About The Song
In February 1960, Ray Price issued another Columbia Records single that continued his string of steady country successes. The A-side “One More Time,” written by Mel Tillis, climbed to number two on the Billboard country chart, but its B-side, “Who’ll Be the First,” also earned solid airplay and jukebox spins. Catalog number 4-41590 paired the two tracks, arriving at a moment when Price—already known as the Cherokee Cowboy—was firmly established as one of Nashville’s most reliable hitmakers. The release reflected the era’s practice of strong double-sided singles that gave fans value and kept radio programmers happy.
The song was cut on the night of March 4, 1960, during a lengthy session at Bradley Film and Recording Studio on 16th Avenue South in Nashville. Producer Don Law oversaw the date, which ran from 7 p.m. until 4 a.m. the next morning, a common schedule when musicians juggled tight studio calendars. Price was backed by his Cherokee Cowboys, featuring guitarists Hank Garland and Grady Martin, steel player Sam Hollingworth, drummer Buddy Harman, and pianist Floyd Cramer. The efficient overnight work produced clean, swinging takes that captured the band’s road-tested chemistry.
Writing credits for “Who’ll Be the First” go to Bobby George and Vern Stovall, two songwriters active in the Nashville scene of the late 1950s. Price had a keen ear for material and frequently recorded songs from up-and-coming or lesser-known writers, a habit that helped launch careers and kept his catalog fresh. At this point he was already giving early breaks to figures like Willie Nelson, who had briefly played in the Cherokee Cowboys and contributed songs. The George-Stovall composition fit neatly into Price’s preference for straightforward, emotionally direct country storytelling.
The lyrics unfold as a rueful reflection on ignored warnings. Friends had told the narrator he was a fool to trust someone who would never stay faithful, yet he fell hard anyway. Now left alone and bewildered, he wonders who among those skeptics will be the first to deliver the inevitable “I told you so.” The verses paint a picture of blind love giving way to regret, with the chorus repeating the central question in plain language that listeners in roadside taverns could relate to instantly. There are no fancy metaphors—just the quiet sting of hindsight.
Although it remained a B-side, “Who’ll Be the First” received enough radio attention to stay in circulation alongside its chart-topping companion. Its inclusion on the 1961 album *Ray Price’s Greatest Hits* (Columbia CL-1566) confirmed its standing among fans and programmers. The track helped extend Price’s dominance on the country charts during a period when his distinctive shuffle rhythm—driven by walking bass and crisp drum work—was filling dance halls across Texas and beyond.
Musically the record stays true to the honky-tonk template Price had perfected in the preceding years. Steel guitar accents and rhythmic guitar lines give it a bouncy yet heartfelt feel suited to both slow dances and faster two-steps. The sound sits comfortably beside earlier successes such as “Heartaches by the Number” and “The Same Old Me,” reinforcing the consistent style that kept crowds coming back to hear the Cherokee Cowboy.
Over the decades “Who’ll Be the First” has appeared on numerous compilations, including the comprehensive *The Complete Singles As & Bs 1950-62* and Bear Family’s *The Honky Tonk Years* box set. It stands as a snapshot of Ray Price at the height of his traditional phase, just before he began experimenting with smoother, string-laden arrangements in the mid-1960s. The song’s modest but enduring presence shows how even a B-side could capture the everyday heartaches that defined classic country music in 1960.
Video
Lyric
Everybody told me what a fool I was
To fall in love with someone who would never be true
But someday I would wind up with the hopeless love
All alone bewilderd and confused
So who’ll be the first to say I told you so
‘Cause I’m alone like they all said I’d be
Who’ll be the first to say
I should have listened long ago
So who’ll be the first to say I told you so
— Instrumental —
Filled with love so strong that ruled my heart and soul
Blinded by the lies you kept on tellin’ to me
People saw the things you’ve done and let me know
Things a fool in love can never see
So who’ll be the first to say
I should have listened long ago
So who’ll be the first to say I told you so…