3 Addictive 1970s Country Albums That Were Ahead of Their Time

The 1970s were the time in which country music changed altogether. Prior to the 1970s, country music was full of clean-cut individuals who sang about God, church, and love in rather simplistic musical schemes. However, when the 1970s rolled around, all of those tropes were trumped and traded out for something far more inventive and original—leading to some truly addictive country albums.

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By now, you’ve probably already thought of some musicians who helped country music transition into a new direction. And, no, it wasn’t just the outlaw country musicians. So, generally speaking, here are three country albums from the 1970s that were ahead of their time.

‘Shotgun Willie’ by Willie Nelson

This might be a cliché and rather a frequent answer, but it’s cliché because it’s true. Willie Nelson’s 1973 album, Shotgun Willie, is arguably the most influential ’70s country music album of all time. Not only did it symbolize the transition away from the Nashville music scene, but it also included a type of music not yet introduced to the masses until Nelson made it happen.

Following its 1973 release, Willie Nelson’s album didn’t do incredibly well on the charts. However, fine wine takes time to become fine wine. Hence, Nelson’s album was too much for people to handle at the time, but now, it is a relic that symbolizes a changing of the tides.

‘The Gambler’ by Kenny Rogers

One might not consider Kenny Rogers’ 1978 album as pop-country. However, The Gambler, did introduce a commercialized sound that would later become an integral part of the 1980s country music scene. As unexplainable as his sound might be to some, it presents itself in his songs “The Gambler” and “She Believes in Me.”

Frankly, and this could be a hot take, but if it wasn’t for Rogers, the work of George Strait, Alan Jackson, and Toby Keith might not have been as well received as it has been. Again, Rogers proved that country didn’t just have to be country. Rather, it could also have flares of rock ‘n’ roll and pop.

‘Coat of Many Colors’ by Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton is Dolly Parton, she has everything for every kind of country music fan. That being so, her 1971 album, Coat of Many Colors, revolutionized the limiting label of a one-genre musician. In the album, Parton sings folk ballads, pop numbers, rock ‘n’ roll swings, and ultimately shows that she has a lot of tricks up her sleeve.

In essence, Dolly Parton showed the world that a musician is not defined by one label. Instead, if they have the capacity to do it all, then they should. Like Rogers, Parton’s album paved the way for country artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, and even, arguably, the outlaw country movement as a whole. Truly, the significance of this album is hard to narrow down and robustly define.

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