The Tractors (album)

The Tractors is the debut studio album by American country music band the Tractors. Released in August 1994 on Arista Records, it set a record for becoming the fastest-selling debut album by a group to achieve Recording Industry Association of America platinum certification in the United States; by the end of the year, it was certified double platinum, and became the highest-selling country album of 1994.^{[3][dead link‍]} The tracks "Baby Likes to Rock It", "Tryin' to Get to New Orleans", and "Badly Bent" were all released as singles. "Baby Likes to Rock It" was the only one to reach the top 40, peaking at number 11 on Hot Country Songs.

The Tractors
Studio album by the Tractors
Released	August 2, 1994
Genre	Country
Length	47:19
Label	Arista
Producer	Steve Ripley, Walt Richmond
The Tractors chronology
The Tractors (1994) Have Yourself a Tractors Christmas (1995)
Singles from The Tractors
"Baby Likes to Rock It" Released: August 22, 1994

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	A[2]

Recording the album

Steve Ripley, the Tractors' lead vocalist and guitarist, co-produced the album along with keyboardist/bass vocalist Walt Richmond at The Church Studio in Tulsa, OK.^[4]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Tulsa Shuffle"	Steve Ripley	3:54
2.	"Fallin' Apart"	Ripley, Ron Getman	3:47
3.	"Thirty Days"	Chuck Berry	2:45
4.	"I've Had Enough"	Ripley	3:10
5.	"The Little Man"	Jim Pulte, Ripley, Tim DuBois	5:46
6.	"Baby Likes to Rock It"	Ripley, Walt Richmond	3:56
7.	"Badly Bent"	Ripley, Richmond, Martha Ellis	3:02
8.	"The Blue Collar Rock"	Ripley	4:34
9.	"Doreen"	Ripley	2:29
10.	"Settin' the Woods on Fire"	Fred Rose, Ed G. Nelson	2:55
11.	"Tryin' to Get to New Orleans"	Ripley, Richmond, DuBois	4:40
12.	"The Tulsa Shuffle (Revisited)"	Ripley	6:11

Personnel

The Tractors

• Ron Getman – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, steel guitar, Dobro, mandolin, high harmony vocals
• Jamie Oldaker – drums, "groove snares", tambourine, percussion
• Walt Richmond – Steinway piano, Hammond B–3 organ, accordion, Wurlitzer, clavinet, drums, horns, bass vocals
• Steve Ripley – electric guitar, drums, lead vocals
• Casey van Beek – bass guitar, low harmony vocals

Additional musicians

"The Tulsa Shuffle"

• J. J. Cale – guitar
• Joe Davis – saxophones
• Jim Keltner – drums
• Glen Mitchell – Hammond B-3 organ
• Bonnie Raitt – slide guitar
• Angelene Ripley – Hammond B-3 organ
• Elvis Ripley – tremolo guitar
• Leon Russell – synthesizer

"Fallin' Apart"

• Ed Richmond – fiddle

"Thirty Days"

• Debbie Campbell – background vocals
• John Crowder – background vocals
• Joe Davis – saxophones
• Ron Morgan – upright bass on intro
• Jim Sweney – background vocals

"I've Had Enough"

• Steve Collier – steel guitar
• Gene Crownaver – steel guitar
• Curly Lewis – fiddles
• Waddy Pass – steel guitar

"The Little Man"

• Rick Morton – fiddle
• Jim Pulte – bass vocals
• Bonnie Raitt – slide guitar
• Angelene Ripley – Hammond B-3 organ
• Elvis Ripley – tremolo guitar

"Baby Likes to Rock It"

• James Burton – "Master of the Telecaster"

"Badly Bent"

• Steve Bagsby – steel guitar
• Curly Lewis – fiddle

"The Blue Collar Rock"

• Ry Cooder – slide guitar
• Jim Keltner – additional drums

"Doreen"

• Eldon Shamblin – guitar

"Settin' the Woods on Fire"

None

"Tryin' to Get to New Orleans"

• Joe Davis – horns

"The Tulsa Shuffle (Revisited)"

• Junior Markham & the Tulsa All-Stars
  • Junior Markham – harmonica
  • Jimmy Karstein – drums
  • Chuck Blackwell – drums
  • Chuck Browning – drums
  • David Teegarden – drums
  • Steve Hickerson – guitar
  • Tommy Tripplehorn – guitar
• Glen Mitchell, Larry Bell, Carl Bickhardt, Dick Sims, Angelene Ripley, Ed Robinson – Hammond B-3 organs
• Steve Allen, Rick Beilke, Mike Bruce, Mark Bruner, Jim Byfield, Robert Coggins, Jon Crowder, Gary Cundiff, Jim Edwards, Richard Feldman, Huey Flannery, Ron Flynt, Michael Garrett, Gary Gilmore, Doc James, Roger Linn, Steve Pryor, Jim Pulte, Gordon Shryock, "Skee", Roger Tillison, Don White – guitars
• Chuck DeWalt, Bill Belknap, Rich Brown, Jim Keltner – additional drums
• Stacey Grant – trombone
• Danny Mayo – "life observations and noises"
• Ron Morgan – bass guitar riffs
• Bonnie Raitt – slide guitar
• Charlene Ripley – trumpet
• Pat "Taco" Ryan – saxophone
• Leon Russell – MIDI
• Jim Strader – bass guitar licks
• Spencer Sutton – piano

Additional production and engineering

• Don Cobb – digital editing
• Ron Getman – engineering
• Maude Gilman – art direction
• Carlos Grier – digital editing
• Señor McGuire – photography
• Denny Purcell – mastering
• Walt Richmond – production, engineering, photography
• Angelene Ripley – engineering
• Elvis Ripley – engineering
• Steve Ripley – production, engineering, design, original art

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1994–1995) Peak position Canadian Albums (RPM) 36 Canadian Country Albums (RPM) 1 US Billboard 200[5] 19 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[6] 2 US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[7] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1994) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[8] 57 Chart (1995) Position US Billboard 200[9] 64 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[10] 7

References

1. "Tractors Review by AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
2. Bob Cannon. "The Tractors". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
3. Flans, Robyn (1999-03-01). "The Tractors: A Fresh Breeze from Tulsa". MIX: Professional Audio & Music Production. Retrieved January 1, 2008.^{[dead link‍]}
4. The Tractors (CD booklet). Arista Nashville. 1994. 18728-2.
5. "The Tractors, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
6. "The Tractors, CLP". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
7. "The Tractors, TLN". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
8. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
9. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
10. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2021.