Sandy Posey
Walking the line separating girl group pop and the Nashville Sound, Sandy Posey scored a pair of major hits with her first two singles, "Born a Woman" and "Single Girl," both number 12 Billboard hits in 1966. Posey possessed a high, keening voice that bore only the slightest twang, a characteristic she would begin to emphasize after "I Take It Back" became her last Top 40 hit in 1967 (it, like its predecessors, peaked at 12). With the help of Tammy Wynette's producer Billy Sherrill, Posey transitioned to country music in the '70s, earning a string of country hits that ran through the decade. After several quiet decades, Posey returned to the studio in the 2000s, recording an album for King Records and re-recording her hits elsewhere. Those original hits proved to be her lasting legacy: power popper Nick Lowe, in particular, was a fan, covering both "Born a Woman" and her deep cut "Halfway to Paradise" during his frenzied Jesus of Cool days.
A native of Arkansas, Sandy Posey was born in Jasper, Alabama on June 18, 1944. After graduating from a high school in West Memphis, Arkansas, she started to pursue a musical career in Memphis. Landing a job as a receptionist in a recording studio, she also started to work as a session singer. After issuing a single called "Kiss Me Goodnight" under the pseudonym Sandy Carmel on Bell Records in 1965, Posey came to the attention of producer Chips Moman. Hearing her demo of "Born a Woman," a song written by Martha Sharp, convinced Moman to help Posey secure a contract with MGM Records.
Moman produced "Born a Woman," which was released by MGM in the summer of 1966. The single climbed to number 12 that August, a big enough of a hit to snag Posey two Grammy nominations in 1967: one for Best Contemporary (R&R) Solo Vocal Performance and one for Best Vocal Performance, Female. "Single Girl" appeared shortly after "Born a Woman," and by January 1967, it also peaked at number 12. After "What a Woman in Love Won't Do" reached 31, Posey again occupied the number 12 position with "I Take It Back."
As quickly as she shot up the charts, Posey shot back down. "Are You Never Coming Home" topped out at 59 in 1967, with "Something I'll Remember" failing to chart in 1968. By 1971, she refashioned herself as a country singer, signing with Columbia and working with producer Billy Sherrill to achieve her first country hit with "Bring Him Safely Home to Me" that year. Over the next few years, she was modestly successful on the country charts, with "Happy Happy Birthday Baby" reaching 36 in 1972 and "Don't" peaking at 39 in 1973. Posey switched to Monument Records in 1976. "Born to Be with You" gave her a number 21 hit in 1978, a success that was nearly matched by "Love, Love, Love/Chapel of Love" later that year and "Love Is Sometimes Easy" in 1978; both singles peaked at 26.
After "Can't Get Used to Sleeping Without You" reached 88 on the country charts, Posey retreated from performing. Occasionally, she'd work as a session singer or tour with her Elvis Presley impersonator husband Wade Cummings, but by the mid-'80s, she was effectively retired. Two quiet decades passed before she returned with a new album in 2004; she also re-recorded some of her hits during this decade. Strawberry released the double-disc anthology Born a Woman: Complete MGM Recordings 1966-1968 in 2023.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
Similar artists
Discography
15 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
-
The Definitive Sandy Posey Collection
Country - Released by Carter Lane - OMiP on Nov 11, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Will Follow Him - The Best Of
Country - Released by Nifty Music, Inc. on Sep 1, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Single Girl
Pop - Released by Goldenlane Records on May 20, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Why Don't We Go Somewhere And Love
Country - Released by Columbia - Legacy on Jun 28, 1972
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
American Portraits: Sandy Posey
Country - Released by Dockland Music on Aug 7, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Born a Woman (Re-Mastered)
Country - Released by StarPointe Records on Oct 30, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sandy Posey One
Pop - Released by Red Cab Records on Aug 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sandy Posey Two
Pop - Released by Red Cab Records on Aug 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Highlights of Sandy Posey
Pop - Released by Weishaupt Music & Entertainment on Apr 23, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Will Follow Him
Country - Released by Dance Plant Records Inc on May 3, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dream Lover
Pop - Released by Jukebox Entertainment on Apr 22, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sandy Posey's As Long As We've Got Us
Rock - Released by Charly Records on Jun 25, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sandy Posey's Love Will Turn You Around
Pop - Released by Charly Records on Jun 24, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sandy Posey: Studio 102 Essentials
Country - Released by Countdown Media US on May 27, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo