Big Hopes is the third studio album by American country music artist Ty Herndon. It features the singles "A Man Holding On (To a Woman Lettin' Go)", "It Must Be Love", and "Hands of a Working Man". These songs peaked at #5, #1, and #5, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. "It Must Be Love" was his third and final Number One on the country charts, while "Hands of a Working Man" was his last Top Ten.

Big Hopes
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 26, 1998 (1998-05-26)
GenreCountry
Length40:50
LabelEpic
ProducerByron Gallimore (tracks 1, 3-7)
Doug Johnson (tracks 2, 8-11)
Ty Herndon chronology
Living in a Moment
(1997)
Big Hopes
(1998)
Steam
(1999)

Doug Virden and Drew Womack, then members of Sons of the Desert, serve as backing vocalists on other tracks, as they did on Herndon's previous album Living in a Moment. Blue Miller, formerly of Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band and later of the Gibson/Miller Band, also provides background vocals.

Thom Owens of Allmusic rated the album three stars out of five, saying that it "comes as close to MOR rock and pop as it does to country."[1]

Track listing edit

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Big Hopes"Walt Wilkins3:46
2."It Must Be Love"Craig Bickhardt, Jack Sundrud3:31
3."A Man Holdin' On (To a Woman Lettin' Go)"Bobby Taylor, Gene Dobbins, John Ramey3:36
4."Big Time Dreamer"Gary Burr, Victoria Shaw3:51
5."Thinkin' with My Heart Again"Donny Kees, Sanger D. Shafer, Dean Dillon3:08
6."Somewhere a Lover"Tim Ryan Rouillier, Alex Harvey3:40
7."Hands of a Working Man"D. Vincent Williams, Jim Collins3:47
8."How Much Can One Man Love You"Burr, Bob DiPiero3:41
9."The Only Way I Know"Burr, Mike Reid4:17
10."No Brakes"Pat Bunch, Shane Teeters2:46
11."Tears in God's Eyes"Skip Ewing, Kim Williams, Kent Blazy4:36

Personnel edit

Compiled from liner notes.[2]

Byron Gallimore-produced tracks (1, 3-7) edit

Doug Johnson-produced tracks (2, 8-11) edit

  • Joe Chemay – bass guitar
  • Larry Franklin – fiddle
  • Paul Franklin – steel guitar
  • Steve Gibson – electric guitar
  • Ty Herndon – lead vocals
  • John Hobbs – keyboards
  • Dann Huff – electric guitar
  • Mike Jones – background vocals
  • Paul Leim – drums
  • Patty Loveless – background vocals
  • Blue Miller – background vocals
  • Wendell Mobley – background vocals
  • Steve Nathan – keyboards
  • Tom Roady – percussion
  • Brent Rowan – electric guitar
  • Doug Virden – background vocals
  • Biff Watson – acoustic guitar
  • Drew Womack – background vocals

Chart performance edit

References edit

  1. ^ Owens, Thom. "Big Hopes review". Allmusic. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  2. ^ Big Hopes (cassette). Ty Herndon. Nashville, Tennessee: Epic Records. 1998. ET 68167.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ "Ty Herndon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  4. ^ "Ty Herndon Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  5. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2020.