In 1950, Lefty Frizzell released his debut smash single “If You’ve Got the Money (I’ve Got the Time)” and its B-side “I Love You A Thousand Ways.” Both songs helped launch the singer to stardom. After that, Frizzell enjoyed massive success. Despite such, he never stopped working on perfecting his vocals and refining his guitar skills. By mid-1951, Lefty Frizzell became one of the only two most famous country music names alongside Hank Williams. During this time, he recorded the song “Always Late (with Your Kisses)” which would soon gave him his fourth No. 1 single on the chart.
“Always Late (with Your Kisses)”
Frizzell co-wrote the song with Blackie Crawford. It was released on July 8, 1951, as the fifth single from his album Listen to Lefty. The following month, the single instantly climbed to the top of the country chart. On the other hand, the song’s B-side “Mom and Dad’s Waltz” was a runner-up on the same chart. It peaked at No. 2 and stayed there for eight weeks. Similar to Frizzell’s first two releases in 1950, these two songs gave the legendary singer a back-to-back success. Both songs have since become Frizzell’s classic tunes. In 1959, he made a stereo re-recording of “Always Late (with Your Kisses).”
Listen to Frizzell’s original recording of the song below.
Notable Covers
Considering the success that the single had reached, many of Frizzell’s co-artists in country music covered it. Frizzell’s long-time friend George Jones was among those who made a remarkable version of “Always Late (with Your Kisses).” His cover record came out in 1973 and appeared on his album Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half as Bad as Losing You).
Another notable cover of the song was that of Dwight Yoakam. His version, which was released as the fourth and final single from his 1987 album Hillbilly Deluxe earned the singer a Top 10 hit both in the US and Canada. Specifically, the song peaked at No. 9 on the US country music chart while it was a No. 5 hit in Canada.
Below is a clip of Yoakam performing “Always Late (with Your Kisses)” below.
Tags
Always Late (With Your Kisses), Dwight Yoakam, George Jones, Lefty Frizzell, Listen to Lefty