1969–1976: Decca Records and musical shifts Gayle was first managed by
Oliver Lynn (Loretta Lynn's husband) after signing with
Decca Records. Among her first professional gigs were routine appearances on
Jim Ed Brown's television show
The Country Place. On the program, Gayle performed original songs written by Loretta Lynn including "Sparklin' Look of Love" and "Mama, It's Different This Time". Her debut single was released in 1970 titled "
I've Cried (The Blue Right Out of My Eyes)". Also written by Lynn, the song peaked within the top 40 of the
Billboard Hot Country Singles</a> chart. During this period, Lynn gave Gayle advice that prompted her to expand her musical styles. Lynn said, "quit singing my songs...We have one Loretta Lynn and we don't need another." The conversation led Gayle to ultimately leave Decca in 1974. The same year, Gayle's <a href="/wiki/crystal-gayle-album" data-wiki="1">self-titled debut album</a> was issued, The following year, she had her first top ten hit on the country chart with "Wrong Road Again", also written by Allen Reynolds. Her third studio album,
Crystal, was released in 1976, peaking at number 7 on the Top Country Albums chart.
1977–1979: Crossover breakthrough Producer Allen Reynolds believed Gayle was poised to have
crossover pop success if the right song were found. In 1977, Richard Leigh had composed a tune called "
Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". The song was originally intended for British singer
Shirley Bassey. When Reynolds heard the song he said to Leigh, "You're not sending that song anywhere." As was common practice at the time, according to the documentary the track was recorded alongside a guide or
scratch vocal, which Gayle recorded in one take. Going back later to re-record the final production vocal, after several tries, she said she couldn't get the same feeling back as in the original, so this was kept as the master. "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" was released as a single in 1977, peaking at number 1 on the
Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and crossing over to number 2 on the
Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, it became a hit in several countries including the
United Kingdom, where it reached the number 5 position. Since its release, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" has been received positively by music critics and fans. They have also considered it her
signature song. Gayle's fourth studio record,
We Must Believe in Magic, was also released in 1977. The album peaked at number 2 on the
Billboard country albums chart and number 12 on the
Billboard 200.
We Must Believe in Magic has received positive reviews since its initial release.
AllMusic gave the record 3.5 out of 5 stars. Paul Dennis of
My Kind of Country gave the album a "Grade A" rating, calling it "an eclectic mix of songs ranging from pop standards to rock 'n' roll hits to songs by contemporary country songsmiths."
We Must Believe in Magic became the first album by a female country artist to certify platinum in sales by the
Recording Industry Association of America. In 1978, Gayle earned the
Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", while Leigh won a Grammy for
Best Country Song. In 1978, her fifth studio album
When I Dream was released, also reaching number 2 on the country albums chart. The album peaked at number 52 on the
Billboard 200 and certified by platinum by the RIAA.
When I Dream also received positive reviews, garnering 3 out of 5 stars from
AllMusic and another "Grade A" rating from
My Kind of Country. Its lead single was the
Roger Cook-penned "
Talking in Your Sleep". It became a number 1 country single and crossed over to number 18 on the Hot 100. "Talking in Your Sleep" became Gayle's second international hit as well, peaking at number 11 in the United Kingdom. The album also included the hits "
Why Have You Left the One You Left Me For" and the
title track. By the end of 1978, Gayle had won "Female Vocalist of the Year" from both the
Academy of Country Music and the
Country Music Association. Before departing from the United Artists label, her sixth studio album
We Should Be Together (1979) was released. It featured the two top-ten hits: "
Your Kisses Will" and "
Your Old Cold Shoulder".
1979–1989: Continued crossover success In 1979, Gayle moved to
Columbia Records, bringing Reynolds with her. Under Columbia, Gayle began recording more cover versions of songs. This decision received praise from music critics, who credited her for being "versatile". Her seventh studio album,
Miss the Mississippi was released in 1979 as well. It featured three major hits including "
Half the Way", which became her third crossover pop hit.
Miss the Mississippi peaked at number 3 on the
Billboard Top Country Albums chart number 36 on the
Billboard 200 and certified gold in sales from the RIAA. Gayle's eighth studio release
These Days (1980) spawned two more number 1 singles on the
Billboard Hot Country Singles chart: "
If You Ever Change Your Mind" and "
Too Many Lovers". In 1981, Gayle's ninth studio album
Hollywood, Tennessee peaked at number 5 on the country albums chart and number 99 on the
Billboard 200. Although commercially successful, it received mixed critical reviews. Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann said that the album "symbolized her uptown inspirations" and Jason Ankeny of
AllMusic gave the album only 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Hollywood, Tennessee spawned three major hits on the
Billboard country songs chart. This included the crossover hit, "
The Woman in Me", and the social awareness tune, "
Livin' in These Troubled Times". For the special, Gayle and Hope taped a performance on the
Great Wall of China. The special made Gayle the first artist to film a performance on the Great Wall. In 1982, Gayle collaborated with
Tom Waits on the soundtrack of
Francis Ford Coppola's film
One from the Heart. Originally,
Bette Midler was chosen for the project but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. At first the soundtrack was delayed by Columbia Records due to a dispute with Coppola's Zoetrope Studios. When it was released, the
soundtrack received positive reviews. Thom Jurek of
AllMusic gave the release 4.5 out of 5 stars, who called it "one of the most beautifully wrought soundtrack collaborations in history". Steve Pond of
Rolling Stone called it "a dreamy series of duets with Crystal Gayle that drift in and out of the film, comment on the action and supply some crucial transitions." The album would receive a mixed reception. In
Billboard Magazines initial review, they praised Gayle's vocals despite the use of "tougher arrangements". Tom Roland of AllMusic praised Gayle's performance, notably on the tracks "
Our Love Is on the Faultline" and "Deeper Than the Fire". Roland also criticized the production arrangements Bowen arranged for.
Cage the Songbird peaked at number 5 on the Top Country Albums chart and number 171 on the
Billboard 200. Among its singles were the crossover hits "
The Sound of Goodbye" and "
Turning Away". Gayle had further hits from her next studio releases in 1985 and 1986. Among these were the number one hits, "
Straight to the Heart" (1986) and "
Cry" (1986). The latter was a song originally popularized by
Johnnie Ray. In 1983, she would also record the theme song for the television series
Masquerade. In 1984, she sang a duet with Hong Kong singer
Danny Chan, titled "Tell Me What Can I Do", it was largely unknown due to lack of promotional budget. Between 1985 and 1987, Gayle collaborated with country artist
Gary Morris on a series of duets. The first being the single "
Makin' Up for Lost Time". The song reached number 1 on the
Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1986. "Makin' Up for Lost Time" was referred to as the "Lovers' Theme" on
Dallas. It became an
anthem for
supercouple Bobby (
Patrick Duffy) and
Pam Ewing (
Victoria Principal) on the
CBS prime time soap opera. The pair also recorded the theme for the
NBC soap opera
Another World. Also titled "
Another World", it peaked on the
Billboard Hot Country Singles chart at number four in February 1986. Gayle would also guest star in the show as herself. The show would ultimately use Morris' and Gayle's recording as the show's opening theme for nine years. The duo would release their collaborative studio album in 1986 titled,
What If We Fall in Love?. The album peaked at number 25 on the
Billboard country albums list in September 1987. In 1988, Gayle released her final album of the decade entitled ''
Nobody's Angel''. The album produced two singles; the
title track and the single "Tennessee Nights". Also in 1987, Gayle opened a
gift shop in
Nashville called "Crystal's Fine Gifts and Jewelry". The store contained various gifts, such as
jewelry and stones made by various European artisans. The shop also included various types of
crystals. In a 1994 interview, Gayle commented on her business: "The little shop turned into a much larger shop and it takes a lot of work, as anyone in retail well knows. But we have a lot of fun with it." The shop officially closed in 2008.
1990–present: Later career and recent years In 1990, Gayle signed a new recording contract with
Capitol Records and reunited with producer Allen Reynolds. The same year she released seventeenth studio album, ''
Ain't Gonna Worry. Bill Carpenter of AllMusic gave the release 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "an excellent set of country pop". The album spawned several singles, beginning with "Just an Old Love". In its initial review Billboard'' gave it a positive response, praising the production style of Reynolds. Its third single, "
Never Ending Song of Love", would become Gayle's last charting single to date, reaching number 72 on the
Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. Her eighteenth studio album came in 1992 called
Three Good Reasons. The album was produced by Buzz Stone. The album's lead single of the same name spawned a
music video. Bill Kohlhaase of the
Los Angeles Times gave the song and video a positive review, saying, "The video, alternating between scenes of Gayle and her swirling tresses with sparsely staged visions of a single mother and her two children, is the kind of heartfelt, yet assertive statement that Gayle has parlayed into major success in the past." As the 1990s progressed, Gayle recorded material for smaller labels and issuing specialty projects. Her first small label was the Branson Entertainment Group, where she released an album of re-recorded hits titled
Best Always. In 1995, she signed with
Intersound Records and recorded a pair of
gospel studio albums. The first was 1995's
Someday, which she co-produced with
Bobby Wood. The album's first single included a music that was filmed in
Greece. In a 1995 interview, she explained the message behind the title track, "There are songs in there that definitely you've lived. The title track is a song that I think a lot of people, the way it's written, definitely relate to." In 1997, her second gospel collection was released titled
Joy & Inspiration. At the dawn of the new millennium, Gayle expanded her musical interests. In 1999, she released an album of
jazz and
American Standards called
Crystal Gayle Sings the Heart and Soul of Hoagy Carmichael. AllMusic's Thom Jurek gave the release 4 out of 5 stars in his review of
Heart and Soul. Jurek called it, "a gorgeous set, one that reaffirms Gayle's artistry to be sure, but also one that offers the first really new hearing of Carmichael in at least a decade."
Billboard Magazine praised the lead single, "
Two Sleepy People" (a duet with
Willie Nelson), calling it "sweet" and "playful". In 2000, she released a studio album of
children's music titled
In My Arms. In 2003, she released her second album of American standards called
All My Tomorrows. AllMusic gave the release 4 out of 5 stars, calling Gayle's singing "stunning" and "capable." In January 2007, fugitive
Christopher Daniel Gay escaped from custody at an
Interstate 95 welcome center near
Hardeeville, South Carolina, and made his way to Tennessee where he stole Gayle's tour bus. Gay was arrested the following day and the bus was returned to Gayle. For several years, Gayle spent time recording her next studio release. She stated the album would consist of covers of country music classics and would be produced by her son, Chris Gatzimos. The project was originally titled
Am I That Easy To Forget. In 2019, Gayle announced it would be re-titled ''
You Don't Know Me: Classic Country. It was officially released in September 2019 via Southpaw Productions and The Orchard. You Don't Know Me'' became Gayle's first studio album to chart since 1988, reaching number 40 on the
Billboard independent albums list. The album received positive reviews from critics. AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the release 3 of 5 stars. Erlewine noted that her upper register is "a little diminished", but she still "sounds amiable". Markos Papadatos of the
Digital Journal gave it an "A" rating, commenting, "Overall, Crystal Gayle is sensational on her new album, ''You Don't Know Me'', which is country as grits. Grab a bottle of wine and let this country queen lure you in with her timeless voice." ==Personal life==