3 Country Voices From the 1960s You’ll Recognize in About Two Seconds

The 1960s were a boom time for country music. Sometimes that just happens in a genre—there are fat times, and there are lean times. And in the 1960s, country music was in an especially productive period.

And that’s what we wanted to dive into here below. We wanted to highlight three country stars from the era whose work has subsisted over the years. Indeed, these are three country voices from the 1960s you’ll recognize in about two seconds.

Merle Haggard

In many ways, Merle Haggard’s singing voice remains the Platonic Ideal of what a male country singer should sound like. It’s deep and rich, confident and sensitive. When the former prison inmate sings, people lean in and listen up. Take, for example, his famed acoustic-driven tune “Okie From Muskogee”. The track is an ode to the American heartland, and Haggard sells it because he sounds like the area he’s representing. He embodies the spirit of some important legend.

Loretta Lynn

While Merle Haggard might be the Platonic Ideal of a male country singer, then Loretta Lynn may just be that for the female side. Lynn’s energetic, twangy voice sounds as if it was born in the Appalachian Mountains and honed in the saloons of Nashville. While Lynn first got her start in the logging towns of the Pacific Northwest, she has since become a mainstay in country music. Her voice bends and leaps on her songs—it’s simply perfect. For evidence of this, look no further than her funny, sharp 1966 track, “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)”.

Tammy Wynette

Truly, the 1960s offered country fans an embarrassment of riches. There were so many stars making music during the era, one might have thought the genre had turned into a galaxy of music. And another of those marquee names releasing tunes was Tammy Wynette. Her signature song, “Stand By Your Man”, is both funny and sturdy. It both celebrates long-term love and jokes about the frailties of what it means to be a man. It’s a one-two punch of a track that has lasted over the years—like Wynette herself.

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