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Album cover. RCA Victor (LSP-4761) (1972)
My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner is the tenth solo studio album by Dolly Parton. It was released on October 2, 1972, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson and is comprised entirely of Porter Wagoner compositions. It peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album's first single, "Washday Blues", peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, while the second single, "When I Sing for Him", failed to chart. 

Track listing

Side 1
  1. Lonely Comin' Down (Porter Wagoner) 3:11
  2. Do You Hear the Robins Sing (Porter Wagoner) 2:25
  3. What Ain't to Be, Just Might Happen (Porter Wagoner) 2:13
  4. The Bird That Never Flew (Porter Wagoner) 3:11
  5. Comes and Goes (Porter Wagoner) 3:13
Side 2
  1. Washday Blues (Porter Wagoner) 2:02
  2. ​When I Sing for Him (Porter Wagoner) 2:57
  3. He Left Me Love (Porter Wagoner) 2:55
  4. Oh, He's Everywhere (Porter Wagoner) 3:00
  5. Still on Your Mind (Porter Wagoner) 2:40
2010 CD reissue and 2011 digital download reissue
  1. Everything Is Beautiful (In Its Own Way)* (Dolly Parton) 3:09
  2. Lonely Comin' Down (Porter Wagoner) 3:11
  3. Do You Hear the Robins Sing (Porter Wagoner) 2:25
  4. What Ain't to Be, Just Might Happen (Porter Wagoner) 2:13
  5. The Bird That Never Flew (Porter Wagoner) 3:11
  6. Comes and Goes (Porter Wagoner) 3:13
  7. Washday Blues (Porter Wagoner) 2:02
  8. ​When I Sing for Him (Porter Wagoner) 2:57
  9. He Left Me Love (Porter Wagoner) 2:55
  10. Oh, He's Everywhere (Porter Wagoner) 3:00
  11. Still on Your Mind (Porter Wagoner) 2:40
  12. ​Just as Good as Gone** (Dolly Parton) 2:27
​*Orignally released on the 2009 4-disc box set Dolly.

**Originally released as the B-side of "Washday Blues" and later included on the 2007 CD reissue of Coat of Many Colors.

Recording

Recording sessions for the album took place on May 2, 3, and 4, 1972, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee. One additional session followed on June 19. "Still on Your Mind" was recorded during a January 12, 1972 session for ​Touch Your Woman.
January 12, 1972
  • Still on Your Mind
May 2, 1972
  • He Left Me Love
  • Comes and Goes
May 3, 1972
  • He's Everywhere
  • Lonely Comin' Down*
  • Washday Blues
May 4, 1972
  • When I Sing for Him
  • The Bird That Never Flew
  • Do You Hear the Robins Sing
June 19, 1972
  • What Ain't to Be, Just Might Happen
*This recording would also be included on Dolly's 1974 album, Jolene.

Release and promotion

​The album was released October 2, 1972, on LP, cassette, and 8-track.

Singles

"Washday Blues" was released as the album's first single on July 10, 1972. It debuted at number 50 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated August 10. It peaked at number 20 on the chart dated September 23. It charted for nine weeks. It also peaked at number 11 on the Cashbox Country Singles chart. The single peaked at number seven in Canada on the RPM Country Singles chart.

The second single, "When I Sing for Him", was released on September 4, 1972 and failed to chart.

Critical reception

The review published in the October 14, 1972 issue of Billboard said, "Dolly Parton is coming on as the leading female country singer in the business. Here, she does "Lonely Comin' Down", "Do You Hear the Robins Sing", and "Still on Your Mind". "When I Sing for Him" is an excellently done gospel tune. Another stirring LP from Dolly!"

Cashbox gave a positive review of the album: "Dolly Parton—which is more beautiful, her voice or her looks? Whatever the answer, the combination of the two is simply devastating! Dolly radiates her inner soul through both her looks and her voice, and has shown time and time again that purity of feeling wins out over flashy singing tricks—her talent stands the test of time. In her liner notes, Dolly emphatically states that Porter Wagoner is her favorite songwriter, and for that reason she has recorded an album of his songs exclusively. The team of Dolly's performance and Porter's writing is another "perfect combination." A superlative album."

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars. He called the album's material "story-songs that verge on the melodramatic" and said that as a songwriter Porter "favors lurid exaggeration" compared to Dolly's "spare, finely honed details," which results in the album "touching upon country corn." He closed by saying that when the material is compared to album's that feature Parton originals, the result reveals "who the better songwriter of these two is."
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Billboard review, October 14, 1972.
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Cashbox review, October 7, 1972.

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 45 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart dated November 18, 1972. It peaked at number 33 on the chart dated December 23, sixth week on the chart. The album charted for seven weeks.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album liner notes.

Orignal album

  • Jerry Carrigan – drums, piano
  • Pete Drake – steel guitar
  • Bobby Dyson – electric guitar, bass guitar
  • Bob Ferguson – producer
  • Johnny Gimble – fiddle
  • Dave Kirby – electric guitar
  • Les Leverett – cover photo
  • Mack Magaha – fiddle
  • The Nashville Edition – background vocals
  • Dolly Parton – lead vocals, liner notes
  • Al Pachucki – recording engineer
  • Tom Pick – recording engineer
  • Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano, organ
  • Billy Sanford – rhythm guitar
  • Roy Shockley – recording technician
  • Jerry Stembridge (Chip Young) – flat top guitar
  • Bobby Thompson – rhythm guitar, banjo
  • Buck Trent – electric banjo

Releases

​FORMAT / TITLE / LABEL & CATALOG # / REGION / RELEASE DATE (MM-DD-YYYY)​​
  • LP / My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner / RCA Victor LSP-4761 / US & Canada / 10-02-1972
  • 8-track / My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner / RCA Victor P8S-2017 / US & Canada / 10-02-1972
  • Cassette / My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner / RCA Victor PK-2017 / US & Canada / 10-02-1972
  • LP / My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner / RCA Victor LSP-4761 / Germany / 1972
  • LP / My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner / RCA Victor 38-429 / South Africa / 1972
  • CD / The Fairest of Them All • My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner / The Omni Recording Corporation OMNI-138 / US / 08-17-2010
  • Digital download / My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner / Sony Music Entertainment / Various / 01-11-2011
  • Streaming / My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner / Sony Music Entertainment / Various / 01-11-2011