My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy

Album information

The album contains some of Parton's most morose compositions. The title song tells the story of a small town girl whose aspirations take her to New Orleans, where she winds up a prostitute, dreaming of the boy she'd left behind. "Gypsy, Joe and Me" details the story of a woman, her love and their small dog, who all eventually perish. And "Evening Shade" tells the story of an orphanage run by an evil headmistress, "Mrs. Bailey". The orphans eventually burn the home down, with "Mrs. Bailey" sleeping inside. Another Parton song, "Daddy," tells the story of a daughter pleading with her father to reconsider leaving her mother for a woman much younger.

Also included are Parton's covers of the Mac Davis-penned Elvis Presley hit "In the Ghetto" and Joe South's "Games People Play". She also covered current country hits by Porter Wagoner ("Big Wind") and Jan Howard ("We Had All the Good Things Going").

Parton would later rerecord the title song for inclusion in her Heartbreak Express album in 1982.

In a CMT interview with Patty Loveless, Parton confirmed that the man in the corner of the album cover is her reclusive longtime husband, Carl Dean.

Track listing

All tracks written by Dolly Parton, except where noted.