5 Forgotten Chart-Toppers From the 1970s That All Country Fans Need To Hear

There are roughly 520 weeks in a decade. Every week presents the opportunity for a new song to reach the top of the chart. As a result, every decade introduces the world to hundreds of No. 1 singles, most of which fade into the mists of time. For instance, a handful of country hits from the 1970s have overshadowed the majority of the songs that reached the top of the tally.

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Just because a song loses popularity after it falls off the charts doesn’t mean it’s not a great tune. The songs below all topped the Hot Country Songs chart in the 1970s. They’re all killer tunes. Unfortunately, though, they’ve been largely forgotten by most of the genre’s audience. We’re going to try to change that today.

[RELATED: 4 Album Fillers From 1970s Country Albums That Secretly Outshine the Singles]

“Joshua” – Dolly Parton (1971)

Dolly Parton dominated the country charts in the mid-to-late 1970s. Songs like “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You,” and “Coat of Many Colors” loom large in her discography. In fact, many have never heard her first No. 1 single, “Joshua.”

Many of Parton’s songs are autobiographical, giving fans a look into her life. “Joshua” is no different. She based this song on the solitary mountain men who lived near where she grew up in East Tennessee. This one deserves to be remembered just as fondly as her bigger hits.

“That’s the Way Love Goes” – Johnny Rodriguez (1974)

Johnny Rodriguez was one of the biggest country stars of the 1970s. Unfortunately, most of the music-loving world is unaware of his utterly impressive body of work. Those who do know his name likely only remember “Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico.” However, “That’s the Way Love Goes” is a stone-cold classic.

Written by Lefty Frizzell and Whitey Shafer, “That’s the Way Love Goes” has been recorded by a long list of artists. That list includes Frizzell, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Connie Smith, and Randy Travis, among others. While Haggard won a Grammy for his rendition, Rodriguez may have cut the definitive version a decade earlier.

“Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)” – Tanya Tucker (1974)

Tanya Tucker exploded into the country music world in the early 1970s. She was a young teenager at the time, but didn’t go for childish material. Instead, she took on more mature material. In fact, songs like “Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)” and “What’s Your Mama’s Name” brought backlash because many felt the subject matter was too adult for such a young singer.

Written by David Allan Coe and heavily inspired by Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Needed You,” Tucker was the only artist to make this song a hit. It was her third consecutive No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Many listeners and DJs were unsure how to feel about her version, though. They were uncomfortable hearing the 15-year-old star sing lines like Would you lay with me in a field of stone? / If my needs were strong, would you lay with me? / Should my lips grow dry, would you wet them, dear? / In the midnight hour, if my lips were dry. While that is completely fair, this is still a killer song.

“Kentucky Gambler” – Merle Haggard (1975)

Few artists released more iconic country songs in the 1970s than Merle Haggard. Classics like “The Fightin’ Side of Me,” “Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man),” and “If We Make It Through December” are untouchable. Unfortunately, that means hits like “Kentucky Gambler” are largely forgotten.

Dolly Parton makes her second appearance on this list with “Kentucky Gambler.” She wrote the song and released it on The Bargain Store in 1975. Later that year, Haggard released his version as a single, and it became a one-week No. 1.

“Tulsa Time” – Don Williams (1979)

Don Williams sent 10 songs to the top of the country chart in the 1970s. Unfortunately, most of those songs would fit perfectly on this list. You probably won’t find “I Wouldn’t Want to Live If You Didn’t Love Me,” “You’re My Best Friend,” “Say It Again,” or “Some Broken Hearts Never Mend” on many “Best Country Songs of the 1970s” lists. However, they’d fit there, as well.

While fans of Red Dirt country are probably familiar with this song. However, most other listeners have all but forgotten it. The reason it landed on the list above all the others is that Williams and Eric Clapton argued over who would get to record the track that had been penned by Danny Flowers, a member of Williams’ band. In the end, they both cut the song. Williams took his to the top of the Hot Country Songs chart. Clapton’s peaked at No. 30 on the Hot 100 in 1980.

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