3 Duets From Country’s Golden Era That Still Give Chills Today

Country duets will never go out of style, but you really can’t beat the old-school duets of the genre’s golden era in the mid-20th century. Let’s revisit a few chilling and nostalgic duets in country music that shouldn’t be forgotten!

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“Slippin’ Around” by Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely (1949)

Some would consider this song to be a folk song, but the country elements just can’t be ignored. Maybe we’ll go with “proto-country” here. “Slippin’ Around” by Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely was released in 1949. The tune was a No. 1 chart-topper on the Billboard Folk charts. It’s an immediate throwback to a very different era, and it remains one of both musicians’ finest records of their careers. It was a bit taboo for the time, too, as the song describes two people having an affair:

Oh, you’re tied up with someone else
And I’m all tied up, too
I know I’ve made mistakes, dear
But I’m so in love with you.

“Loose Talk” by Buck Owens and Rose Maddox (1960)

How about a bit of a deep cut? This duet between Buck Owens and Rose Maddox was actually a cover. The original song was recorded by singer Carl Smith in 1954 and was a No. 1 hit for him. Owens and Maddox’s version was close to being as successful, peaking at No. 4 on the US country charts.

Fun fact: John Prine and Connie Smith would release another version of this duet in 1999 on their album In Spite Of Ourselves.

“I’ll Never Be Free” by Kay Starr and Tennessee Ernie Ford (1950)

The harmonies on this song are on a completely different level, in my opinion. One of the finest country duets of the 1950s, “I’ll Never Be Free” was performed by pop star Kay Starr and country crooner Tennessee Ernie Ford. It was a No. 2 hit on the country charts and a No. 3 hit on the pop charts. The song proved that combining the best of both worlds can yield some serious success. It’s a tune about longing for the object of one’s affection after the relationship is long over:

Each time I hold somebody new
My arms go cold aching for you
No one can take your place
Darlin’, in my embrace
I’ll never be free.

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