About The Song
“Black Sheep” is a country song written by Danny Darst and Robert Altman and recorded by American country music artist John Anderson. It was released in September 1983 by Warner Bros. Nashville as the lead single from his fifth studio album, All the People Are Talkin’. The B-side is “Call on Me.” The track runs 2:59 in length. Producers were John Anderson and Lou Bradley.
The single reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for one week, dated December 17, 1983. It spent a total of 14 weeks inside the top 40. This marked Anderson’s third number-one single on the country chart, following “Wild and Blue” and “Swingin’.” It also peaked at number 1 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. The parent album All the People Are Talkin’ was released in 1983 and continued Anderson’s run of commercial success in the early 1980s.
The song presents a first-person narrative from the perspective of a truck driver who identifies as the black sheep of his family. The lyrics describe a father who worked as a brakeman on a highball train and a mother who raised four children. The older brother becomes a successful doctor with a Mercedes-Benz and a house overlooking the town. The sister marries a banker who owns a country club and provides her with material possessions including a racehorse, diamonds, and a yacht. The narrator drives a semi truck, lives in a two-room shack, and relies on his wife, who works as a waitress. He repeats advice from his father: to wake early, care for the dogs, and teach the children to pray.
Session credits associated with the recording include contributions from musicians such as Vernon Pilder on guitar, Buck Reid on guitar, Larry Emmons and X. Lincoln on bass, James Wolfe on drums, Tom Morley on fiddle and mandolin, Mike Jordan on organ, and Bill Puett on saxophone. Background vocals appear from Donna Kay Anderson and Deanna Anderson Walls. Mastering was handled by M.C. Rather.
“Black Sheep” followed the single “Goin’ Down Hill” in Anderson’s release sequence and preceded “Let Somebody Else Drive.” It became one of the key tracks from the All the People Are Talkin’ album period. Chart documentation confirms the one-week stay at number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with no significant crossover onto the Billboard Hot 100. Publishing credits list Danny Darst and Robert Altman as the writers.
Anderson’s overall chart history includes five number-one Hot Country Songs hits and twenty top-ten entries between 1977 and 2006. “Black Sheep” stands as the third consecutive major hit from his early-1980s Warner Bros. period. The track remains a regularly anthologized recording and appears on multiple greatest-hits and career-spanning collections issued by Warner Bros. and later labels.
The album All the People Are Talkin’ is documented as part of Anderson’s commercial peak in the early 1980s. The lead single’s success helped maintain his radio presence during that period. Later catalog editions and compilations, including Black Sheep: The Complete Warner Albums, preserve the original 1983 masters. No additional major U.S. chart peaks beyond the documented country positions are recorded for the original single.
The combination of the song’s detailed narrative structure, Anderson’s distinctive vocal delivery, and the production approach of Anderson and Lou Bradley contributed to its chart performance. The track continues to appear on retrospective collections covering Anderson’s Warner Bros. years.
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Lyric
My daddy was a brakeman on a highball traveling train
Mama she raised four little children and the family had a good name
And papa and mama wanted all for us they never had
Big brother, little brother, sister too, none of them turned out half bad
‘Cept me, I’m the black sheep of the familyBig brother went to college and became a doctor man
I guess he makes about a million dollars a year off the folks on insurance plan
He’s got a big long Mercedes Benz and a house overlooking the town
He sits in his Jacuzzi and he watches the sun go down
And he feels real sorry for me, I’m the black sheep of the familyYeah, I drive me a big ol’ semi truck, I’m makin’ payments on a two room shack
My wife she waits on tables and at night she rubs my back
And I tell her what my papa said to my mama when he got off a highball train
Wake me up early, be good to my dogs and teach my children to prayLittle sister married a banker, yeah he owns a country club
He bought her a big ol’ racing horse and a funny lookin’ little dog
He buys her big rings and diamonds and a brand new Japanese yacht
They like to get together and talk about all the things they’ve got
But they never mention me, I’m the black sheep of the familyYeah, I drive me a big ol’ semi truck, I’m makin’ payments on a two room shack
My wife she waits on tables and at night she rubs my back
And I tell her what my papa said to my mama when he got off a highball train
Wake me up early, be good to my dogs and teach my children to pray
I’m sayin’, woman, wake me up early, be good to my dogs
And teach my children to pray