Connie Smith's Greatest Hits, Vol. I is a compilation album by American country singer Connie Smith, released in October 1973 by RCA Victor. The album was one of several compilations released following Smith's departure from RCA Victor. It included ten of Smith's most popular singles from her career, such as the number one single, "Once a Day", and top ten single, "The Hurtin's All Over". The album charted on the American country LP's chart in 1973 and received a positive review from Billboard magazine.
Connie Smith reached her peak commercial success at the RCA Victor label. Between 1964 and 1973, she had 18 top ten singles on the Billboard country chart, beginning with her eight week number one single titled "Once a Day".[2][3] Smith left the label in 1973 and moved to Columbia Records the same year.[2] After leaving RCA's roster, the label issued several compilation LP's of Smith's previously-released material. Among these albums was Connie Smith's Greatest Hits, Vol. I.[4][5] The album contained a total of ten tracks, all of which had been previously released as singles.[1][6] Nine of the ten tracks were originally top ten Billboard country singles for Smith, such as "Just One Time", "The Hurtin's All Over", "Cincinnati, Ohio" and "Just for What I Am". All tracks were recorded between 1964 and 1972 at the RCA Victor Studios in sessions produced by Bob Ferguson.[6]
Connie Smith's Greatest Hits, Vol. I was released on RCA Victor in October 1973. It was distributed as a vinyl LP, with five songs on each side of the record.[6] It was the fifth compilation of Smith's material that was released by RCA Victor.[4] The disc debuted on the American BillboardCountry LP's chart on November 3, 1973. It spent seven weeks on the chart, reaching number 39 on March 9, 1974.[7] The disc received a positive review from Billboard magazine, which reviewed the compilation shortly after its release. "This shows, perhaps better than anything, her maturity as a singer over the years, but even in the formative years she was outstanding," the publication concluded.[8]
