Country music in the early part of the 1960s has a very distinct, nostalgic sound. So many great songs came out in the first part of the decade, including these three. All out in 1963, I still can’t help but smile when I hear them today.
“You Comb Her Hair” by George Jones
“You Comb Her Hair” by George Jones is actually a love song of sorts. However, it is from the perspective of a father to his daughter. The song, written by Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard, is part of Jones’s George Jones Sings More New Favorites album.
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The sweet song says, “You comb her hair every morning / And make sure she’s dressed just right / You comb her hair every morning / And put her to bed every night.“
Jones was himself a father of three when he released this song. In 1966, Johnny Cash included “You Comb Her Hair” on his Happiness Is You record.
“Love’s Gonna Live Here” by Buck Owens
Buck Owens is the sole writer of “Love’s Gonna Live Here”. It spent an incredible 16 weeks in the top spot on the country chart.
A song of hope, “Love’s Gonna Live Here” starts with, “Oh the sun’s gonna shine, in my life once more / Love’s gonna live here again / Things are gonna be the way they were before / Love’s gonna live here again.“
“Love’s Gonna Live Here” is Owens’ second No. 1 single in 1963. The song follows “Act Naturally”, which was his first No. 1 hit. Numerous other artists later covered “Love’s Gonna Live Here”, including Waylon Jennings, Wanda Jackson, Emmylou Harris, Martina McBride, and Dwight Yoakam, among others.
“Ring Of Fire” by Johnny Cash
Arguably one of the most popular songs from 1963, and perhaps the entire decade, “Ring Of Fire” is on Ring Of Fire: The Best Of Johnny Cash. The song was written by Cash’s future wife, June Carter, and Merle Kilgore.
“Ring Of Fire” says, “I fell into a burning ring of fire / I went down, down, down and the flames went higher / And it burns, burns, burns / The ring of fire, the ring of fire.”
Carter was inspired to write “Ring Of Fire” after she met Cash backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. The two, who went on to marry in 1968, felt an instant connection, even though they were both married to other people at the time.
Although Cash’s version is the most popular, June Carter’s sister, Anita Carter, first released this song.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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