"She's All I Got" is a song written by Gary U.S. Bonds and Jerry Williams Jr. It has been recorded by several artists. The first version, released in 1971 by Freddie North, was a Top 40 U.S. pop hit, and a version by Johnny Paycheck was a number 2 U.S. country hit that same year. A second country music version was released on Conway Twitty's 1972 Decca LP I Can't See Me Without You. There was also a version titled "He's All I Got" that was on Tanya Tucker's 1972 album Delta Dawn. Yet another cover titled "Don't Take Her She's All I've Got" was released by Tracy Byrd, whose version reached number 4 on the U.S. and Canadian country singles charts. Co-author Jerry Williams Jr., aka Swamp Dogg, released his own version on his 2020 album Sorry You Couldn’t Make It.
| "She's All I Got" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US single of North's recording | ||||
| Single by Freddie North | ||||
| from the album Friend | ||||
| B-side | "Ain't Nothing in the News (But the Blues)" | |||
| Released | July 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1970 | |||
| Studio | Quinby Studios, Sheffield, Alabama | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:45 | |||
| Label | Mankind | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gary U.S. Bonds, Jerry Williams Jr. | |||
| Producer(s) | Jerry Williams Jr. | |||
| Freddie North singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Content edit
In the song, the male narrator pleads to someone else not to take away his lover.
Freddie North version edit
Freddie North was the first artist to record the song, doing so on his album Friend. The only single from this album, it peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 on the Soul Singles chart in the US. It was the only chart single of North's career.
Chart positions edit
| Chart (1971) | Peak position[1][failed verification] |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[2] | 39 |
| U.S. Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles | 10 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 | 30 |
Johnny Paycheck version edit
| "She's All I Got" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US single of Paycheck's recording | ||||
| Single by Johnny Paycheck | ||||
| from the album She's All I Got | ||||
| B-side | "You Touched My Life"[3] | |||
| Released | October 9, 1971 | |||
| Recorded | August 4, 1971 | |||
| Studio | Columbia Recording Studio, Studio B, 34 Music Sq. East, Nashville, TN | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:54 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gary U.S. Bonds, Jerry Williams, Jr. | |||
| Producer(s) | Billy Sherrill | |||
| Johnny Paycheck singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Johnny Paycheck's version was released in October 1971 from his album of the same name. The song spent nineteen weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart, reaching a peak of number 2. It was also a number 91 single on the Billboard Hot 100, his only entry there.[3]
Chart positions edit
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4] | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 91 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 2 |
Tracy Byrd version edit
| "Don't Take Her She's All I Got" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Tracy Byrd | ||||
| from the album Big Love | ||||
| B-side | "I Love You, That's All"[6] | |||
| Released | January 27, 1997 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:26 | |||
| Label | MCA Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gary U.S. Bonds, Jerry Williams Jr. | |||
| Producer(s) | Tony Brown | |||
| Tracy Byrd singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Tracy Byrd's version, retitled "Don't Take Her She's All I Got", is the second single released from his 1996 album Big Love. It peaked at number 4 on both the U.S. and Canadian country singles charts in 1997. It was Byrd's second charting cover of a Paycheck hit, after "Someone To Give My Love To" in 1993.
Critical reception edit
The single received a positive review in Billboard which praised Byrd's vocal similarities to Paycheck, and said that "Longtime fans will love hearing it again, and younger listeners will welcome Byrd's introducing them to this country classic."[7]
Chart positions edit
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[8] | 4 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9] | 4 |
Year-end charts edit
| Chart (1997) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[10] | 48 |
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[11] | 37 |
References edit
- ^ "Freddie North singles". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1992). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (Revised and Enlarged 5th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 337. ISBN 0823082806. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 319. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ "Johnny Paycheck Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Johnny Paycheck Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ Whitburn, p. 73
- ^ "Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 4. 25 January 1997. p. 60.
- ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 3187." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. April 21, 1997. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
- ^ "Tracy Byrd Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1997". RPM. December 15, 1997. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
- ^ "Best of 1997: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1997. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
