Some country albums are considered good if they have one or two hits on them. But then there are the records that impact the entire genre, including these three. All released in 1973, these albums helped influence the entire genre of country music.
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‘Sweet Country’ by Charley Pride
Charley Pride became one of the most influential country artists in the 1970s. A true trailblazer, by the time he released Sweet Country, he had already released more than a dozen projects.
Frequently having songs on both the country and pop charts, Sweet Country is Pride’s 16th studio album. The record includes two No. 1 singles, with “A Shoulder To Cry On” and “Don’t Fight The Feelings Of Love”.
Later in 1973, Pride released another hit record, with Amazing Love.
‘Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man’ by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
It would be hard to find a record in country music that is more iconic than Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man. The third studio album released by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, the title track remains one of the duo’s most successful songs.
“Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” is written by Becki Bluefield and Jim Owen. The song is the duo’s first gold single. It helped make the record their first to hit No. 1 on the albums chart as well.
Although not singles, ” Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” also includes covers of “Release Me” and “Bye Bye Love”.
‘Behind Closed Doors’ by Charlie Rich
There wasn’t a more successful album in 1973 than Behind Closed Doors by Charlie Rich. His 16th project, Behind Closed Doors is not only Rich’s first No. 1 record, but in 1973 and 1974, it spent an astonishing 21 nonconsecutive weeks at the top spot on the albums chart.
The success of Behind Closed Doors is likely due to the title track, which became Rich’s first No. 1 on the country charts. It also became a big crossover hit for him. Rich follows “Behind Closed Doors” With “The Most Beautiful Girl”, which also became a chart-topping single for Rich.
According to producer Billy Sherrill, it’s “Behind Closed Doors” that showed Rich’s potential as a superstar.
“The jocks had been complaining that [Rich] was too bluesy for country,” Sherrill says (via Rolling Stone). “Others said he was too country for anything else. We just needed the right song.”
After Behind Closed Doors, Rich continued his winning streak. He had several other hit singles, including “A Very Special Love Song”, “I Love My Friend”, “She Called Me Baby”, and others.
Photo by Ron Bull/Toronto Star via Getty Images
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