Major changes occurred in country music during the 1970s and 1980s, and country icons came and went as the music escaped from the stereotypical image of the 1960s, when it had been gingham dresses for the ladies and rhinestone suits for the men. Now country music had a new face: Dolly Parton’s extravagant dress sense and the shaggy-haired Outlaw ...
At the beginning of the 1970s, the influences in mainstream country music continued to originate from a wide spread of sources, the most dominant being the Nashville sound, which now had strong pop overtures alongside a greater distortion of country music itself. On the other hand, an innovative breed of songwriters were about to be heard, ...
Country music and gospel have always been close partners, since many gospel acts come from the American South, and Nashville, the home of country music, lies in the heart of the Bible Belt. Numerous influences abound within the Church, stretching from traditional shape-note singing that goes back several hundred years, to today’s contemporary and Christian ...
Alabama, who appropriately came from Fort Payne, in Alabama, emerged into the spotlight in 1980, when ‘Tennessee River’ topped the Billboard country charts. Three group members – Randy Owen (guitar, lead vocals, b. 1949), Teddy Gentry (bass, vocals, b. 1952) and Jeff Cook (keyboards, fiddle, vocals, b. 1949) – were ...
(Vocals, b. 1945) Arguably one of Canada’s finest vocal exports, over 25 of Murray’s 50-plus country hits between 1970 and 1991 crossed over to the pop chart. Ten country No. 1s in that period curiously did not include her two million-selling pop chart-toppers – ‘Snowbird’ (1970) and ‘You Needed Me’ (1978). Apart from these, Murray delivered 1980’s ‘Could ...
(Vocals, bass, steel guitar, banjo, saxophone, b. 1948) Born in Texas and raised in California, Mandrell is an all-round instrumentalist. Starting in The Mandrell Family Band, she was playing steel guitar in Las Vegas nightspots by the time she was 16 – by which time she had also appeared regularly on the Johnny Cash ...
(Vocals, fiddle, b. 1939) During the 1960s’ folk movement in the UK, Brian Golbey and banjo player Pete Stanley became leading international exponents of traditional music. Visiting the USA in 1970, Golbey was invited to appear on Nashville’s Midnight Jamboree by host Ernest Tubb (who strongly encouraged young, aspiring talents) as well as on WWVA’s famed ...
(Vocals, piano, 1932–95) Arkansas-born Rich won his greatest success as a country crossover act in the first half of the 1970s, topping both US country and pop charts with 1973’s million-selling ‘The Most Beautiful Girl’. This was actually his second million-seller that year – ‘Behind Closed Doors’ had reached the US pop Top 20, and was CMA ...
(Vocals, 1933–93) Born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, Twitty took his stage name from Conway, Arkansas and Twitty, Texas. His first success was as a rock‘n’roller, topping the pop chart in 1958 with ‘It’s Only Make Believe’, and scoring a second gold single with ‘Lonely Blue Boy’ in 1960. His powerful vocals and sometimes risqué songs made him ...
(Vocals, b. 1951) Loretta Lynn’s younger sister was born Brenda Gail Webb, and her professional career began as part of her older sister’s show. After minor success on Decca, she signed with United Artists in 1974, which resulted in an almost-immediate change of fortunes. The lilting Top 10 hit, ‘Wrong Road Again’ (1975), opened the floodgates ...
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on 19 January 1946, in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. Immediately after graduation in the summer of 1964, she travelled from the Blue Ridge Mountains to Nashville, taking with her dreams of country stardom and little else. Ever since, she has thrilled audiences worldwide. An entertainer extraordinaire, Dolly has also become an ...
(Vocals, guitar, b. 1939) Texas-born Williams worked in 1964 with folk trio The Pozo-Seco Singers. Encouraged by producer Cowboy Jack Clement, his solo career began in 1971, and resulted in gentle hits like ‘Amanda’ (1973), ‘You’re My Best Friend’ (1976) and ‘Tulsa Time’ (1978). He enjoyed immense popularity in the UK, where he had success with ...
(Vocals, songwriter, b. 1949) Born Yvonne Vaughan in North Carolina, Fargo was a schoolteacher and weekend vocalist. When she and her producer husband, Stan Silver, visited Nashville around 1970, she signed with Dot Records, making a dream start when two of her own songs, ‘The Happiest Girl In The Whole U.S.A ...
(Vocals, piano, guitar, 1945–2003) Kentucky-born Stewart first recorded in 1964, and was a member of rock band The Amps. He co-wrote Stonewall Jackson’s 1965 country hit, ‘Poor Red Georgia Dirt’, and several for Billy Walker and others before signing to RCA in 1973. His first country hit was a cover of The Allman Brothers Band’s ‘Ramblin’ ...
(Vocals, guitar, b. 1936) Glen Campbell’s route to fame took him first to America’s West Coast, where he grew to be much in demand as a session musician, earning $50,000 to $70,000 a year. Signing to Capitol in 1962, he became a temporary member of The Beach Boys three years later, and ‘By ...
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