It’s hard to believe 1980 was 45 years ago. The year marked the turn of the decade, but also kicked off a great era in country music. These three country albums came out in 1980 and remain classics today!
‘My Home’s In Alabama’ by Alabama
My Home’s In Alabama is Alabama’s first record on a major label. Released on RCA Records, the 10-track record includes “Tennessee River“, which is Alabama’s first No. 1 hit, and “Why Lady Why”, which is their second chart-topping single. My Home’s In Alabama also showed that the group, made up of Randy Owen, Jeff Cook, and Teddy Gentry, was able to make personal songs, such as Tennessee River”, commercial successes. It’s an attribute that has helped them become one of the most successful bands of all time.
“Beginning when I was about three or four, Daddy used to drive me over to Scottsboro, Alabama, about thirty miles from home, every first Monday for a big open sale called First Monday,” Owen recounts. “They sold and swapped everything – dogs, cows, cats, goats, sheep, hunting knives – you name it. … Coming off of Sand Mountain near Scottsboro, you could see the majestic Tennessee River flowing by. That’s where the song of the same name, ‘Tennessee River’, came from, taking in that view on the way to First Monday.”
‘Honeysuckle Rose’ by Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson’s Honeysuckle Rose is the soundtrack to the movie by the same name. The project is written by largely by Nelson, who also appears in the film. But just because it isn’t a studio album Nelson put together for his own artistry, it doesn’t make it any less significant. In fact, two of Nelson’s biggest hits, both “On The Road Again” and “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground”, came from Honeysuckle Rose.
Nelson was flying with the movie’s director, Jerry Schatzberg, and executive producer Sydney Pollack, when they asked him to write what became “On The Road Again”.
“They were looking for songs for the movie. And they asked me if I had any idea,” Nelson recalls (via Far Out). “I said, ‘What do you want the song to say?’ and Sydney said, ‘Can it be something about being on the road?’
“It just started to click,” he continues. “I said, ‘You mean like, ‘On the road again, I can’t wait to get on the road again?’”
‘9 To 5 And Odd Jobs’ by Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton’s 9 To 5 And Odd Jobs includes Parton’s mega-hit “9 To 5”, part of the film of the same name, which features Parton. But the record also includes “But You Know I Love You”, a No. 1 hit for Parton, and “The House Of The Rising Sun”, which hit the Top 15.
Although Parton writes most of her own music, the country star also chooses songs by other writers. She includes “Dark As A Dungeon” by Merle Travis, which was a hit for Johnny Cash first. She also includes “But You Know I Love You”, which Kenny Rogers first recorded.
