Ep. 23 - Women of Country Music in the 70s

Ep. 23 - Women of Country Music in the 70s

Author: Amy Lively July 29, 2020 Duration: 54:27
Why did more women sell country music and get more radio airtime in the 70s than today? Artists such as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and even Olivia Newton-John made country radio friendly music in the midst of the women's rights movement of the 70s. Many of these singers were also able to cross over to pop. The momentum for women in country did not continue. This episode explores the many reasons for country music welcoming women in the 70s before its evolution to "bro country" in the years that followed. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/amy-lively/message

Hosted by Amy Lively, For the Record: The 70s is more than a nostalgic trip through the decade's greatest hits. It's an audio documentary that digs into how the music actually happened, tracing the direct lines between the era's upheavals and the sounds that defined it. Each episode takes a specific moment-a political scandal, a social movement, an economic shift-and listens to how it resonated across studios and radio stations. You'll hear how the anxieties of the time fueled the raw energy of punk, how the quest for liberation built the four-on-the-floor beat of disco, and how personal stories found new expression in the evolving strains of country-pop and soul. This podcast carefully unpacks the complex dialogue between culture and history, showing how the pop charts, rock anthems, and protest songs didn't just soundtrack the seventies but were active participants in shaping its legacy. By weaving together archival material, musical analysis, and clear narrative, the series reveals why these tracks still feel urgent decades later. It’s for anyone who has ever wondered about the story behind the record, offering a deeper appreciation for how the tumultuous events of those ten years left an indelible mark on our modern world, all through the lens of the artists and genres that dared to respond.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

For the Record: The 70s
Podcast Episodes
Ep. 54: Into the 80s! What Came Next for 70s Heavy Metal? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:23
How did heavy metal change from the 70s to the 80s? This episode examines the birth of "hair metal" and how, for a short but LOUD period of time, heavy metal was one of the most popular genres in American music. Bands su…
Ep. 53 - More than Charley Pride: African Americans in 70s Country [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:30
The roots of country music are black and white. So, why do most people think of country as a white person's genre? This episode considers answers to that question and examines the contributions that African American arti…
Ep. 52 - 70s Christmas Music [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:45
It isn't easy to write an original Christmas song that stands the test of the time, but artists of the 70s gave us several, such as "Feliz Navidad" by Jose Feliciano and "Step into Christmas" by Elton John. These songs,…
Ep. 51 - The Softer Side of 70s Rock [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:29
Rock critics may have hated it but millions of music fans loved so-called "soft rock." This episode examines possible theories for this genre's popularity and makes the case that this "safer" version of rock music may ha…
Ep. 3 - Nostalgia, Race, and Rebels in 70s Southern Rock (Encore) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:26
Southern rock from bands such as the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd was not just loved by Americans from the South. Southern rock has broad appeal. For many white southerners, though, this form of rock tapped into a…
Ep. 2: Countryish Music of the 1970s (Encore) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:47
How and why did artists such as John Denver and Olivia Newton-John upset the country music establishment in the 1970s? Country radio has created the country music sound it has wanted since Elvis and rock and roll began t…
Ep. 1: Disco Doesn't Suck (Encore) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:36
Disco and the 70s had a love-hate relationship. This episode examines who hated disco and why, as well as why it thrived in the underground until radio and the movie, "Saturday Night Fever," helped bring disco into the m…
Ep. 50 - The Travolta Trilogy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:45
In just over a two-year span as the 1970s marched on toward the 1980s, John Travolta starred in three cultural touchstone movies: "Saturday Night Fever" (released on December 12, 1977), "Grease" (released on June 16, 197…
Ep. 49 - Austin City Limits and the 70s Country Music Revolution [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:41
In 1974, a local Austin PBS station aired the first episode of "Austin City Limits" and, with that, took the first step to showing the entire country how Austin, Texas celebrated and encouraged experimentation with count…
Ep. 48 - The "Worst" of the 70s? The Music of 1974 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:53
The year 1974 shoulder much of the blame for the so-called worst music of not only the 1970s, but the worst of all time. Is this true? While we know that 1974 had much good to offer, is it true that it also had the worst…