3 Musicians From the 1970s That Could Have Flourished in Classic Country Music

In the current country music climate, there are handful of musicians qualified to step into the genre from the outside, and a handful of those who are not. We won’t reveal what musician are in which category, but there are certainly some guest appearances we and many could have gone without. In that same vein, here are three musicians from the 1970s who could have flourished in classic country music.

Videos by American Songwriter

Van Morrison

Alright, this might be a bold take, but this concept we are exploring is pretty bold in and of itself. Hailing from Northern Ireland, Van Morrison inadvertently has country roots in his music, given that Celtic music is one of the many roots of country music. Other than that half-baked piece of evidence, the only reason we believe he could have flourished in classic country music is because of his overall vibe.

Try to picture “Into The Mystic” or “Domino” as a country song sung by Willie Nelson or Waylon Jennings. That would work, wouldn’t it? You might disagree, but we are following our intuition on this one, and we can only now wish Morrison had dipped his toe in the classic country pond.

Levon Helm

Levon Helm had all the makings to become a giant in the country music scene. However, he admirably set his artistic sights on something more nuanced, as The Band was a fusion of folk, rock, blues, country, and bluegrass. Well, that being said, Helm had the capacity play seemingly every country music subgenre there was.

What else is there to say about Helm other than he was deeply rooted in the tradition of country music? If you don’t yet believe us, then we suggest you go and listen to the following songs: “Atlantic City”, “Up on Cripple Creek,” and “Rag Mama Rag”. While The Band certainly played with twang, it would have been cool to see Helm go solo in the genre.

Gregg & Duane Allman

Surely you predicted we’d feature these fellas, how could you not? Similar to Helm, Gregg and Duane Allman danced on the edge of country music quite often. However, they never fully leaned into the genre and made an outright album or single. If they did, it surely would have become a staple in 1970s classic rock.

Given their innate feeling and taste, these guys could have competed with the best of them. Although that never happened, so we are left dreaming and listening to songs such as “Midnight Rider”, “Whipping Post”, and “Blue Sky”.

Photo by Rob Loud/Getty Images