1- “A Week in a Country Jail,” Tom T. Hall
Just like the title track from Tom T. Hall’s 1969 album Homecoming, “A Week in the Country Jail” relies on realism while introducing listeners to a character who’d laugh in a tough spot to keep from crying.
2- “Snowbird,” Anne Murray
Anne Murray’s crossover hit might not seem as cutting edge 50 years later as the classic country songs on this list (not to mention snubs like The Hag’s Grammy-nominated “Fighin’ Side of Me”), but this gorgeous pop nugget paved a path for the hybrid country/folk/soft rock hits of the coming decade we now associate with John Denver.