New Harvest...First Gathering is the eighteenth solo studio album by Dolly Parton. It was released on February 14, 1977. The album was produced by Dolly and Gregg Perry. It was Dolly's first album since her 1967 debut to not be produced by Bob Ferguson or Porter Wagoner. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 71 on the all-genre Billboard 200. The album's lead single, "Light of a Clear Blue Morning", peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. "You Are" and "Applejack" were released as singles in Europe, while "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher" was released exclusively in Germany. It was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards.
ecording sessions for the album began on August 19, 1976, at Soundshop Studio in Nashville, Tennessee. Four additional sessions followed on August 20, 21, 22, and November 21. The remainder of the album was recorded at Creative Workshop in Nashville on December 3, 10, 16, and 17.
August 19, 1976 Light of a Clear Blue Morning
August 20, 1976 You Are
August 21, 1976 Getting in My Way
August 22, 1976 Holdin' on to You
November 21, 1976 How Does It Feel
December 3, 1976 My Girl (My Love)
December 10, 1976 Applejack Where Beauty Lives in Memory
December 16, 1976 (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher
December 17, 1976 ?There
In addition to her own compositions, Dolly included The Temptations classic "My Girl" (sung as the gender-neutral "My Love"), and the Jackie Wilson hit "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher". "Applejack" features an all-star lineup of country legends singing background vocals, including Roy Acuff, Kitty Wells, Johnny Wright, Chet Atkins, and Minnie Pearl.
Dolly re-recorded "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" for the 1992 soundtrack album, Straight Talk,and her 2004 album, For God and Country. She re-recorded "Holdin' on to You" as a duet with Elle King for the 2018 soundtrack album, Dumplin'.
?The album was released February 14, 1977, on LP, cassette, and 8-track.
The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the CMT Awards in 1977 (known as the Music City News Awards at the time) and Favorite Country Album at the American Music Awards of 1978.
"Light of a Clear Blue Morning" received the Country Award from BMI in 1978.
"(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher" was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards in 1978.
Credits are adapted from the album liner notes.
Performance Anita Ball – background vocals Stu Basore – steel Lea Jane Berinati – background vocals Clyde Brooks – drums, percussion, tambourine, background vocals Mark Casstevens - banjo Charlie Chappelear – bass, background vocals Ralph Childs – tuba ?Jimmy Colvard – acoustic guitar, electric guitar Jimmy Crawford – steel, background vocals Richard Dennison – background vocals Bobby Dyson – bass Bob Ferguson – Applejack's voice Mary Fielder – background vocals Janie Fricke – background vocals Shane Keister – organ synthesizer, organ Dave Kirby – acoustic guitar Jerry Kroon – drums, percussion Larrie Londin – drums ?Joe McGuffee – dobro, steel Terry McMillan – harmonica Farrell Morris – percussion The Nashville Horns featuring Billy Puett – horns Jamie Nichol – conga Dolly Parton – lead vocals, background vocals, banjo Randy Parton – background vocals? John Pell – acoustic guitar, classical guitar, background vocals Gregg Perry – piano, tambourine, keyboards, tack piano, background vocals Debbie Jo Puckett – background vocals Dwight Puckett – background vocals Billy Puett – flute, piccolo ?Jimmy Riddle – Jew's (juice) harp Don Roth – electric guitar ?Tom Rutledge – acoustic guitar Shelly Kurland Strings – strings Rod Smarr – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, background vocals Buddy Spicher – fiddle Bobby Thompson – banjo, acoustic guitar Ray Walker – background vocals Casey Worden – background vocals Kelly Worden – background vocals Mickie Worden – background vocals
Background vocals on "Applejack" Roy Acuff, Kitty Wells, Chet Atkins, Minnie Pearl, Ernest Tubb, Grandpa Jones, Ramona Jones, Carl and Pearl Butler, William Lee and Stoney Cooper, The Willis Brothers, Bashful Brother Oswald, Joe and Rose Lee Maphis, Kirk McGee, Hubert Gregory and the Fruit Jar Drinkers, Johnny Wright, Don Warden, Lee and Avie Lee Parton
Production Rich Adler – engineer, assistant mixing engineer ?Brent Maher – engineer Dolly Parton – producer, arrangements Gregg Perry – co-producer, string arrangements, string conductor Armin Steiner – mixing engineer
Other personnel David Gahr – photographer Amy Lehman – art director ?Nick Smangiamo – photographer Richard Sparks – innerspread art
