3 Hit Country Songs From the 1970s That Belong on Your Current Playlist

No country playlist is complete without a few timeless hits from the 1970s. The decade produced some of the best songs the genre has to offer. While there are plenty of hidden gems from the era that deserve more love today, you don’t need to dig to find top-tier tunes. More than nearly any other era in country music history, the charts were packed with timeless tunes in the ’70s.

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The list below isn’t full of deep cuts only known to genre historians. Instead, they’re some of the biggest country hits of the 1970s that are still great decades later. Despite being five decades old, these songs would be right at home on your playlist today.

[RELATED: 4 Overlooked Country Songs From the 1970s That Should Have Been Hits]

1. “Delta Dawn” by Tanya Tucker (1972)

Tanya Tucker was the most successful woman of the Outlaw Country movement in the late 1970s. Two decades later, during the country music boom of the 1990s, she dominated the charts. More importantly, she inspired generations of women in country music. However, history would likely be much different if 13-year-old Tucker hadn’t recorded “Delta Dawn” in 1972.

Tucker released “Delta Dawn” in April 1972 as her debut single. It peaked at No. 4 on the country charts. However, the song’s chart success is less important than its lasting impact and what it proved the the world. It gave an early look at one of the most powerful performers of a generation. It also remains one of Tucker’s signature songs.

2. “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” by Freddy Fender (1975)

Freddy Fender first recorded “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” in 1959. However, a drug conviction derailed his career. A little more than 15 years later, he returned to dominate the country charts in the 1970s. “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” put him on the map. Then, an updated version of this song helped him become a crossover success. It was a No. 1 hit on the country chart and reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

3. “Family Tradition” by Hank Williams Jr. (1979)

Hank Williams Jr. started his career by following the family tradition a little closer than he may have liked. His early recordings fit snugly into the Nashville Sound, with lush production and string sections. He also recorded several covers of his father’s best-known songs. Then, in the mid-1970s, he stepped away from the classic country sound with something a little louder. His Southern rock-infused blend of Outlaw country helped him leave his mark on the genre.

“Family Tradition” was a No. 1 hit for Williams. More importantly, the song saw him stepping out of his father’s shadow and coming into his own as an artist. Today, decades after its release, this is still a ton of fun to listen to at high volume.

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