VOA标准英语2011--Country Music Legend Shares 'Long Line o

Country Music Legend Shares 'Long Line of Heartaches'

None other than show business legend Dolly Parton once said that there were just three real female singers: Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, and Connie Smith. "The rest of us," she said, "are only pretending." Connie Smith has just released “Long Line of Heartaches,” her first album of new songs since 1998, and only her second since 1978.
When 23-year-old Connie Smith went into the studio in 1964 and recorded a song called “Once A Day”, no one had any idea it would go on to become one of the most celebrated¹ singles in Country music history.
Connie Smith’s “Once A Day” was the first debut² single by a female Country singer to go to Number One on the Billboard³ charts, a position it held for eight weeks. Forty-seven years later it is still the only debut single ever to have done that.
In the nine years after releasing her first song, Connie Smith put out a series of albums and released 20 Top 10 hits. She then turned her back on stardom and retired⁴ from recording⁵ and performing to raise a family, which makes “Long Line of Heartaches” all the more remarkable⁶.
Now 70 years old, Connie Smith has lost little of what made her such a wonderful vocalist in the 1960s. Which is why producer Marty Stuart, who just happens to be Connie Smith’s husband, made the decision to put her tremendous voice front and center on her new recording.
“You And Me” is one of the five songs that Connie Smith co-wrote with Marty Stuart for the CD. For the rest, they relied on great tunesmiths including the late Harlan Howard and Dallas Frazier, who told Connie he hadn’t written any songs in about 30 years before coming up with “A Heart Like You”. Connie Smith says this is the 69th song of his that she’s recorded.
“Long Line Of Heartaches” was recorded in Nashville’s famous RCA Studio B, the same studio where Connie Smith sang her earliest hits. And in all honesty, this CD sounds much like a throwback to those days. These are "real" country songs, and the album sounds like it could have been recorded at any point of her five-decade career.
Critical raves⁷ for the new album are coming from reviewers all around the world. Over her long career, Connie Smith has been nominated for 11 Grammy awards, but hasn’t taken home a single trophy⁸. Perhaps her luck will change with “Long Line of Heartaches.”

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

3 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

6 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

7 raves   

n.狂欢晚会( rave的名词复数 )v.胡言乱语( rave的第三人称单数 )；愤怒地说；咆哮；痴心地说

参考例句：

• She raves about that singer. 她醉心地谈论那位歌手。 来自辞典例句
• His new play received raves in the paper. 他的新剧本在报纸上受到赞扬。 来自辞典例句

8 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。