Country music has always been a bigger and more inclusive genre than its critics have given it credit for. Before the rise of country-pop as popularized in the '90's by the likes of Garth Brooks and Shania Twain, there was a diverse cast of voices and sounds, with roots from canyon country in Southern California to the Deep South. A list of top 20 country songs from before the modern era might contain a few surprises.
#20 El Paso, by Marty Robbins. This 1959 hit won a Grammy and crossover fame in both country and pop for Robbins. The song was later covered by the Grateful Dead.
#19 Big River, by Johnny Cash. This song was released by Sun Records as a single in 1958, where it reached #4 on the charts. The Dead version of this song becoming legendary and one of Cash's most cherished and aired songs.
#18 Cold, Cold Heart, by Hank Williams. In 1951 this blues balland really represented the honky-tonk era of the 50's, especially the early 50's. Then Tony Bennett went and recorded a pop version of the song which hit #1 on the charts.
#17 Walkin' After Midnight, written by Donn Hecht and sung by Patsy Cline. One of the most beautiful songs of Patsy's career, this amazingly tender, heartbreaker was just one of many of Patsy Clines, in her long, productive career.
#16 The Ballad of Jed Clampett, by Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt, and Jerry Scoggins. This instantly know song became a hit when it became the them for "The Beverly Hillbillies," in 1962 and that caused contry and bluegrass to reach a massive audience spread.
#15 I'm a Lonesome Fugitive, written by Liz Anderson and sung by Merle Haggard. This was a song that topped the charts at #3 in 1967, and it really helped outline what "Outlaw Country" was and become the Bakersfield sound for many generations to follow.
#14, John Henry, by DeFord Bailey. One of the greatest African-American country music stars before the mid-century, Baily scripted and performed this song to honor the working man.
#13 Hickory Wind, by Gram Parsons and Bob Buchanan. Parsons lived a short, but powerful life in country music, living and playing hard and eventually dying of an overdose at age 26 in 1973. However his influence from songs such as Hickory Wind can still be felt, it tells the story of abandaoned childhood in the middle of the pain and emotion of global success with the absence of happiness.
#12 Me and Bobby Mcgee, Kris Kristofferson. This 1969 hit was originally composed and sung by Roger Miller, but it later became a signature of Kristofferson's. The song tells the story of a doomed love affair that takes place on a road trip.
#11 Ballad of Easy Rider, written by Roger McGuinn and performed by the Byrds. The popular theme song and title of a film in 1969, the mood and disillusionment, plus its spiritual loss became significant at the conclusion of the protest era.
These few songs above just scratching the surface of the top 20 country songs list, however you will get an idea where some of the more modern pop country culture stemmed from.
#20 El Paso, by Marty Robbins. This 1959 hit won a Grammy and crossover fame in both country and pop for Robbins. The song was later covered by the Grateful Dead.
#19 Big River, by Johnny Cash. This song was released by Sun Records as a single in 1958, where it reached #4 on the charts. The Dead version of this song becoming legendary and one of Cash's most cherished and aired songs.
#18 Cold, Cold Heart, by Hank Williams. In 1951 this blues balland really represented the honky-tonk era of the 50's, especially the early 50's. Then Tony Bennett went and recorded a pop version of the song which hit #1 on the charts.
#17 Walkin' After Midnight, written by Donn Hecht and sung by Patsy Cline. One of the most beautiful songs of Patsy's career, this amazingly tender, heartbreaker was just one of many of Patsy Clines, in her long, productive career.
#16 The Ballad of Jed Clampett, by Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt, and Jerry Scoggins. This instantly know song became a hit when it became the them for "The Beverly Hillbillies," in 1962 and that caused contry and bluegrass to reach a massive audience spread.
#15 I'm a Lonesome Fugitive, written by Liz Anderson and sung by Merle Haggard. This was a song that topped the charts at #3 in 1967, and it really helped outline what "Outlaw Country" was and become the Bakersfield sound for many generations to follow.
#14, John Henry, by DeFord Bailey. One of the greatest African-American country music stars before the mid-century, Baily scripted and performed this song to honor the working man.
#13 Hickory Wind, by Gram Parsons and Bob Buchanan. Parsons lived a short, but powerful life in country music, living and playing hard and eventually dying of an overdose at age 26 in 1973. However his influence from songs such as Hickory Wind can still be felt, it tells the story of abandaoned childhood in the middle of the pain and emotion of global success with the absence of happiness.
#12 Me and Bobby Mcgee, Kris Kristofferson. This 1969 hit was originally composed and sung by Roger Miller, but it later became a signature of Kristofferson's. The song tells the story of a doomed love affair that takes place on a road trip.
#11 Ballad of Easy Rider, written by Roger McGuinn and performed by the Byrds. The popular theme song and title of a film in 1969, the mood and disillusionment, plus its spiritual loss became significant at the conclusion of the protest era.
These few songs above just scratching the surface of the top 20 country songs list, however you will get an idea where some of the more modern pop country culture stemmed from.
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