This 1970s Country Music Playlist Is a Blast From the Past
Country music in the 1970s captured the mixed bag of outlaw rebellion and changing family values that defined the decade. From liberated housewives to urban cowboys, the '70s pushed the boundaries of traditional country, fusing it with pop, jazz (thank you, Willie Nelson!) and rock 'n' roll.
While Loretta Lynn's hit "The Pill" touted female independence, Charlie Daniels' jam-style performances breathed new life into live music. And with the premiere of Austin City Limits on public television, cutting-edge country music moved from the fringes to the mainstream.
Jump into the playlist below for more than two hours of non-stop country hits from the 1970s. It was an era when iconic country women such as Dolly Parton proved their fierceness and hippies including Nelson and John Denver converged with rednecks -- Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings, for example -- to create the sounds that would define country music moving forward.
Let our "Country Roads" take you home to meet (or reacquaint yourself with) the "Honky Tonk Heroes" of the 1970s.
Listen to The Boot's 1970s Country Music Playlist