Which Tammy Wynette song, co-written with Billy Sherrill, became her signature recording in 1968?

Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man,” co-written with Billy Sherrill, became her signature recording in 1968.

Wynette and Sherrill wrote the song during a brief songwriting session in Nashville. Sherrill produced the recording, which Decca Records released in September 1968. Its central message asks a woman to remain loyal to her husband, and its direct wording made the song both hugely popular and the subject of debate about gender roles.

The recording became one of Wynette’s most successful singles, spending several weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart. It also crossed into the pop market and helped make Wynette one of the most recognizable female voices in country music.

The song is sometimes confused with Wynette’s other emotionally direct hits, including “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” and “Til I Get It Right.” “Stand by Your Man” is the recording most closely identified with her legacy. Wynette later used the title for her 1979 autobiography, further cementing its place in popular culture.