There weren’t very many country one-hit wonders in the 70s. It was a really good decade for country music. Those who made it big with one song went on, typically, to make it big with additional songs. Country one-hit wonders did exist during that decade, though. For some such artists, I really think their lack of charting success was through no fault of their own. Let’s take a look at a few country one-hit wonders from the 70s that deserve way more love today!
Jessi Colter
Jessi Colter’s big hit was the 1975 country tune, “I’m Not Lisa”. Honestly, every time I write about Colter, I get a little sad. She was one of the few female outlaw country singers out there. Her lack of charting hits just feels so undeserved.
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“I’m Not Lisa” hit No. 1 on both the US and Canadian country charts, and it was also a pretty big crossover hit for Colter. The song made it to the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, the Easy Listening chart, and a number of charts in Canada, South Africa, Australia, and elsewhere. For some reason that I just can’t understand, Colter never made it to the Top 40 of the Hot 100 chart again.
Freddie Hart
Freddie Hart scored his one claim to fame with “Easy Loving” in 1971. This breakthrough hit quickly became a country music standard, and I still hear it out in the wild on country radio today. For as much talent as Hart had, I’m shocked that he never quite capitalized on the success of “Easy Lovin”. The song was his only Hot 100 hit, peaking at No. 17. He continued to make it to the Top 40 of the country charts in the US and Canada well into the 1980s, but he never scored another Hot 100 hit again. What a shame!
Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan
Even if this duo doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve probably heard their famous 1970 song, “Tennessee Bird Walk”. This novelty tune and its makers make it to our list of country one-hit wonders from the 70s, and I really don’t think this husband-and-wife pair got the love they deserved back in the day.
“Tennessee Bird Walk” topped the country charts in both the US and Canada, and it was also a crossover hit that made it to No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. After that hit, the duo never saw the Top 40 of the Hot 100 again. Though, they did enjoy lasting success on the US country charts through the mid-1970s. The pair continued to perform music until Morgan’s passing in 2021.
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