Some performers are just exceptional. They defy categorization and stereotyping. They are the originals, the innovators, the trailblazers, the visionaries. What sets them apart is their boldness and sensitivity to rapidly evolving social and cultural trends. Boundaries to them are made to be surmounted or eliminated. Nothing holds them back. We want to take a few minutes to celebrate their contributions to the genre. Each one was or is a star in their own special, individual way, especially in the 1970s. So it's hats off to Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. They deservedly give new luster and meaning to the word "legend."
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Dolly Parton
I am continually amazed at the shrewdness, talent, and drive of this woman. She is an indomitable powerhouse, not only as a terrific singer, but as a prolific songwriter, businessperson, worthy role model, and generous philanthropist. She has truly moved the goalposts for women who populate the country genre. Ambitious and smart, Parton always sought new opportunities for herself, and helped open doors for other talented females along the way.
In 1974, she had the courage to go out on her own after being highly successful on The Porter Wagoner Show for years, per Tennessee Encyclopedia. It was the right career move. Parton was ready and eager to be a solo act. She never looked back. Furthermore, she did not forget or downplay her humble roots. Instead, Parton cherished them.
Charley Pride
Pride was a pioneer for racial equality in country music and the entertainment field. Per the Country Music Hall of Fame web site, "In the 1960s, Charley Pride became country music's first Black superstar....Pride responded to discrimination with square-jawed silence, determined that talent would overcome prejudice. His work spoke volumes. He was the CMA's Entertainer of the Year in 1971...." He has an exceptional career until his death in 2020 at age 86. Pride's character, warmth, and humanity left an indelible impression on the country genre.
Willie Nelson
Nelson had a heckuva decade in the 1970s. He was really on a tear back then. Three albums Nelson did put him squarely on the map. They were Shotgun Willie (1973), Red Headed Stranger (1975), and Stardust (1978). He fearlessly advocated for the outlaw movement in country music, along with fellow artists like Jerry Jeff Walker, Kris Kristofferson, and Waylon Jennings. It was a push back against the stylized, somewhat artificial production values and the omnipotent Nashville music hierarchy that ruled country music at the time. Gritty, real, and authentic were the watchwords of the outlaw movement - and Willie Nelson personified them all.
Kris Kristofferson
Kristofferson was like ten towering people wrapped into one. A tremendous songwriter, outlaw movement mainstay, and gifted actor, he was also a Rhodes scholar and Army Ranger. Per PBS, "Few songwriters have had as profound an effect on country music as Kris Kristofferson. His chart-topping hits of the late 1960s and early 1970s - 'Me and Bobby McGee,' 'Sunday Morning Coming Down,' 'Help Me Make It Through the Night,' and others - opened Nashville to the tensions and issues of the times - freedom, despair, alienation, and candid sexuality - and encouraged a generation of like-minded artists...."
His impressive body of musical and cinematic work was as raw and visceral as it was cerebral. Co-starring in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore in 1974 and a steamy 1976 reboot of A Star Is Born with Barbra Streisand didn't hurt Kristofferson's image, either.
