Post by chadstevens on Aug 26, 2014 21:39:08 GMT -5
There were so many of these on the lower rungs on Billboard's and Cashbox's C&W charts in the 70s and 80s, obscure records by obscure artists on obscure labels. A few invaded the Top 40, but most came and went after a few weeks on the lower rungs of the chart and were forgotten forever. Since Joel Whitburn doesn't list B-sides for many of them, one can only assume that even he doesn't have them in his mighty collection. There's a real possibility that some of these songs that charted - likely pressed in small numbers 25 to 40 years ago and then never again - may truly be lost forever.
My thinking was that:
1) C&W airplay in the 1980s coalesced around a small core of big name artists, and were unlikely to break much new talent. So the recurrent rule in place meant that something had to fill the bottom half of the chart, so the indies had a playground there.
2) There was a larger market for C&W hits waxed on 45s, particularly for the jukebox market, which benefited the indies who were less likely to press LPs, cassettes, or CDs.
3) C&W migrated slower to the FM side of the dial, so there were many second-tier C&W stations particularly in small towns, or on AM radio that skewed airplay figures.
Of course the constricted chart in the 1990s, the inclusion of LP tracks, and Soundscan largely ended the indie days on the C&W chart, so I'm left wondering:
1) Are there any charting C&W records whose very existence is questioned? (A country "Ready 'n' Steady" so to speak?)
2) Were there any bonafide regional indie hits in those days? Songs that charted nationally on the strength of sales/airplay in one particular region?
Any other thoughts or favorites on indie C&W hits?
My thinking was that:
1) C&W airplay in the 1980s coalesced around a small core of big name artists, and were unlikely to break much new talent. So the recurrent rule in place meant that something had to fill the bottom half of the chart, so the indies had a playground there.
2) There was a larger market for C&W hits waxed on 45s, particularly for the jukebox market, which benefited the indies who were less likely to press LPs, cassettes, or CDs.
3) C&W migrated slower to the FM side of the dial, so there were many second-tier C&W stations particularly in small towns, or on AM radio that skewed airplay figures.
Of course the constricted chart in the 1990s, the inclusion of LP tracks, and Soundscan largely ended the indie days on the C&W chart, so I'm left wondering:
1) Are there any charting C&W records whose very existence is questioned? (A country "Ready 'n' Steady" so to speak?)
2) Were there any bonafide regional indie hits in those days? Songs that charted nationally on the strength of sales/airplay in one particular region?
Any other thoughts or favorites on indie C&W hits?
