Many of these forgotten country albums came out decades ago, but they still have strong listening power today. Unfortunately, few country fans have ever heard of them. Let’s change that!
1. ‘No Place To Fall’ by Steve Young
Steve Young is the definitive psychedelic cowboy. One of several 1978 records released by Young, No Place To Fall shows the country singer at his most comfortable and oddly traditional. The album is all about returning to your hometown and engaging in whirlwind romances and heartbreaks.
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Young was more or less known for writing songs for other people, particularly “Lonesome, On’ry And Mean” for Waylon Jennings. But No Place To Fall is a great example of what he was capable of as a solo musician.
2. ‘Redwing’ by Redwing
When one thinks of traditional 1970s country music, one rarely thinks of Sacramento, California. That’s precisely where the band Redwing started and where they released their debut 1971 self-titled album.
This stellar piece of work features quite a few original songs in addition to covers of Jimmie Rodgers and Mickey Newbury. Despite the success of their debut, Redwing never really scored a breakthrough hit again. We’d say this album is their very best.
3. ‘Dobro’ by Mike Auldridge
Mike Auldridge is pretty underrated, and also not as well-revered as he should be among music historians. The man did win a Grammy and launch his own line of resonator guitars by the time he passed in the 2010s, but we still think he’s underrated, dang it!
The Maryland-born Auldridge was one of the greatest players of the resonator guitar (a.k.a. the dobro) and delivered quite a few iconic albums from the 1970s onward. However, his debut solo record Dobro from 1972 is one of his very best pieces of work. The whole album is essential listening.
4. ‘I’ll Be Your Everything’ by Peter Sledge
This is one of the best forgotten country albums of the 1970s, and it wouldn’t have happened without a major career change for Percy Sledge. Sledge started his career as a soul singer, and a pretty iconic one at that. However, he decided to make the switch from Atlantic Records to Capricorn Records in the mid-1970s and released his first country album in 1974.
Sledge dug deep into his Alabama background to create I’ll Be Your Everything, and it absolutely did not get as much love as it deserved from fans. Not only did Sledge nail the country record, but he added a notable R&B vibe to it that worked quite beautifully. The pacing on this album is also perfect.
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