Small-town radio often played the hit songs of the time, but more often than not, there would be a bit of country or folk flair mixed in, especially in the 1960s. If you grew up in a small town in the 1960s, I bet you heard these three songs on the radio plenty of times. And I bet you still know them by heart after all this time.
“Wolverton Mountain” by Claude King from ‘Meet Claude King’ (1962)
This rural country hit is a gem among story songs from its time, and it was a big hit on country and pop charts alike. The country classic “Wolverton Mountain” by Claude King was released in 1962 and became radio fodder in no time. It was particularly popular among Arkansas small-towners, as Wolverton Mountain is just a few miles north of Center Ridge, Arkansas. The song peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. It also reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
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“Detroit City” by Bobby Bare from ‘“Detroit City” And Other Hits By Bobby Bare’ (1963)
Something about a sorrowful, working-man country-pop tune was incredibly popular on AM radio. Enter “Detroit City” by Bobby Bare, one such song that was a hit on AM and FM radio alike in the 1960s. This Countrypolitan smash was particularly popular during the summer of 1963. Bare would later win a Grammy for the song that year. “Detroit City” peaked at No. 6 on the Hot Country Singles chart and No. 16 on the Hot 100 chart.
“A Boy Named Sue” by Johnny Cash from ‘At San Quentin’ (1969)
This funny talking blues country classic from Johnny Cash was a hit in 1969. However, it wasn’t actually written by the Man in Black himself. In fact, this entry on our list of small-town radio songs from the 1960s was written by The Giving Tree author Shel Silverstein. Few might know that Silverstein was something of a songwriter.
A fun novelty on an otherwise somewhat serious album, “A Boy Named Sue” became popular on the radio fairly quickly. It peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100, No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles chart, and No. 4 in the UK.
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