Letter to Heaven", and "J.J. Sneed", which are outstanding tracks, is sure to top the charts shortly.[6]
Commercial performance
The album peaked at No. 16 on the US Billboard Hot Country LPs chart and No. 198 on the US Billboard Hot LPs chart. The album peaked at No. 24 in Canada on the RPM Country Albums chart.
The album's single, "Joshua", was released in November 1970[7][8] and peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and No. 108 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart. The single peaked at No. 2 in Canada on the RPM Country Singles chart.
Accolades
The album's single, "Joshua", was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female, at the 14th Annual Grammy Awards.[9]
Recording
Recording sessions for the album began at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 20, 1970. There additional sessions followed on October 21, 1970; January 26 and February 11, 1971. "Walls of My Mind", "You Can't Reach Me Anymore", and "The Fire's Still Burning" were recorded during the October 31, 1969 session for 1970's The Fairest of Them All.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Joshua" | Dolly Parton | October 21, 1970 | 3:02 |
| 2. | "The Last One to Touch Me" | Parton | February 11, 1971 | 3:04 |
| 3. | "Walls of My Mind" | Parton | October 31, 1969 | 2:32 |
| 4. | "It Ain't Fair That It Ain't Right" |
| April 20, 1970 | 2:18 |
| 5. | "J.J. Sneed" |
| January 26, 1971 | 2:53 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Can't Reach Me Anymore" |
| October 31, 1969 | 2:38 |
| 2. | "Daddy's Moonshine Still" | Parton | January 26, 1971 | 3:29 |
| 3. | "Chicken Every Sunday" |
| October 21, 1970 | 2:35 |
| 4. | "The Fire's Still Burning" |
| October 31, 1969 | 2:49 |
| 5. | "Letter to Heaven" | Parton | January 26, 1971 | 2:29 |
Personnel
Adapted from the album liner notes.[1]
- Bobby Dyson – liner notes
- Bob Ferguson – producer
- Bill Meyers – cover art
- Al Pachucki – recording engineer
- Roy Shockley – recording technician
Charts
Album
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Albums (RPM)[10] | 24 |
| US Hot Country LPs (Billboard)[11] | 16 |
| US Top LPs (Billboard)[12] | 198 |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak position | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [13] | US Bubbling [14] | CAN Country [15] | ||
| "Joshua" | 1970 | 1 | 108 | 2 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Title | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | April 12, 1971 |
| Joshua | RCA Victor | [1] |
| Europe | July 28, 2001 | CD | Joshua & Coat of Many Colors | Camden Deluxe | [2] |
| Various | December 4, 2015 | Digital download | Joshua |
| [3] |
References
- ^ a b c "Dolly Parton - Joshua". Discogs. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Joshua & Coat Of Many Colors". Camden. 28 July 2001. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Joshua by Dolly Parton on Amazon Music - Amazon.com". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ Joshua at AllMusic
- ^ "Billboard - April 24, 1971" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. p. 58. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Cashbox - April 10, 1971" (PDF). American Radio History. Cashbox. p. 40. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Billboard - November 21, 1970" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. p. 88. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Dolly Parton - Joshua". Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Dolly Parton". GRAMMY.com. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ Canada, Library and Archives (17 July 2013). "Results: RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Dolly Parton Chart History - Top Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ "Dolly Parton Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
- ^ "Dolly Parton Chart History - Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ "Billboard - February 20, 1971" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. p. 56. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ Canada, Library and Archives (17 July 2013). "Results: RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 20 April 2019.