30 Years Ago Today: Sammy Kershaw Lands His Only #1 Hit
When you think of Sammy Kershaw, you think of one of country music’s consummate 90s performers. Sure, maybe you don’t think of him at the same level as Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Clint Black, or Brooks & Dunn, a.k.a. the “Class of ’89” heavyweights. But songs like “Queen of My Double Wide Trailer” and “Cadillac Style” are so emblematic of 90s country, you might be surprised to learn that Sammy Kershaw only had one #1 hit in his entire career.
Don’t allow that to mislead you that Sammy Kershaw’s career wasn’t successful. He had three #2 songs (“Third Rate Romance,” “Love of My Life,” “National Working Woman’s Holiday), two #3 songs (“Cadillac Style” and “I Can’t Reach Her Anymore”), and eleven Top 10’s overall. But the competition was so cutthroat in the 90s, only one song officially went #1 in the Louisiana native’s illustrious career, and it happened 30 years ago today, April 24th, 1993.
“She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful” isn’t just the perfect specimen of a 90s country song, it might be a perfect specimen of a country song, period. Written by Bob McDill with Paul Harrison, songs like “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful” are the reason Bob McDill was just announced as the latest songwriter to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It’s also due to “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful” that some predict Sammy Kershaw could be a potential Hall of Famer in the coming years himself, despite only minting one #1.
In the simple language that only the greatest country songs can, “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful” tells a story that so many people can relate to. But when the song was released on February 9th, 1993 as the first single from Kershaw’s album Haunted Heart, it was an entirely novel approach to a country song in a genre of clichés.
The American South is full of men trying to convince women they’re beautiful, and modest women who will have none of it. There are exceptions of course, but this song touches upon the gentlemanly customs of the South. We’ve all known that woman that no matter your sincere compliments, remains demure and perfectly unaware of their power over the opposite sex, which often renders them that much more endearing.
As insightfully simple and original as the lyrics are to “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful,” it’s the little fiddle melody in the song that really helps set it off. And of course, the reason the song went to #1 is because Sammy Kershaw was born to sing it, bringing the perfect timbre to the composition, which has allowed the song to withstand the test of time. The multi-layered chorus is hard to not sing along to.
Much of the greatest country music is delightfully simple, putting into words things we’ve thought or believed, but never knew how to say, or never said out loud. There may not be a better example of this than Sammy Kershaw’s “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful.”
April 24, 2023 @ 9:35 am
Yeah. Produced by Buddy Cannon, too.
April 24, 2023 @ 9:11 pm
Well thanks for the facts, one fact for sure he livened up the dance floors for us in Abilene to Austin in the day.
May 1, 2023 @ 4:43 am
Coleman, Texas as well.
April 24, 2023 @ 10:53 pm
You should also check out the version by Jade Marie Patek, who has quite the knack for taking songs made popular by male artists and making them her own. You can find it on YouTube.
April 24, 2023 @ 9:38 am
My favorite Sammy Kershaw song is actually Haunted Heart itself. I don’t know why that wasn’t a bigger hit.
April 24, 2023 @ 9:48 am
Thank you for the nice, informative article about Sammy Kershaw! I got to see him perform with Aaron Tippin and Collin Raye (Roots & Boots Tour) on March 7, 2023 at the Strawberry Festival in Plant City, Florida!
April 24, 2023 @ 10:17 am
Your Tattoo and 3rd rate romance are still my favorites, always wondered why he never did a full album of George Jones songs, as he sounded so much like him, I know he did a few songs live, and I think he did one on a Jone’s tribute album? But I was always sure he could have done a complete album of Jone’s best songs.
April 24, 2023 @ 11:26 am
He did in 2014. Sammy Kershaw Do You Know Me? a Tribute to George Jones.
April 24, 2023 @ 1:06 pm
Well duh! I cannot believe I forgot about that, talk about a massive brain fart. Hey, thanks for telling me, I remember now, I will see if I can find a cd of this.
April 24, 2023 @ 10:24 am
I would’ve thought all those songs you listed were a number #1. I still listen to “Don’t Go Near The Water” quite a bit.
April 24, 2023 @ 2:17 pm
My favorite Sammy’s song is anywhere but here
April 24, 2023 @ 2:32 pm
Not really surprised he didn’t have more number ones though I did like some of his stuff. The competition back then was tough. I also don’t consider any of his songs as great. I didn’t even really like the song spot lighted here that much. Personally Cadillac style and third rate romance are probably my favorites by him. On a weird side note, I seem to always get him and hal Ketchum confused with one another.
April 25, 2023 @ 6:47 pm
Tell me you only know a couple of his songs and never listened to any album cuts
April 25, 2023 @ 8:45 pm
That would be true. I didn’t like him enough to buy an album. Haven’t gotten around to listening on Spotify to his other songs, probably never will. Regardless wouldn’t change what I said.
April 25, 2023 @ 9:46 pm
Ok Mr I think my opinion is 100% fact
April 26, 2023 @ 5:34 pm
Kind of odd. What music a person likes is a choice. You can like what you like, I’m not going to say something stupid to that. But have a nice day
April 24, 2023 @ 2:34 pm
Yeah, it was a bit odd that Sammy, who was a country radio mainstay in the ’90s only scored one #1 hit. His some-time compadre Aaron Tippin, who often had to struggle to even get his singles played on country radio because of his rough, turbo-Hank voice, somehow managed to land three #1’s.
Hard to see these guys–or Chesnutt and Diffie and Lawrence et al–getting into the H-o-F unless they decide to vastly expand the number of incuctees. I don’t think there’s much demand for that.
April 24, 2023 @ 5:48 pm
Kershaw won’t even make the Lorrie Morgan HOF.
April 24, 2023 @ 6:01 pm
That’s a tough one.
She’s got two H-o-F’ers that she was with–Keith Whitley and Troy Aikman–plus her old man.
(I have no idea why George Morgan is in the H-o-F. Sammy–and Lorrie, too–seem to be on his level.)
April 25, 2023 @ 4:21 am
Lorrie campaigned hard for daddy.
April 25, 2023 @ 8:01 am
Didn’t George Morgan live at the Opry? At one point, I think he played the most shows. That coupled with the lack of competition probably paved the way to his HOF induction.
April 25, 2023 @ 2:01 pm
And of course, there is TV footage of him closing out the Ryman in 1974.
April 25, 2023 @ 2:15 pm
Nope Jeannie Sealy has that record of performing most @the opry
April 25, 2023 @ 2:32 pm
Hence the “at one point,” Mark Willis. He passed in 1975, so I assumed he’d long been passed by in appearances.
April 25, 2023 @ 1:46 pm
We got to see Sammy along with Marty Stuart at Six Flags in Atlanta. Made me a fan for life. Both put on such a great show you couldn’t help but love them. I certainly would have thought there were more #1 hits there.
April 24, 2023 @ 2:34 pm
Politics, Religion and Her, shoulda been a #1 hit!!
April 24, 2023 @ 4:39 pm
Sammy had a lot of singles that sound like they would have been #1 hits. Like “Queen of My Double Wide Trailer,” written by the brilliant Denis Linde, with its great line about auto mechanic Earl, “He’s the Charlie Daniels of the torque wrench,” which only made it to #7. I’m not sure why it didn’t go higher, but it was the third single off of Sammy’s “Haunted Heart” album. Maybe some radio stations jumped on it before it was released as a single and played it out. That’s what happened with another Linde song, from the year before, “Bubba Shot the Juke Box,” written for Mark Chesnutt, which was the third single off of his “Long Necks” CD.
Linde, who also wrote “Burning Love” for Elvis and “Callin’ Baton Rouge” for New Grass and Garth–and who wrote almost all of his songs solo, with no co-writers, is a should-be H-o-F’er as a songwriter. When I think of an old Linde song, I tend to think I’ve seen the video….even though I’ve never watched a video channel. The video is in the lyrics.
April 24, 2023 @ 5:41 pm
Soundtrack to my High School years.
I played the cassettes to both Don’t Go Near The Water and Haunted Heart until the ribbons snapped. Speaking of delightful simplicity, even after all these decades, the chorus to “Still Lovin’ You” sneaks up on me while working or after I have one too many.
You are right about the fiddle in “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful.” It’s something after you hear it a gazillion times, you take for granted.
Kershaw is a good follow on TikTok (37.1k followers). He’s always outside building something or operating some heavy machinery. The Louisiana sun has pruned him up like a raisin, but he’s a man fulfilled with life.
April 24, 2023 @ 5:53 pm
I cannot believe no one has brought up “Yard Sale” as one of his BEST! I also agreed with the “Politics, Religion and Her”!
April 24, 2023 @ 8:21 pm
Yard sale is an awesome tune !
April 25, 2023 @ 8:58 am
Absolutely! Love both of those tunes.
April 26, 2023 @ 12:39 am
Ya know she knew she was perty, butt the separation an divorce as to my recollection wasn’t oh ???? my, wit that beon said, I’ve gotta stick to the yardsale sign said sold,oh Boise Idaho there go’s the baby’s wagon,an no longer my blue angel, just diggin up bones these days wit a tear in my beer.
April 26, 2023 @ 7:34 am
Yard Sale is my favorite too, I actually discovered it because in the late 90s when Steve Austin was at the height of his fame, they actually released mixed CDs of his favorite songs. Stone Cold Country had Yard Sale on it
April 24, 2023 @ 6:20 pm
I love when Sammy tells the story of how She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful went to #1. It was sitting at #2 and a radio DJ put the song on repeat and locked the studio door so that it would go to #1. At least that’s what he’s said at concerts.
April 25, 2023 @ 5:08 am
Great story but highly unlikely.
Statistically it would be very difficult for ONE radio station to push a song to the #1 position. Chart ranking is tabulated by the aggregate total number of spins from all of the radio stations on the chart magazine’s reporting panel. ONE radio station would have to play the same song over and over for a prolonged period of time to have even a small impact
Hard to imagine any Radio Program Director that would allow that to happen. Radio ratings are based on satisfying listeners to keep them tuned in as long as possible. Repeating the same song over and over again would create tune-out. Folks would either turn off their radio or even worse switch to a competing radio station. Neither situation brings any benefit to the station.
Many comments that artists make onstage at their concerts is hyperbole. Some artists claim that they’ve had many more #1 hits than reality supports. Sammy’s idol George Jones often used to say onstage that he was going to play “all night long.” It never happened.
April 25, 2023 @ 8:05 am
It was a promo but it happened before I know of it. When nyc was absent of a country radio station for maybe 15 years a new one came to be. It’s since gone again. They played the first 24 hours of the station to welcome themselves with Randy houser “how country feels”
April 25, 2023 @ 6:36 am
“Southbound” , “Politics, Religion and Her” , “I Saw You Today” , “Matches” , “Love of My Life” , good memories.
April 25, 2023 @ 9:25 am
Love Sammy. One of the greatest song lines, “He was Charlie Daniels of the torque wrench.”
Double-Wide Trailer. One of my guilty-pleasure songs.
April 25, 2023 @ 1:24 pm
I think my all-time favorite from Sammy is his duet with Lorrie on the absolutely George-and-Tammy-esque “Good Year For the Roses.”
April 25, 2023 @ 6:24 pm
My favorite Kershaw song is one of his later ones, Better Than I Used to Be. Tim McGraw had a bigger hit with it a couple of years later, but to me, Sammy’s was the definitive version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0PAezrm3PU
April 26, 2023 @ 7:40 am
You are the love of my life, I always love this song
April 26, 2023 @ 10:16 am
I think that Shania Twain sand background vocals on one of the songs on his Haunted Heart album
April 26, 2023 @ 6:23 pm
Love Sammy he didn’t sing one song that I didn’t love!! I can still hear any of his songs and sing along. If he wants to come back and play again I will buy the first ticket.
June 9, 2023 @ 7:47 am
my favorite by sammy is youre still on my mind, that song
goes through my mind every day. he looked so good singing it.