"It's a Man (Every Time It's a Man)" Released: September 1965
It's a Man Every Time is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in November 1965 by Capitol Records and featured 12 tracks. The album's title track was its only single. It was given a positive reception by Billboard magazine following its release and was her second album to make the US country chart.
Jean Shepard found success during the Honky-tonk era of country music during the 1950s. With the introduction of country pop, her career stalled in the later half of the decade. In 1963, her husband Hawkshaw Hawkins was killed in a plane crash. In 1964, she had a commercial comeback with the single "Second Fiddle (To an Old Guitar)".[2] By this point, she became a regular performer on Bill Anderson's television show. In October 1965, Billboard announced that Shepard had recorded a new album and single.[3]
It's a Man Every Time was recorded at the Columbia Studio in Nashville, Tennessee. Sessions were held between October 1964 and February 1965. The album was produced by Marvin Hughes and was Shepard's second album produced with him.[4] The album contained a total of 12 tracks.[1] Included was a song written by Johnny Cash and June Carter called "Ain't You Ashamed". Another song was composed by Conway Twitty titled "Let Me Be the Judge". The liner notes described the track "Billy Christian" as a song about "a gallivanting husband" and called the title track "plaintive elegance".[4]
Release, critical reception, chart performance and singles[edit]
It's a Man Every Time was released by Capitol Records in November 1965. It was the sixth studio album of Shepard's career. The label distributed the album as a vinyl LP, offered in both mono and stereo formats. Six songs were included on either side of the disc.[4]Billboard gave the album a positive response in November 1965, calling the songs "pleasurable" and "the kind of songs she's made famous and which made her famous".[5]AllMusic did not provide a written review but rated it three out of five stars.[1]It's a Man Every Time was Shepard's second album to make the US BillboardTop Country Albums chart. Following its release, it reached the number 19 position on the chart.[6] The album's only single was its title track, which was issued by Capitol in September 1965.[7]
