Country music had quite a heyday in the 1960s. A lot of subgenres were starting to pop up, from the Bakersfield Sound to the early iterations of outlaw country music. In 1964, specifically, quite a few country music classics were released that had a hand in influencing the whole of the genre for years to come. Let’s look at just a few such songs, shall we?
“Together Again” by Buck Owens
What would the Bakersfield Sound be without this iconic gem from Buck Owens? It was an important, genre-changing country tune of its time. You won’t hear the smooth, polished Nashville style on “Together Again”, and that’s what makes it so charming. Listeners at the time certainly would agree with that sentiment. “Together Again” peaked at No. 1 on the country chart in 1964. And this song, specifically, inspired Grateful Dead’s own Jerry Garcia to learn to play the steel guitar. Now that’s influential!
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“Dang Me” by Roger Miller
Traditional country music of the 1960s was often on the serious side. Country lyrics of the era often focused on lost love or sad cowboy tunes. Roger Miller changed that with this 1964 novelty country tune. This song is quite witty and playful. There’s an element of comedy on “Dang Me” that makes it stand out from other country songs of its time. In my opinion, this country song likely inspired Miller’s contemporaries to be more playful with their music without being afraid to sacrifice some of their credibility in the genre. It was quite a crossover hit back in the day, too. This gem peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles chart and No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Dang Me” was also a Grammy winner that year.
“Sing A Sad Song” by Merle Haggard
This song was technically released in late 1963. But, considering it became a massive hit once 1964 rolled around, I’ll include it on our list of influential country music songs.
One can’t deny that Merle Haggard inspired generations of country musicians in the 20th century, and it all started with this Bakersfield Sound classic. “Sing A Sad Song” was Haggard’s very first major hit as a musician, peaking at No. 19 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1964. The song was written by Wynn Stewart, who would later record his own version of the song in 1976 and hit No. 19 on the Hot Country Songs chart as well.
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