SPEAK SOFTLY, MY LOVE – STU PHILLIPS

Chart performance:

Week	Position	Movement	Comments
25-Apr-69	20	New
02-May-69	19	+1
09-May-69	16	+3
16-May-69	17	-1
23-May-69	13	+4	Star rater/Peak
30-May-69	16	-3

Written by: Ruby Allmond
Produced by: Chet Atkins
Arranged & Conducted by: Bill McElhiney
South African record label (unless otherwise stated): RCA Victor

Hit number for artist	3
Peak position	13
Weeks	6
Biggest climber awards	0
Star rater climbs	1
Biggest faller awards	0
Top 20 points	25
Overall Top 20 points ranking	=1931
Top 20 points ranking for the artist	3
Top 30 Points	85
Overall Top 30 points ranking	=1933
Top 30 points ranking for the artist	3

Annual ranking:

1969

=109

The song would rank 34^th out of the 42 songs by Canadian acts that charted (top 20 points basis). Ruby Allmond, a fiddle player and who wrote the track, would win the title of National Champion Girl Fiddler in US.

Video:

Artist link: Stu Phillips

CRYSTAL CHANDELIER – STU PHILLIPS

Chart performance:

Week	Position	Movement	Comments
23-Aug-68	19	New
30-Aug-68	16	+3
06-Sep-68	13	+3
13-Sep-68	12	+1
20-Sep-68	11	+1	Peak
27-Sep-68	15	-4	Biggest faller
04-Oct-68	18	-3
11-Oct-68	19	-1
18-Oct-68	18	+1

Written by: Ted Harris
Produced by: Chet Atkins
South African record label (unless otherwise stated): RCA Victor

Hit number for artist	1
Peak position	11
Weeks	9
Biggest climber awards	0
Star rater climbs	0
Biggest faller awards	1
Top 20 points	48
Overall Top 20 points ranking	=1620
Top 20 points ranking for the artist	2
Top 30 Points	138
Overall Top 30 points ranking	=1564
Top 30 points ranking for the artist	1

Annual ranking:

1968

=77

The song was first released by Carl Belew in July 1965. In the November of 1965 Vic Dana released a version which went to 51 in the US. I am open to correction, but Stu Phillips’ version does not appear to have been released as a single anywhere else but in South Africa.

Video:

Artist link: Stu Phillips

STU PHILLIPS (CANADA)

Born: 19 January 1933

Not to be confused with the American composer of the same name who wrote theme music for TV shows such as ‘Battlestar Galactica’, ‘Buck Rogers’ and ‘Knight Rider’, this Stu Phillips was a Canadian country singer who was born in St Eustache, a suburb of Montreal. As a youngster he would sing on local radio shows and would appear at carnivals and rodeos. He would start his recording career in the late 50’s and around the same time was a radio announcer on a local station in Edmonton. His first hit was 1965’s ‘Kathy Keep Playing’ which would top the Canadian Country Singles chart. He would make his US break through in 1966 with ‘Bracero’ which made it to 39 on the US Country Singles charts and was the first of 8 of his hits to make that chart (best showing of 13 by 1967’s ‘Juanita Jones’). For a good while he hosted the Canadian Country Music TV show ‘Red River Jamboree’ and is an active member of the Grand Ole Opry. He is also an ordained minister of the Episcopal Church.

Date of entry	Song	Peak (weeks at 1)	Weeks
23-Aug-1968	Crystal Chandelier	11	9
13-Dec-1968	Vin Rosé	9	7
		Total hits	2
		Total weeks	16

Biggest climber awards	0
Star rater climbs	2
Biggest fallers	1
Weeks with oldest in the charts	0
Longest run in the charts (weeks)	9
Weeks with more than 1 in the charts	0
Biggest gap between hits (weeks)	12
Top 30 points ranking	=496
Top 20 points ranking	=642
Top 30 points	349
Top 20 points	129

He would rank 16^th of the 25 Canadians who made the top 20 (top 20 points basis) and 10^th out of 25 on a top 30 points basis.