The First Step

"The First Step"
Single by Tracy Byrd
from the album No Ordinary Man
B-side	"No Ordinary Man"[1]
Released	November 15, 1994[2]
Format	CD single
Recorded	1994
Genre	Country
Length	2:24
Label	MCA
Writer(s)	Doug Crider, Verlon Thompson
Producer(s)	Jerry Crutchfield
Tracy Byrd singles chronology
"Watermelon Crawl" (1994) "The First Step" (1994) "The Keeper of the Stars" (1995)

"The First Step" is a song written by Doug Crider and Verlon Thompson, and recorded by American country music artist Tracy Byrd. It was released in November 1994 as the third single from the album No Ordinary Man. The song reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

Critical reception

Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that the song continues Byrd's pattern of two-step cliches, but that he manages to "inject more than enough spirit to get this one over." Price concludes that Byrd was "born to sing this stuff." ^[3]

Chart performance

Chart (1994-1995)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[4]	4
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5]	5

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)	Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[6]	82

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 73. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
2. http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/byrd_tracy/611446/album.jhtml
3. Billboard, November 19, 1994
4. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 7996." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. February 20, 1995. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
5. "Tracy Byrd – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Tracy Byrd.
6. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1995". RPM. December 18, 1995. Retrieved July 21, 2013.