After Kitty Wells' 1952 breakthrough, Shepard quickly followed, and a national television gig and the Opry helped make her a star when few female country singers had enduring success. Her first hit, "A Dear John Letter", a 1953 duet with Ferlin Husky, was the first post-World War II record by a woman country artist to sell more than a million copies.
Jean Shepard was born November 21, 1933 in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, but was raised in Visalia, California near Bakersfield. As a teenager, she played bass in the Melody Ranch Girls, an all-female band formed in 1948. Hank Thompson discovered Shepard a few years later.[2] With Thompson's help, Shepard signed with Capitol Records in 1952, following the success of Kitty Wells' "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" Shepard cut four songs at her first session with popular band players Jimmy Bryant, Speedy West, Cliffie Stone and Billy Strange. She recorded her first single for the label in 1952, "Crying Steel Guitar Waltz", but it failed to chart.
Shepard's first chart appearance was 1953's duet with Ferlin Husky, with "A Dear John Letter". It was a No. 1 smash, and also became a major crossover pop hit, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard pop chart. The song struck a chord a with audiences as it was a half-spoken duet about a soldier in the Korean War. The duo's follow-up, "Forgive Me John", was another crossover hit, peaking in the Top 10 on the country chart and the top 25 on the pop chart. Because at 20 she was still a minor, Shepard's parents signed her rights to Husky so she could tour.
In 1955, Shepard joined ABC-TV's nationally-telecast Ozark Jubilee for several years, and recorded her first studio album, Songs of a Love Affair, written by Shepard. She also charted her first solo top ten single, "A Satisfied Mind", that same year, backed by the No. 13 hit, "Take Possession". "A Satisfied Mind" peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard country chart. Shepard had another top five hit the same year with "Beautiful Lies". Its flip side, "I Thought of You", peaked in the country top ten. Her streak of hit singles led to an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry in 1955 as one of its few female stars; Kitty Wells and Minnie Pearl were the only others.
Because she was a honky tonk singer when the Nashville sound was popular, Shepard had just two charting country singles between 1956 and 1963. She had two charting singles in 1958 and 1959, however, with "I Want to Go Where No One Knows Me" and "Have Heart Will Love"; and was also named Cash Box's Top Female Artist of 1959.
In 1960, Shepard married fellow Opry star Hawkshaw Hawkins, whom she had met on Ozark Jubilee. He died three years later in the same plane crash that killed Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas. Shepard gave birth to their son Hawkshaw Jr. just one month after the crash. She later married country music musician and singer Benny Birchfield and they remain married.
Shepard returned to the top ten in 1964 with "Second Fiddle (To an Old Guitar)", which began a string of hits and proved a commercial comeback as well. In 1964 and 1965, she had two Top 40 hits with "A Tear Dropped By" and "Someone's Gotta Cry", from the Heart, We Did All We Could LP released in 1967. In 1966, Shepard recorded a duet with country singer Ray Pillow titled, "I'll Take the Dog", which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard country chart. This was followed by two solo hit singles the same year: the top ten hit, "If the Teardrops Were Silver" and the top 15 hit, "Many Happy Hangovers to You".
In 1967, Shepard had two top 20 hits with the title track of Heart, We Did All We Could and the single "Your Forevers Don't Last Very Long". The following year she had only one Top 40 hit, but continued to release albums, which included 1968's A Real Good Woman. In 1969, Shepard's LP, Seven Lonely Days, produced the hit single of the same name that reached the top 20. With the release of 1969's "Then He Touched Me", Shepard had a top ten hit; followed by three hits in 1970, including the top 15 hit, "Another Lonely Night". Shepard had one more Top 40 hit with Capitol, 1971's "With His Hand in Mine", and shortly afterward her singles began to drop out of the Top 40.
In the early 1970s, Shepard moved to United Artists Records. Her first single for the label in 1973, the Bill Anderson-penned “Slippin' Away,” was her biggest solo hit since the fifties. The single peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard country chart and also charted on the Billboard pop chart, peaking outside the Top 40. With the success of the single, an LP of the same name was released the same year and peaked at No. 15 on the Top Country Albums chart. Shepard's hits continued throughout the 1970s, though as the decade wore on she hit the Top 40 less frequently. She had three top 20 hits in 1974, beginning with the No. 13 smash "At the Time", and "I'll Do Anything it Takes (To Stay With You)". In 1975, Shepard recorded an album of songs written by Bill Anderson titled, Poor Sweet Baby (And Ten More Bill Anderson Songs). Both singles from the album were top 20 hits on the Billboard country chart between 1974 and 1975, and were also her last Top 40 singles.
She created controversy when she served as president of the Association of Country Entertainers, formed in response to Olivia Newton-John’s CMA Female Vocalist of the Year win in 1974. The organization was intended to keep country music "pure" and criticized the pop influences at the time. Shepard would come out in defense of "pure" country music again nearly forty years later, criticizing singer and TV personality Blake Shelton for a comment in which he referred to fans of traditional country as "old farts and jackasses": "We’ve got a young man in country music who has made some pretty dumb statements lately. What did he say? That traditional country music is for old farts and jack-you-know-whats? Well, I guess that makes me an old fart. I love country music. I won’t tell you what his name is…but his initials is BS…and he’s full of it!"
In 1975 and 1976, Shepard recorded two albums, I'm a Believer and Mercy/Ain't Love Good, before leaving the label in 1976. In response, United Artists released a Greatest Hits compilation. Between 1977 and 1978, she recorded for the smaller GRT label, which produced minor hit singles on the Billboard country chart. She had her last charting record in 1978 under the label with "The Real Thing".
After departing GRT at the end of the 1970s, Shepard did not record again until 1981, when she released a final studio album under the label Laselight titled, Dear John, which included remakes of her hits, including "A Dear John Letter" and "Slippin' Away", but also included a new song, "Too Many Rivers".
She continued to perform at the Grand Ole Opry and tour, particularly in the UK, where she had a strong fan base. Her work has also been reissued by Bear Family Records. Although in her eighties, Shepard continues to regularly tour and perform. Her touring show, "The Jean Shepard Show," has toured the U.S. and she performs at the Grand Ole Opry regularly.
In 2005, Shepard celebrated 50 years as a member of the Opry and at the time of her death was the longest running living member of the Opry.
In 2011, Shepard was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame with fellow Oklahoma native Reba McEntire and songwriter Bobby Braddock.
On November 21, 2015, Shepard became the first female to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry for 60 consecutive years. A feat that only one other person has achieved. She then retired from the stage that night.
On September 25, 2016 Jean Shepard, passed away from Parkinson's Disease.
Slipping Away
Jean Shepard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Saturday's party is Sunday's fight
Somethin's wrong with you and I
Love's gone wrong that used to be right
And I can feel it slippin' away
Slowly, slowly slippin' away
It'll be gone in a few more days
From slippin' away
Wednesday's kisses are Thursday's frowns
We can't live two days in a row
When our world's not upside down
Here we stand watchin' it go
And I can feel it slippin' away
Slowly, slowly slippin' away
It'll be gone in a few more days
If we don't stop this love of ours
From slippin' away
Roses are red, violets are blue
Sugar is sweet some of the time
This puzzle's missin' a piece or two
We've got the grapes but never the wine
And I can feel it slippin' away
Slowly, slowly slippin' away
It'll be gone in a few more days
If we don't stop this love of ours
From slippin' away
And I can feel it slippin' away
Slowly, slowly slippin' away
It'll be gone in a few more days
If we don't stop this love of ours
From slippin' away
And I can feel it slippin' away
Slowly, slowly slippin' away
It'll be gone in a few more days
If we don't stop this love of ours
From slippin' away
Jean Shepard's "Slipping Away" is a melancholy tune that captures the essence of a love that is dying. It describes that the promises and kisses made on one day turn into lies and frowns on the next, signifying the pain and torment of a lost love that used to be right. The song is a representation of a couple's journey through an emotional rollercoaster of love that slowly slips away. The lyrics reflect that the once beautiful relationship has turned into a mechanical one, which is gradually dying. The final verses of the song depict how the couple had all the ingredients needed for a stable relationship, but they lacked the passion, the key ingredient that creates a passionate and loving bond.
Shepard's "Slipping Away" is a song that several people can relate to because it speaks volumes about relationships and the challenges that come with keeping them alive. The song reveals how the words used to express love yesterday, which seemed honest and true, are just lies tomorrow, symbolizing the reality of life. It warns that when lovers stop being passionate and when the relationship starts becoming emotionless, it will only lead to heartbreak.
The lyrics of the song appeal to listeners in many ways, and it is no surprise that the song's soulful tune and message have continued to resonate with audiences decades after its release. It is an effective way for listeners to express the many emotions of a relationship that is slipping away.
Line by Line Meaning
Monday's promise is Tuesday's lie
What we were convinced of yesterday is no longer true today
Saturday's party is Sunday's fight
The fun of yesterday fades away leaving behind only the remnants of a regretful argument
Somethin's wrong with you and I
Both of us are responsible for this - neither can claim faultlessness
Love's gone wrong that used to be right
Love that was once so right has now been twisted by something wrong
And I can feel it slippin' away
The love is dissipating and I can feel it happening slowly but steadily
Slowly, slowly slippin' away
Love is fading a little at a time, but the change is constant and irreversible
It'll be gone in a few more days
If we don't take action now, we will lose our love for each other, and it will happen quickly
If we don't stop this love of ours
From slippin' away
We need to take ownership of our love for each other before it's too late and we lose the chance to fix what we have
Wednesday's kisses are Thursday's frowns
The love and affection we showed each other yesterday have dissipated into unpleasant emotions today
We can't live two days in a row
Inconsistency in our relationship means that we can't seem to make progress in a healthy direction
When our world's not upside down
When everything is going right, we must not let our guard down to allow things to go wrong
Here we stand watchin' it go
We can only stand by helplessly and watch as our love fades away
Roses are red, violets are blue
Poetic lines that are which are classic yet stating the obvious
Sugar is sweet some of the time
Not everything sweet lasts forever, Sugar might sweet for a season and sour in another season
This puzzle's missin' a piece or two
Something is off, we must have lost a piece of the puzzle which formed our relationship causing it to fall apart
We've got the grapes but never the wine
Our love has promise, but we are not doing anything about it to make it mature into something special
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAI BEN PRITCHARD, GARY STEPHEN ANDERSON, MICHAEL THOMAS COCKS, PAUL DOUGLAS DEMARCO, STEPHEN KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@debbiethomas3080
Beautiful voice. Back when Country music was actually filled with talent
@rw8733
How good is this lady? She was better at 80+ than most of the modern "stars". She will be so sadly missed. R.I.P. 😢
@Cindy-ki2ok
My Daddy watched The Grand Old Opry all of my life. It is beyond me how I could have forgotten Jean Shepherd but thank Heaven for YouTube. The music of this amazing woman is in my life again. ❤
@cherryedwards8117
YOU CAN TELL JEAN SHEPARD HAS SUNG IN ALOT OF PLACES WERE SHE HAD TO COMPROMISE...SHE IS A TRUE PROFESSIONAL AND A REAL COUNTRY MUSIC SINGER...ONE OF THE LAST REAL ONES.
@P.E.A.C.E.I.D.A.M
Even at old age your voice still sound this great. I love you! 🌹
@taylorhauntus
I can't even imagine the Opry without Jean singing Slippin' Away. RIP sweetie, you meant and will always mean everything to country music.
@johngrow548
Angelo Rinaldi my husben and i loved her my late gm met her
@musicisme46
I actually think her voice has gotten stronger over the years. I wish I could meet her and get this particular version of this song on a cd! Love Jean and her great music!!!
@beckyfisher8352
Jean Shepard is a legend like Patsy Cline Loretta Lynn Tammy wynette and all the old country singers love her songs
@taylorhauntus
Jean can't be beaten by anyone when it comes to singing country songs. Moreover, her love for true country music is unmeasurable: she never restrained from voicing her displeasure for pop-country, even though she knew she'd have paid in terms of airplay and, therefore, sales. That's why she was locked out of the Country Music Hall of Fame for over 30 years and never won a major award (CMA or ACM). Anyway she doesn't need no "Female Vocalist Of The Year" or "Entertainer Of The Year" awards: she's the female vocalist of the CENTURY and the entertainer of a LIFETIME.