The Church on Cumberland Road

"The Church on Cumberland Road"
Single by Shenandoah
from the album The Road Not Taken
B-side	"She Doesn't Cry Anymore"
Released	January 1989
Recorded	1988
Genre	Country
Length	2:58
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Bob DiPiero John Scott Sherrill Dennis Robbins
Producer(s)	Rick Hall Robert Byrne
Shenandoah singles chronology
"Mama Knows" (1988) "The Church on Cumberland Road" (1989) "Sunday in the South" (1989)

"The Church on Cumberland Road" is a song written by Bob DiPiero, John Scott Sherrill and Dennis Robbins, and recorded by American country music group Shenandoah. It was released in January 1989 as the second single from their album The Road Not Taken. It was their first number-one hit in both the United States^[1] and Canada. Robbins himself originally recorded the song and it served as the B-side to his 1987 MCA single "Two Of A Kind (Workin’ On A Full House)" which would later become a No. 1 country hit for Garth Brooks in 1991.

Music video

The music video was directed by Larry Boothby. It was the band's first music video, which according to drummer Mike McGuire, helped create more recognition for the band and its members.^[2]

Cover versions

In 2001, on a live CMT special, Rascal Flatts covered the song. It is also the first song the members of Rascal Flatts performed live together before officially forming in 1999.

Chart performance

Chart (1989)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[3]	1
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1989)	Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[5]	30
US Country Songs (Billboard)[6]	29

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 311.
2. Vincent Rodriguez Jr. (March 17, 1989). "Now people know how Shenandoah looks". Corpus Christi Caller Times. pp. 3E. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
3. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 6336." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. May 1, 1989. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
4. "Shenandoah Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
5. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1989". RPM. December 23, 1989. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
6. "Best of 1989: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1989. Retrieved August 28, 2013.