Big Hopes is the third studio album by American country music artist Ty Herndon. It features the singles "A Man Holding On (To a Woman Lettin' Go)", "It Must Be Love", and "Hands of a Working Man". These songs peaked at #5, #1, and #5, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. "It Must Be Love" was his third and final Number One on the country charts, while "Hands of a Working Man" was his last Top Ten.

Doug Virden and Drew Womack, then members of Sons of the Desert, serve as backing vocalists on other tracks, as they did on Herndon's previous album Living in a Moment. Blue Miller, formerly of Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band and later of the Gibson/Miller Band, also provides background vocals.

Thom Owens of Allmusic rated the album three stars out of five, saying that it "comes as close to MOR rock and pop as it does to country."

Track listing

Personnel

Compiled from liner notes.

Musicians

• Ty Herndon – lead vocals

• Steve Nathan – keyboards

• Steven Conn – accordion (1, 3–7)

• John Hobbs – keyboards (2, 8–11)

• Larry Byrom – electric guitars (1, 3–7)

• Jeff King – acoustic guitars (1, 3–7)

• B. James Lowry – acoustic guitars (1, 3–7)

• Brent Mason – electric guitars (1, 3–7)

• Steve Gibson – electric guitars (2, 8–11)

• Dann Huff – electric guitars (2, 8–11)

• Brent Rowan – electric guitars (2, 8–11)

• Biff Watson – acoustic guitars (2, 8–11)

• Dan Dugmore – steel guitar (1, 3–7)

• Sonny Garrish – steel guitar (1, 3–7)

• Paul Franklin – steel guitar (2, 8–11)

• Glenn Worf – bass guitar (1, 3–7)

• Joe Chemay – bass guitar (2, 8–11)

• Lonnie Wilson – drums (1, 3–7)

• Paul Leim – drums (2, 8–11)

• Terry McMillan – percussion (1, 3–7)

• Tom Roady – percussion

• Aubrey Haynie – fiddle (1, 3–7)

• Larry Franklin – fiddle (2, 8–11)

• D. Vincent Williams – backing vocals (1, 3–7)

• Curtis Wright – backing vocals (1, 3–7)

• Curtis Young – backing vocals (1, 3–7)

• Mike Jones – backing vocals (2, 8–11)

• Patty Loveless – backing vocals (2, 8–11)

• Blue Miller – backing vocals (2, 8–11)

• Wendell Mobley – backing vocals (2, 8–11)

• Doug Virden – backing vocals (2, 8–11)

• Drew Womack – backing vocals (2, 8–11)

Production

• Byron Gallimore – producer (1, 3–7)

• Doug Johnson -producer (2, 8–11)

• Ann Callis – production assistant (1, 3–7)

• Eric Gallimore – project assistant (1, 3–7)

• Missi Gallimore – song assistant (1, 3–7)

• Paige Connors – production coordinator (2, 8–11)

• Bill Johnson – art direction

• Beth Kindig – art direction

• Bret Lopez – photography

• Mitzi Spallas – grooming

• Mimi DeBlasio – wardrobe stylist

• Dana Miller Management – management

Technical credits

• Georgetown Masters (Nashville, Tennessee) – editing and mastering location

• Denny Purcell – mastering

• Jonathan Russell – mastering assistant

• Don Cobb – digital editing

• Carlos Grier – digital editing

• Steve Marcantonio – mixing (1, 3–7)

• Ed Seay – track recording (2, 8–11), mixing (2, 8–11)

• James Arledge – recording assistant (1, 3–7)

• Marty Williams – recording assistant (1, 3–7)

• Scott Ahaus – recording assistant (2, 8–11)

• Dean Jamison – recording assistant (2, 8–11), mix assistant (2, 8–11)

• Dennis Davis – overdub assistant (1, 3–7)

• Kindy Girdley – overdub assistant (1, 3–7)

• Julian King – overdub assistant (1, 3–7)

• Erik Lutkins – overdub assistant (1, 3–7)

• Shawn Simpson – overdub assistant (1, 3–7), additional mix assistant (1, 3–7)

• Mark Capps – overdub assistant (2, 8–11)

• Todd Culross – overdub assistant (2, 8–11)

• Tony Green – overdub assistant (2, 8–11)

• Jason Piske – overdub assistant (2, 8–11)

• Aaron Swihart – overdub assistant (2, 8–11)

• Tim Waters – mix assistant (1, 3–7)

• John Guess – additional mixing (1, 3–7)

• Paul Worley – additional recording (2, 8–11), additional mixing (2, 8–11)

• Jim Burnett – additional engineer (2, 8–11)

• Tommy Cooper – additional recording assistant (2, 8–11)

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References