EVERY Billboard #1 country hit of 1976 discussion thread.

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by W.B., Nov 19, 2018.

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  1. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Reference to previous thread:
    Every Billboard #1 country hit of 1975 discussion thread.
    And still open:
    EVERY Billboard #1 country hit discussion thread 1944-1949.

    Now with that out of the way, we move on to the next sequential year in our look at the top country hits of the bicentennial year. Along with some of the hits on here or that "just missed," one record I remember hearing frequently on WHN 1050 in New York was Red Sovine's 1967 oldie "Phantom 309." Which didn't sound so out of place given much of what was being issued contemporaneously. But in this year, there were 37 country #1's - not as much as the 43 of the prior year, but still a sizeable lot, enough to warrant a singular thread for one year.

    As usual, I will emphasize strongly that this is a linear exercise in watching the process of a number one hit taking its turn and then making way for another. No jumpin' ahead now, ya hear?

    I take a little break to give one time to be acquainted to this here new thread - and also because C.W. McCall's "Convoy" which first hit the top in the last two weeks of the prior year had continued at the summit for the first four weeks of this. After a bit, I will come forth with the first new topper of the new year.
     
  2. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Alright, now for the first song after "Convoy's" run ended:
    "This Time I've Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me" by Conway Twitty
    (#1 for 1 week - January 31, 1976)

    [​IMG]
    Wikipedia entry - Earl Conley as credited as co-writer is future country star Earl Thomas Conley.
     
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  3. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    TTIHHMTSLM ain't bad. Standard Twitty. Kinda echoes back to "How Much More Can She Stand", so I guess the answer was about 5 years.

    Earl Conley had already had 2 chart entries as a singer, both peaking at #87 and both on good ol' GRT Records. Here's the one closest to our timeline, from December '75. He sounds more like George Jones than himself here.

     
  4. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    And Conway is followed at the top by . . .
    "Sometimes" by Bill Anderson And Mary Lou Turner
    (#1 for 1 week - February 7, 1976)

    [​IMG]
    Wikipedia entry - the last Number One single to "Whisperin' Bill's" name.
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2018
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  5. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
  6. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    I've never heard The White Knight before, which is surprising to me since Convoy was so well-known.
     
  7. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Shown here is a record offer commercial from the late 1970's of a compilation of trucking songs. "Convoy" and "The White Knight" were on it - but not by the originals; instead an entity called "T.H. Music Festival" was credited with both versions on it. That may be due to the entire compilation being put out via Gusto/Starday (run by one Tommy Hill) - and they couldn't get the rights to these originals from PolyGram. (At least one future country #1 from this year is heard in a snippet, hence I will keep quiet on the rest of this ad.)

    This one did manage to make #19 on the Hot 100. And it's interesting that two big country hits (to date) where CB's were integral to the storyline, were concocted and conjured up by ad men.
     
  8. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    "Sometimes" ... Hoo boy. I'm not a huge fan of Whispering Bill, especially vocally. He's written some decent tunes, I'll give him that.

    This one is alright, but the spoken parts are cringy. It's his first hit duet without longtime singing partner Jan Howard, who'd more or less temporarily retired after tragically losing one son in Vietnam and another to suicide in a short period.

    ---------

    "The White Knight" ... Ugh. I'm sure I was mildly amused at 12, the first couple of times I heard it. This won't be the last "Smokey tricking a trucker by playing a character" record - there's a particularly appalling one at year's end that I'll highlight if I remember.

    An almost four minute country hit was still dang rare, and here we had two in short order ("Convoy" and this), both about CBs.

    And yeah, what's the deal with pseudonymous ad men being the purveyors of this stuff?
     
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  9. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Now for the next one . . . one of them biggies within this year . . .
    "Good Hearted Woman" by Waylon & Willie
    (#1 for 3 weeks - February 21-March 6, 1976)

    [​IMG]
    Wikipedia entry - to my mind (and with all due respect), the preferred version is Waylon's late '71 solo recording that could only muster #3 on these charts at that time.
     
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  10. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    Wanted: The Outlaws was a smash and went on to win CMA Album of the Year. It was also pretty much a hodgepodge of previously released material, designed for those who were just catching on that Music City was having a bit of a revolution.

    It's still a good listen, especially the 1996 expanded edition with 10 extra tracks. It's got Waylon's version of "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" (a song now thoroughly associated with Willie) and Tompall's "Put Another Log On The Fire".

    The hit version of "Good Hearted Woman" is just the track from Waylon Live with Willie overdubbed.

     
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  11. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
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    Movin' ahead now . . .
    "The Roots Of My Raising" by Merle Haggard And The Strangers
    (#1 for 1 week - March 13, 1976)

    [​IMG]
    Wikipedia entry
     
  12. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    Definitely not my favorite Haggard single nor Tommy Collins song, just too syrupy for my taste. He made a lot of great "looking back" records - this ain't one of them.
     
  13. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    I didn't know his version at that time, but I knew the song from an Everly Brothers recording of it.
     
  14. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    And now for this next one to take its turn . . .
    "Faster Horses (The Cowboy And The Poet)" by Tom T. Hall
    (#1 for 1 week - March 20, 1976)

    [​IMG]
    Wikipedia entry - Mr. Hall's last Number One
     
  15. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    "Faster Horses" was Tom T's 7th & final #1. Interesting how a song about how his "poet days are over" had that distinction.

    It's a hoot of a record - the words are standard Storyteller, but the backing track comes dangerously close to disco in spots. That sure sounds like the Nashville Brass backing him up.

    For some reason the previous single "I Like Beer" only got to #4. It was seemingly everywhere at the time. Maybe some of the more straitlaced stations didn't play it as much.
     
  16. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Here comes the next . . .
    "Till The Rivers All Run Dry" by Don Williams
    (#1 for 1 week - March 27, 1976)

    [​IMG]
    Wikipedia entry
     
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  17. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    It don't get much better than this - one of the finest love songs in any genre. Don has firmly locked into his trademark style at this point and it just mesmerizes.

    Just goes to show you can effectively express the deepest feelings without hitting someone over the head with it.

    Those dobro interjections from the great Lloyd Green really hit the spot.
     
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  18. DEAN OF ROCK

    DEAN OF ROCK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hoover, AL
    And nicely covered in 1978 by Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane.
     
  19. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Moving forward once more . . .
    "You'll Lose A Good Thing" by Freddy Fender
    (#1 for 1 week - April 3, 1976)

    [​IMG]
    Wikipedia entry - Mr. Fender's fourth and final chart-topper.
     
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  20. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    I like the sound of Don Williams voice and recordings, but wonder, did he ever do anything up-tempo, or rockin?

    As for If You Should Lose Me, no other version, certainly not this one by Freddy Fender comes close to moving me like the 60s soul hit by Barbara Lynn.

     
  21. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    No way was Freddy going to best Barbara Lynn, but he puts in a solid cover with a nicely emoted vocal. The background singers overdo it just a tad, but those guitar stings are cool.
     
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  22. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Inching ahead again . . .
    " 'Til I Can Make It On My Own" by Tammy Wynette
    (#1 for 1 week - April 10, 1976)

    [​IMG]
    Wikipedia entry - would be Ms. Wynette's last solo #1.
     
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  23. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    NS, Canada
  24. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    All of Tammy's early hits punched through my top ten Beatle soaked head. The 70s not so much.
    I'm having a good time piping up when they are records that did the same. I am amazed how many I know, some even from the time.
     
  25. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    Absolute perfection. Tammy clearly put every bit of her heart and soul into the vocal and it's just quietly devastating.

    Of course back then you could hardly listen to it without thinking of the recent disintegration of her marriage to George.

    It'd be even better without those damn claves tapping away in the left channel, but that's a minor quibble.

    One other minor quibble, for our thread host ... She has one more solo #1 coming up in October.
     
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