Country music has gone through a lot of transformations in the last several decades. But the country music of today is built on the music from an earlier time, including in the 1960s, which is arguably one of the most definitive decades in country music.
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With that in mind, we picked four underrated country albums from the 1960s that every fan should hear, even if they aren't necessarily the most popular.
1. 'Loretta Lynn Sings' by Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn Sings is Loretta Lynn's debut album, out in 1963. At the time, no one could have predicted, likely not even Lynn, what an impact she would have on the genre of country music. By the time Loretta Lynn Sings came out, Lynn had already had a few singles at radio, including "I'm A Honky Tonk Girl," which hit the Top 15 at radio.
After the release of Loretta Lynn Sings, she started having hit after hit at radio. On Loretta Lynn Sings, only two songs, "Success" and "The Other Woman" charted. Still, it's enough to show what Lynn is capable of, a legacy that she continued throughout her career.
Interestingly, according to Songfacts, Sinead O'Connor performed this song in 1992 on Saturday Night Live, right before her infamous cover of Bob Marley's "War," where she tore up a photo of the Pope.
2. 'Just Because I'm A Woman' by Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton only released one single from Just Because I'm A Woman, with the title track, but that one single is more than enough. Like Lynn, Parton was giving fans, and the entire country music industry, a hint about what they could expect from her.
When Just Because I'm A Woman was released, her sophomore record, Parton had just signed a record deal, and was Porter Wagoner's sidekick on The Porter Wagoner Show. At the time, Parton had yet to try to spread her wings away from the show. But when Parton sings, "Just let me tell you this / Then we'll both know where we stand / My mistakes are no worse than yours / Just because I'm a woman," there's a tenacity in her voice that gives an inkling of her future.
Parton wrote four of the ten songs on the record, including "You're Gonna Be Sorry," another classic Parton song.
3. 'I'm A Lonesome Fugitive' by Merle Haggard
Ask any Merle Haggard fan what their favorite album is of his, and it's probably going to be his live Okie from Muskogee album, or maybe his debut Strangers. But I'm A Lonesome Fugitive, Haggard's third album with his band The Strangers (and fourth overall), deserves some love as well.
Out in 1967, that record, which only had one single with the title track, also shows Haggard easing into his own sound. Haggard wrote seven of the 12 songs, although interestingly, not the title track, even though it sounds very autobiographical. By the time I'm A Lonesome Fugitive came out, Haggard was making his mark in country music, although no one could have predicted how permanent that mark would become in the genre.
4. 'Burning Bridges' by Glen Campbell
Burning Bridges, Glen Campbell's fifth studio album, came out in 1967. The record, which comes right before his massively successful Gentle on My Mind record, had one hit single, with the title track. But the record reads like a who's-who of songwriters, with Waylon Jennings, Eddy Arnold and Buck Owens contributing to the 11-song record.
Not much changed for Campbell after Burning Bridges, except country music caught on to what a genius he was, both as a singer and a guitar player. But if country music fans want pure Campbell gold, it's in Burning Bridges.
