Labor of Love (Sammy Kershaw album)

Labor of Love is the fifth studio album by the American country music artist Sammy Kershaw. It was released in 1997 (see 1997 in country music) on Mercury Records. It was his third album to achieve RIAA platinum certification and his highest-charting album on the Top Country Albums charts, where it peaked at #5.

Labor of Love
Studio album by Sammy Kershaw
Released	November 4, 1997 (1997-11-04)
Studio	Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas. Cayman Moon Recorders, Berry Hill, TN, The Castle, Franklin, TN, Sound Stage Studios, Wedgewood Studios, Nashville, TN
Genre	Country
Length	36:39
Label	Mercury Nashville
Producer	Keith Stegall
Sammy Kershaw chronology
Politics, Religion and Her (1996) Labor of Love (1997) Maybe Not Tonight (1999)
Singles from Labor of Love
"Love of My Life" Released: October 20, 1997 "Matches" Released: March 23, 1998 "Honky Tonk America" Released: June 27, 1998 "One Day Left to Live" Released: October 10, 1998

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Country Standard Time	(not rated) link

In order of release, this album's singles were "Love of My Life", "Matches", "Honky Tonk America" and "One Day Left to Live", which respectively reached #2, #22, #31 and #35 on the Hot Country Songs charts. "Little Did I Know" was co-written by Dave Gibson (formerly of the Gibson/Miller Band) and Bill McCorvey, lead vocalist of Pirates of the Mississippi.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Honky Tonk America"	Bob McDill	3:56
2.	"Shootin' the Bull (In an Old Cowtown)"	Monty Criswell, Michael White	3:01
3.	"One Day Left to Live"	Randy Boudreaux, Dean Dillon, John Northrup	2:54
4.	"Cotton County Queen"	Phil Barnhart, Sam Hogin, Wally Wilson	3:35
5.	"Matches"	Skip Ewing, Roger Springer	3:52
6.	"Labor of Love"	Larry Boone, Billy Lawson	2:27
7.	"Thank God You're Gone"	Sammy Kershaw, Mike Fornes	3:22
8.	"Little Did I Know"	Greg Crowe, Dave Gibson, Bill McCorvey	2:45
9.	"Arms Length Away"	White, Monty Criswell, Lee Thomas Miller	3:19
10.	"Roamin' Love"	Kershaw	3:08
11.	"Love of My Life"	Keith Stegall, Ed Hill	4:22

Personnel

As listed in liner notes.^[1]

• Eddie Bayers - drums
• Stuart Duncan - fiddle
• Paul Franklin - steel guitar
• Sammy Kershaw - lead vocals
• Brent Mason - electric guitar
• Hargus "Pig" Robbins - keyboards
• John Wesley Ryles - background vocals
• Joe Spivey - fiddle
• John D. Willis - acoustic guitar
• Glenn Worf - bass guitar

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1997) Peak position Canadian Country Albums (RPM) 9 US Billboard 200[2] 49 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[3] 5

Year-end charts Chart (1998) Position US Billboard 200[4] 160 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[5] 17

References

1. Labor of Love (Media notes). Sammy Kershaw. Mercury Records. 1997. 314-536 318-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
2. "Sammy Kershaw Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
3. "Sammy Kershaw Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
4. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
5. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2021.

• Allmusic (see infobox)