3 Country Songs From 1970 That Everyone Forgot About (but You Should Remember)

In 1970, country music started off the decade strong. Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, Conway Twitty’s “Hello Darlin’”, Johnny Cash’s “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”, and Merle Haggard’s “The Fightin’ Side Of Me” are some of the best-known songs of the decade. However, there are other lesser-known tracks that are equally memorable. Keep reading to learn about three such songs.

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“It’s a Beautiful Day” by Wynn Stewart

Tracy Pendarvis penned “It’s A Beautiful Day,” a song that wound up being a hit for Wynn Stewart. A hit it was, as the track spent 13 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, peaking at number 13.

“It’s A Beautiful Day” is far from Stewart’s only accomplishment. He pioneered the Bakersfield Sound style of country music, which was later made popular by Merle Haggard and Buck Owens.

“Marty Gray” by Billie Jo Spears

A top 20 hit for Billie Jo Spears, the Walter Woodward-penned “Marty Gray” was released in 1970. The country song, which dealt with the topic of teen pregnancy, followed Spears’ pattern of releasing tracks about social issues.

Spears’ other songs of note include “Mr. Walker It’s All Over”, which is about a secretary; “Pittsburgh General”, which was in defense of nurses; and “Stepchild”, which is about a boy who kills his abusive stepfather.

“She sang anthems for women about women asserting themselves,” Debbie Smith, Spears’ sister-in-law, told Beaumont Enterprise after her 2011 death. “She was always up and fighting and she never gave into anything.”

“The Pool Shark” by Dave Dudley

Tom T. Hall penned “The Pool Shark”, the title track on Dave Dudley’s 1970 album. The track, which spent 14 weeks on the chart, became Dudley’s sole No. 1 hit. “The Pool Shark” tells the tale of a traveling man who’s hustled out of his money during a game of pool at a roadside bar.

According to The New York Times‘ obituary of Dudley, who died in 2003 of a heart attack, the singer had the greatest success in the genre of truckers’ music. The outlet reported that Dudley’s portrayal of truckers influenced not only music, but movies too, most notably Smokey and the Bandit in 1977.

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