3 Country Artists From the 1980s Who Disappeared After One Hit

Some country artists, especially in the 1980s, deserved way more than just one major crossover hit. That’s the case for the following three musicians, each of whom only made it big on the Billboard Hot 100 with one song during the 80s. Let’s find out what they’ve been up to in the years since their short (but substantial) time in the mainstream spotlight. Unsurprisingly, these artists might have disappeared from the Hot 100, but they definitely didn’t disappear from the country charts for some time.

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Sylvia

This massively underrated country pop artist scored quite a few hits on the Canadian and US country charts from the late 1970s through the late 1980s. However, her only crossover hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart remains “Nobbody” from 1982. That famous tune peaked at No. 15 on the coveted pop chart. While Sylvia didn’t “disappear” from the charts until several years after “Nobody” hit the airwaves, she disappeared from mainstream consciousness pretty quickly. I think that’s a shame, because she’s quite talented. And even her newer work, like the 2024 Knockin’ Around (The Lost Album) record, is very good. Sylvia is still active in the music industry today and now focuses on children’s music.

Rodney Crowell

This country crooner, like Sylvia, enjoyed quite a bit of success on the North American country charts. In fact, Rodney Crowell continued to hit the Top 10 on the country charts well after his sole Hot 100 hit, “Ashes By Now”, hit the airwaves in 1980. That No. 37 hit was his only placement on the Hot 100, so to mainstream listeners, he had virtually disappeared. In reality, Crowell continued to dish out No. 1 hits on the country charts throughout the 1980s, before his career began to slow down toward the end of the 1990s. The 75-year-old country singer-songwriter is still active in music today, and even released his most recent album, Airline Highway, in 2025.

Deborah Allen

Deborah Allen enjoyed over a dozen charting singles throughout her career, but the majority of those singles weren’t crossover hits like “Baby I Lied” from 1983. That track was Allen’s biggest hit, peaking at No. 26 on the Hot 100. Despite being one of the most talented country artists of the 1980s, Allen never had a crossover hit again, and “Baby I Lied” would remain her only entry on the Hot 100. That’s not surprising, as that song is much more pop-rock leaning than her other country-focused works. Thankfully, though, this singer-songwriter is still active today. Her most recent release was The Art Of Dreaming from 2022.

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