Chart Rewind: In 1986, Conway Twitty Turned Desperation Into a Country No. 1
A recent Billboard "Chart Rewind" feature revisits how country legend Conway Twitty scored the 40th and final number one of his career in 1986 with "Desperado Love," a song shaped by its co-writer's own personal hardship. Sammy Johns, previously known for the pop hit "Chevy Van," wrote the track after nearly losing his home and turning to drink to cope with depression, channelling that despair into the song's title and theme. The single's chart-topping run made Twitty the first artist ever to reach 40 number ones on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, a milestone at the time surpassed only later by George Strait.
Twitty recorded "Desperado Love" with co-producers Dee Henry, who became his wife in 1987, and Ron Treat, with Vince Gill contributing backing vocals. Released as the lead single from his album "Fallin' for You for Years," it entered the country chart in June 1986 and hit number one that September. Although it was his last top ten hit on that particular chart ranking, his following eight singles all reached the top ten, including three number two hits in 1987. Twitty, born Harold Jenkins in Mississippi, died in June 1993 aged 59 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
- Conway Twitty's "Desperado Love" became his 40th US country number one in 1986.
- Songwriter Sammy Johns wrote it during a period of depression and financial hardship.
- Twitty later died in 1993 and joined the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
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Sammy Johns wrote "Desperado Love" while grappling with depression and the near-loss of his home, turning that low point into a song later picked up by Conway Twitty, one of country music's most successful recording artists. Twitty, born Harold Jenkins, had already built decades of chart success by the time the track came out in 1986, and it went on to give him his 40th number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, an achievement no other artist had reached before.
The record was made with input from several other country figures, including co-producer Dee Henry, who later married Twitty, and Vince Gill, who added backing vocals. It formed part of Twitty's album "Fallin' for You for Years" and arrived at a point when he remained a dominant force on the country charts even late in his career.
Twitty continued to release hit singles after this song, and he remained a major presence in country music until his death in 1993. His body of work was later formally recognised with induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, cementing his standing as one of the genre's most enduring stars.