For the Record: The 70s

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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 desire for nostalgia, rebellion, and a reclaiming of the South as a distinct region. This episode discusses the question of how we should think about that music now, as well as the very thorny question of what the Confederate flag has to do with any of it.

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 to lure away its customers. This was not pleasing to country music purists in the 1970s. This episode discusses why more people began to listen to "countryish" music in the 70s and why it became difficult to distinguish country from other pop music. [This episode has been slightly updated since its original publication in November 2018.]

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 mainstream.

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, 1978), and "Urban Cowboy" (released on June 6, 1980). This episode examines the cultural significance of those films, the music in them, and how much Travolta himself had to do with the popularity of the movies.

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 country music. One of the founders of the show carried a business card that described the show's music as "free form country folk rock science fiction gospel gum existential bluegrass guacamole opera music." As the show celebrates it's 50th anniversary in 2024, it continues to be an example of how a commitment to music rather than glitz and glamour can find a loyal television audience.

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 of the worst? If so, does it matter. This episode takes a closer look at some songs considered the all-time worst, including "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks, "Cat's in the Cradle," by Harry Chapin, and "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods.

Did you watch television in the 70s? If so, it was highly likely that you watched something that was created or produced by Dick Clark. The centerpiece of his entertainment empire was "American Bandstand," but there was more than that, including "New Year's Rockin' Eve" and "The 25,000 Pyramid." Clark was concerned about his legacy and this episode examines just what that legacy was and how it was part of 70s pop culture.

What could possibly happen to make a music festival be tagged as "3 Days of Sodom and Gomorrah?" How about toilets on fire? Drugs being sold as openly as sex? Young rock fans strolling naked through the streets of Sedalia, Missouri as they ditched their clothing to cope with the summer heat? Yes, all this and more descended on this small Missouri town in a festival that was marketed, in part, to town officials as a method of showcasing bluegrass music. There was a little bluegrass but there was a whole lot more of rock. As bad as the behavior of many of the fans was, that was how great the music was. Twenty-seven bands in all, including The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Eagles, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, REO Speedwagon, and more performed for hot, thirsty, and high rock fans in an epic and unforgettable weekend of rock (mostly) music.

In the 1970s, it was not easy for Canadians to produce and distribute music that would be widely received by American or Canadian audiences. Their was the issue of cost and, maybe even more importantly, the issue of credibility. Canada's content laws made radio listeners skeptical about the bands they heard and whether they were "good," which tended to mean they had received an American stamp of approval. This episode examines the work and, in many cases, the perseverence of Canadian bands including Bachman Turner Overdrive, Rush, and Triumph as they worked to create careers that were sustainable beyond the Canadian borders.