Top Country Albums is a chart that ranks the top-performing country music albums in the United States, published by Billboard . In 1975, 19 different albums topped the chart, which was at the time published under the title Top Country LP's, based on sales reports submitted by a representative sample of stores nationwide. [1]
In the issue of Billboard dated January 4, John Denver was at number one with his album Back Home Again , its fourth week at number one. [2] The following week it was displaced from the top spot by Charlie Rich's album The Silver Fox. Denver would return to number one in May with the live album An Evening with John Denver and again in December with Windsong , and was the only artist with three chart-topping albums in 1975. Rich and Freddy Fender each achieved two number ones, as did Conway Twitty, who topped the chart with his solo album Linda on My Mind as well as with Feelins', a collaboration with Loretta Lynn. The two singers had a run of success with duet recordings in the early 1970s alongside their ongoing solo careers. [3] Fender's total of 11 weeks at number one was the most by any artist. Olivia Newton-John achieved the year's longest unbroken run atop the chart, spending six consecutive weeks in the peak position with Have You Never Been Mellow .
In September, Waylon Jennings had his first chart-topping album with Dreaming My Dreams . [4] The following month, Willie Nelson topped the chart for the first time with Red Headed Stranger . Nelson had been active as a singer and songwriter since the 1960s and several of his songs had been chart-toppers for other artists, [5] but his own recordings had not achieved great success prior to 1975. Despite having a sound very different to the lush country-pop prevalent at the time, Red Headed Stranger was a critical and commercial success and launched Nelson to stardom. [6] In 2006, CMT placed it at the top of a list of the 40 greatest albums in country music. [7] Jennings and Nelson were two of the mainstays of the nascent outlaw country movement, which rejected slick production values and added a rock music influence and a counterculture attitude. [8] The year's final Top Country LP's number one was Black Bear Road by C. W. McCall, which moved into the top spot in the issue of Billboard dated December 27.
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music.
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician, political activist and actor. He was one of the main figures of outlaw country, a subgenre of country music that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound. The critical success of his album Shotgun Willie (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger (1975) and Stardust (1978), made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music. Nelson has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana.
Red Headed Stranger is the eighteenth studio album by American outlaw country singer Willie Nelson, released in 1975. Following the success of his recordings with Atlantic Records, coupled with the negotiating skills of his manager, Neil Reshen, Nelson signed a contract with Columbia Records, the label that gave him total creative control over his works. The concept for the album was inspired by the "Tale of the Red Headed Stranger", a song that Nelson used to play as a disc jockey on his program in Fort Worth, Texas. After signing with Columbia, he decided to record the song, and arranged the details during his return to Austin, Texas, from a trip to Colorado. It was recorded at low cost at Autumn Sound Studios in Garland, Texas. The songs featured sparse arrangements, largely limited to Nelson's guitar, piano, and drums. Nelson presented the finished material to Columbia executives, who were dubious about releasing an album that they at first thought was a demo. However, Nelson had creative control, so no further production was added.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1975.
"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" is a country music song first recorded by Ed Bruce, written by him and his wife Patsy Bruce. His version of the song appears on his 1976 self-titled album for United Artists Records. In late 1975 and early 1976, Bruce's rendition of the song went to number 15 on the Hot Country Singles charts. This song was featured on Chris LeDoux's album released January 20, 1976, Songbook of the American West.
Dreaming My Dreams is the twenty-second studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings. The album was co-produced with Jack Clement and recorded at Glaser Sound Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, between February and July 1974.
Waylon & Willie is a duet studio album by American singers Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, released by RCA Records in 1978. In the US, it stayed at #1 album on the country album charts for ten weeks and would spend a total of 126 weeks on the country charts.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released in 1979 by RCA Records.
WWII is a duet album by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, released on RCA Victor in 1982.
Waylon Live is a live album by Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1976.
Ol' Waylon is a studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1977. It eventually became one of Jennings' highest-selling albums, due in no small part to the phenomenal success of the chart-topping "Luckenbach, Texas ." It was also the singer's fourth solo album in a row to reach the top of the country charts, remaining there for thirteen weeks and becoming country music's first platinum album by any single solo artist.
"Wrong" is a song written by Steve Seskin and Andre Pessis, and recorded by American country music singer Waylon Jennings. It was released in May 1990 as the first single from his album The Eagle.
RCA Country Legends is a compilation album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings. It is part of a series of similar RCA Country Legends albums released by RCA Records. It was released on November 6, 2001 and covers Jennings' biggest hits from 1965-1985.
The following is a detailed discography of all singles released by American country music singer Waylon Jennings. A total of 16 Jennings' singles have reached number one on music charts.