3 Country Stars Who Found New Life as Solo Artists in the 1970s

As a country artist, sometimes a new career calls to you. Sometimes you start things off with a group of people, and that seems like the best course of action. But then new inspiration strikes and you have to change up your direction.

It happens. And below, we wanted to highlight the careers of three country performers from back in the day who experienced standing at the crossroads. Indeed, these are three country stars who found new life as solo artists in the 1970s.

June Carter

For so much of her life, June Carter was part of an ensemble. She was just 10 years old when she first started singing with her family group, The Carter Family. Then later in life, she sang with her husband Johnny Cash as one of the most acclaimed duos in country history. Born on June 23, 1929, Carter was 46 years old when she released her first solo album, Appalachian Pride. Though she was famous and well established at the time, the LP marked another big step forward. Her next solo album release came another 24 years later in 1999 with Press On.

John Denver

In college at Texas Tech, John Denver sang in a group called The Alpine Trio. But after he dropped out of school, he traveled to Los Angeles. In 1965, he joined The Chad Mitchell Trio, which later changed its name to Denver, Boise, and Johnson. But it was in 1969 that he began to pursue a solo career in earnest. Of course, Denver achieved great success in the 1970s thanks to albums like Poems, Prayers & Promises (1971), Rocky Mountain High (1972), and Back Home Again (1974).

Don Williams

Way back in the early 1960s, Don Williams and friend Lofton Kline performed in a group called The Strangers Two. Thereafter, they co-founded the group The Pozo-Seco Singers. Williams stayed in that band, which recorded music for Columbia, until 1969. Afterwards, he decided it was best to go solo, and in 1973, Williams released his debut studio LP, Don Williams Volume One. It turned out to be the right move because in 2010, he received an induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

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