Top 75 Country Releases on Capitol Records: Critic’s Picks

Top 75 Country Releases on Capitol Records

2017 marks the 75th birthday of Capitol Records. Early in the history of the label, there was a commitment to the world of "Hillbilly Music," as it was called back then. That name faded into obscurity, giving way to what we call Country Music — and what a legacy it has been!

From the early days of the label, including Capitol’s first number one single on the Country (Jukebox as it was labeled then) charts — the King Cole Trio’s "Straighten Up and Fly Right" on June 10, 1944 — to Tex Ritter and Jimmy Wakely to the 50s recordings of Tennessee Ernie Ford and Ferlin Husky, the Bakersfield sounds of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, the crossover stylings of Glen Campbell, all the way through to modern-day superstars such as Keith Urban and Dierks Bentley, the label continues to make history and plow rich musical ground.

Here’s a look at 75 of the most essential Country releases in the label’s history that also illustrates the history of the format since 1942. 

#75 The Louvin Brothers – I Don’t Believe You’ve Met My Baby (1956)

#74 Trace Adkins – Arlington (2005)

#73 Billy Dean – Billy The Kid (1992)

#72 Gene Watson – Farewell Party (1979)

#71 Tanya Tucker – Soon (1993)

#70 Luke Bryan – Country Girl (Shake It For Me) (2011)

#69 Asleep at The Wheel – The Letter That Johnny Walker Read (1975)

#68 Little Big Town – Better Man (2017)

#67 Linda Ronstadt – I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You) (1975)

#66 Suzy Bogguss – Aces (1991)

#65 Lady Antebellum – Love Don’t Live Here (2007)

#64 Garth Brooks – The Thunder Rolls (1991)

#63 Tex Ritter – You Two-Timed Me One Time Too Often (1945)

#62 Dierks Bentley – Drunk On A Plane (2014)

#61 Sonny James – You’re The Only World I Know (1964)

#60 Keith Urban – Better Life (2005)

#59 Wynn Stewart – It’s Such A Pretty World Today (1967)

#58 Marie Osmond and Dan Seals – Meet Me In Montana (1985)

#57 Red Simpson – I’m A Truck (1971)

#56 Darius Rucker – Wagon Wheel (2013)

#55 Ferlin Husky and Jean Shepard – A Dear John Letter (1953)

#54 Trace Adkins – You’re Gonna Miss This (2008)

#53 Darius Rucker – It Won’t Be Like This For For Long (2008)

#52 Luke Bryan – Drink A Beer (2013)

#51 Buck Owens – I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail (1965)

#50 Merle Haggard – I’m A Lonesome Fugitive (1967)

#49 Lady Antebellum – I Run To You (2009)

#48 Tennessee Ernie Ford – Mule Train (1949)

#47 Anne Murray – Could I Have This Dance (1980)

#46 Glen Campbell – By The Time I Get To Phoenix (1967)

#45 The Louvin Brothers – When I Stop Dreaming (1955)

#44 Dan Seals – Bop (1986)

#43 Keith Urban – Blue Ain’t Your Color (2016)

#42 Wanda Jackson – Right Or Wrong (1961)

#41 Steve Wariner – Holes In The Floor Of Heaven (1998)

#40 Little Big Town – Pontoon (2012)

#39 Glen Campbell – Gentle On My Mind (1967)

#38 Dierks Bentley – What Was I Thinkin’ (2003)

#37 Mel McDaniel – Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On (1984)

#36 Billy Dean – Somewhere In My Broken Heart (1991)

#35 Garth Brooks – What She’s Doin’ Now (1991)

#34 Merle Travis – Divorce Me C.O.D. (1946)

#33 Ferlin Husky – Gone (1957)

#32 Glen Campbell – Galveston (1969)

#31 Keith Urban – Somebody Like You (2002)

#30 Merle Haggard – Okie From Muskogee (1969)

#29 Dierks Bentley – I Hold On (2013)

#28 Jimmy Wakely – One Has My Name The Other Has My Heart (1948)

#27 Tex Ritter – I Dreamed Of A Hillbilly Heaven (1961)

#26 Garth Brooks – The Dance (1990)

#25 Jack Guthrie – Oklahoma Hills (1945)

#24 Eric Church – Springsteen (2012)

#23 Faron Young – Hello Walls (1961)

#22 Buck Owens – Act Naturally (1963)

#21 Glen Campbell – Southern Nights (1977)

#20 Freddie Hart – Easy Lovin’ (1971)

#19 Merle Travis – So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed (1947)

#18 Anne Murray – You Needed Me (1978)

#17 Jimmy Wakely and Margaret Whiting – Slippin’ Around (1949)

#16 Garth Brooks – If Tomorrow Never Comes (1989)

#15 Ferlin Husky – Wings Of A Dove (1960)

#14 Little Big Town – Girl Crush (2014)

#13 Hank Thompson – Wild Side Of Life (1952)

#12 Merle Haggard – Mama Tried (1968)

#11 Sonny James – Young Love (1956)

#10 Lady Antebellum – Need You Now (2009)

#9 Jessi Colter – I’m Not Lisa (1975)

#8 Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman (1968)

#7 Merle Haggard – Workin’ Man Blues (1969)

#6 Tennessee Ernie Ford – Sixteen Tons (1955)

#5 Bobbie Gentry – Ode To Billie Joe (1967)

#4 Garth Brooks – Friends In Low Places (1990)

#3 Merle Haggard – Sing Me Back Home (1967)

#2 Buck Owens – Together Again (1964)

#1 Glen Campbell – Rhinestone Cowboy (1975)