Skip to main content

Four Glass Walls, A Hidden Gem

On November 9th, 10th, and 11th of 1970, country music history was made when Conway & Loretta held their first recording session as a duet at Bradley's Barn.

These sessions resulted in the 11 songs that would make up their first album, We Only Make BelieveLead Me On, the title song and only single from their second album, and lastly a song that some fans may not be aware of, Four Glass Walls.

Four Glass Walls was written by Sharon Higgins, one of the many women who moved to Music City in the 1960s to pursue a dream. She was quickly signed to an artist development deal with the Wilburn Brothers and achieved great success as a songwriter in 1969 with Woman of the World (Leave My World Alone), a #1 hit for Loretta Lynn, earning Higgins the BMI Citation of Achievement.

In the fall of 1971 Four Glass Walls became the non-LP "B" side to Lead Me On, Conway & Loretta's second #1 single. For US fans, purchasing the 45 record was the only way to hear this beautiful song, but overseas it could be found on the UK release of the We Only Make Believe album (MUPS 429). 

Thanks to eBay and online record stores this foreign LP can be easily located today, but I find the fact that Four Glass Walls never appeared on a US release to be fascinating, making the vinyl a real collector's item. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remembering Loretta ~ 4/14/32-10/4/22

In 10 days my parents will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. One of their favorite stories from early in their marriage was mom coming out of the bathroom one night to see Loretta on some random TV show. She yelled out, "Loretta Lynn!" Dad, asleep in his chair as usual, went running for the front door. When mom asked where he was going, he replied, "to let her in!" Needless to say, they both became so hysterical they never did see Loretta's TV appearance! Loretta was always their favorite. Then I came along and it was Conway who captured my heart, but of course they were a package deal. If you loved one, you loved the other. I was born by emergency c-section. While mom was recovering in the hospital her neighbor gave her a paperback copy of the Coal Miner's Daughter book, which I now have in my collection. The first time my parents left me with a babysitter was to see the movie in the theater. In 1986 I saw Loretta at our local fair. I was only 9 an

My Lifelong Love Affair with Conway Twitty

As a little girl growing up in the 1980's classic country music was the soundtrack of my formative years. My parents' favorites including Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Merle Haggard were always playing in our home, but it was Conway Twitty, an artist I discovered on my own, who captured my heart and has never let it go. My lifelong love affair with Conway began when I heard The Clown and  The Rose in close succession . These songs came out in 1982 and 1983 and since I would've only been 5 at the time I assume it was a few years later when I really got into country radio that I first heard them. Even at that young age I remember thinking his voice was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard, and that opinion has never wavered.  In 1990 my parents started taking me to country music concerts. I was incredibly fortunate to see so many amazing artists, but Conway was always just out of reach. A few different times in the late '80s and early '90s he performed in Glen

Conway Concert Poster Mystery

A couple years ago someone in a Conway Facebook group posted a picture of a concert poster that was going up for sale at auction. As I've been known to do on more than one occasion when it comes to Conway, I went into full detective mode. In the photo I could just barely make out the name of the auction house, and a Google search told me it was in Pennsylvania. It was a silent auction held the first Saturday of each month, with bidders writing down their bid on a tag placed at each item. I called and was told that proxy bids could be placed by anyone who couldn't be present the day of the auction, but items had to be picked up in person. They don't ship anything. In the HUGE state of Pennsylvania, what are the chances I would know someone who lives nearby? I could only think of one person I know in the state *period*, a fellow Conway collector in fact, and as luck would have it he told me he drives past this particular town frequently on the weekends. I placed my bid by pho