Girl On the Billboard

Del Reeves hit the ball out of the park with his first United Artists single, "Girl on the Billboard," a Number One hit that crossed over to the lower rungs of the pop chart. Del Reeves Sings Girl on the Billboard attaches 11 songs to Reeves' career hit, including his follow-up hit "Belles of Southern Bell," another high-spirited girl-watching tune. The album itself climbed high on the country album charts, and its two hit singles set the tone for Reeves' subsequent United Artists recordings with quick tempos and abundant humor. Reeves' formula hadn't yet solidified at this stage, though, so the rest of the album contains a number of weepers, some of which are covers of recent hits such like Charlie Louvin's "I Don't Love You Anymore" and Merle Haggard's "Strangers." His covers of songs associated with Buck Owens ("I've Got a Tiger by the Tail"), Roger Miller ("King of the Road") and George Jones ("The Race Is One") are more in keeping with Reeves' sound as it came to be known, as is the delightfully weird "Indian Burial Ground," which Marvin Rainwater also recorded. Nashville songwriter Hank Mills contributed three songs, beginning a fruitful alliance that continued through Reeves' albums Doodle-Oo-Doo-Doo and Special Delivery. Del Reeves Sings Girl on the Billboard isn't as free-wheeling and fun as some of his later albums, but the title track remains his best-loved song.