Obscure 70s Americana deep dive
Here we go! Join me on this roadtrip into the forgotten analog lands of folk, folk rock, country, country-folk, country rock, and blues. I'm not going to be too strict on the "70s" part because a lot of the good shit I've dug into really started around 1967-68, but most of the magic happened in the 70s. Most of these are obscure enough that I had to add them to our database here, and any of them hitting 50k monthly listeners on Spotify is pretty rare. Always happy to take recs! |
| 1 |  | F.J. McMahon
Spirit of the Golden Juice
folk rock
3.9 / 5
Kind of the ultimate example of what I seek out. This guy dropped his one album and then left the music world, only to discover in the early 2000s that it had started to gain a cult following. While I love it, I'm always surprised this is the one that popped off. The songs do kind of blend together, and the over-eager little guitar leads are so goofy. |
| 2 |  | Cowboy
5'll Getcha Ten
country rock
4.3 / 5
Some of the best country rock there is. Definitely on the more laidback side, 'rock' might even be misleading. Smooth rural jams right here, be sure to also check out the album Reach for the Sky. FFO Pure Prairie League |
| 3 |  | Willis Alan Ramsey
Willis Alan Ramsey
country/country folk
4.2 / 5
Not terribly obscure but an essential if you've never heard it. Muskrat Love (the original here) is perfection. So is Ballad of Spider John, which btw, Jimmy Buffet covered masterfully. |
| 4 |  | Jimmy Carter
Summer Brings the Sunshine
country/folk/rock
3.9 / 5
Another real nice, soothing little slice of country rock. If you checked out Cowboy and enjoyed em, this one is also for you. |
| 5 |  | Mason Proffit
Come and Gone
folk rock/country rock/cosmic country
4.2 / 5
CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED. This album is technically a compilation but is the best place to start. Truly scratches a folk rock itch for me that few other records do. I really don't know much about these guys or where they fit into the music scene, but believe they disbanded around the time this one dropped. Two Hangmen was their one song that got some attention back in the day, but the opener (Voice of Change) is even better imo. |
| 6 |  | Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band
Rick Sings Nelson
country rock
3.9 / 5
Another warm country rock gem, in the vein of Jimmy Carter, Cowboy, PPL. |
| 7 |  | Eggs Over Easy
Good 'N' Cheap
rock/country rock
3.6 / 5
Nothing too special here, but I couldn't resist that band name! Pretty lowkey. Fewer than 2k monthly listeners. |
| 8 |  | Jim Sullivan
U.F.O.
folk/psychedelic/rock
4 / 5
Is Jim Sullivan obscure? I'd guess most people are unfamiliar, but if you've dug into this kind stuff, you've surely heard of him. This album is a classic in folk psych. |
| 9 |  | Barefoot Jerry
Southern Delight
folk/folk rock/cosmic country
3.9 / 5
Gotta love it! Kind of all over the place stylistically, but some genuinely great songwriting. Especially when they go a little more rootsy and folky. Despite being super under the radar, I heard the song Smokies show up in season 3 of The Righteous Gemstones which was pretty hilarious. Check out that song and Friends. Most people would have killed to write a song like Friends in 1971. Fucking amazing. This album and self titled are bundled as one comp on streaming. |
| 10 |  | Lavender Country
Lavender Country
country
3.8 / 5
This is the gayest country record you'll ever hear and it's fantastic. A couple real nice folk tunes here as well. |
| 11 |  | Gene Parsons
Kindling
country/country folk
3.7 / 5
Not to be confused with Gram Parsons or Gene Clark! Yet all three played in The Byrds, so that's not confusing or anything. This one is pretty twangy, and there are a few duds, but overall a fun one to check out. My favorite track is probably the least country one, Long Way Back. A sort of mystical folk song similar to Toulouse Street by Doobie Brothers. |
| 12 |  | Chris Hillman
Slippin' Away
country rock/rock
3.8 / 5
I guess this the The Byrds section of the list. So many guys intersected with Byrds at some point and it spawned a lot of great solo careers. The obvious one is Gram so don't need to dive into his stuff. Chris Hillman was a solid contributor and this is probably his most well-known solo outing. |
| 13 |  | The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band
The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band
country rock/rock/folk rock
3.7 / 5
Despite knowing Chris Hillman, I only just discovered this one a couple weeks ago. Not a bad track here honestly. Worth a check! |
| 14 |  | Manassas
Manassas
folk rock/country rock
4.1 / 5
CSN x Byrds mashup! Chris Hillman, Stephen Stills, and others. It's actually sort of unclear if this is a Stephen Stills record or if the artist name is considered Manassas. I've seen it both ways. Not so much a hidden gem....just a gem! |
| 15 |  | Ted Lucas
Ted Lucas
folk/psychedelic
3.75 / 5
Some quirky psych folk from 1975! No idea what happened to this guy. To my knowledge, this is the only album he ever released. |
| 16 |  | Aztec Two-Step
Aztec Two-Step
folk rock
4 / 5
Listen to 'Strangers' right now. Please. It's the perfect "last song of the camping trip as the fire fades" type of vibe. If there's any weak spot here it's possibly the vocals? But overall I love this diamond in the rough. It's probably most similar to the Mason Proffit album linked above. < 5k monthly listeners. I also found this for $5 at a thrift store in Philly. Heh. |
| 17 |  | Help Yourself
Help Yourself
country rock/folk rock/psych rock
3.7 / 5
Very under the radar. < 2k monthly listeners. Chill folky country rock. Old Man is my favorite song here. Beautiful album art! |
| 18 |  | Ron Elliott
The Candlestickmaker
folk rock/psych/prog rock
4.3 / 5
Congrats, if you've made it this far you've hit the goldmine!! This shit is amazing and I can't believe how severely it has been lost in time. Ron Elliott did guitar for The Beau Brummels, who are already not super well known. A creative folk rock journey with incredible songwriting, and a super cohesive record overall. I only pray I stumble upon the vinyl someday. Dust this one off, folks! 259 monthly listeners. That is absolutely mindblowing. Doesn't get more obscure than that. |
| 19 |  | The Beau Brummels
Bradley's Barn
rock/folk rock/country rock
3.75 / 5
As mentioned above. Twangy folk rock I suppose? San Francisco but with a more southern sound imo. |
| 20 |  | Wilcox, Sullivan, and Wilcox
An Album of Original Music
folk/psych/cosmic country
4.1 / 5
This record is pretty fascinating. Very lo-fi pagan hippie folk. Snow On A Mountain is a must listen. I know nothing about these people and this was their only release. 1973. |
| 21 |  | Allan Wachs
Mountain Roads & City Streets
folk
3.9 / 5
excellent folky hidden gem goodness. singer-songwriter type stuff. |
| 22 |  | Jimmy Spheeris
Isle of View
folk
4 / 5
oops, Jimmie is spelled wrong in the db. Probably my fault. Isle of View is incredible and it's a shame most people will never hear it. Long Way Down is a 10/10 track. Somebody please listen to it so we can talk about it. Thx. |
| 23 |  | Country Funk
Country Funk
country / funk
3.7 / 5
Please enjoy, Country Funk, a country funk album by the band Country Funk. Ridiculousness aside, this is actually some pretty quality stuff. |
| 24 |  | Henry Paul Band
Grey Ghost
southern rock
3.7 / 5
Henry Paul was better known as a member of The Outlaws but did some stuff with his own band too. Grey Ghost is a solid rock record. Check out the title track and Crossfire. Almost veers into yacht rock territory (not a bad thing whatsoever). |
| 25 |  | Lucy Steymel
Goodbye to Grey
rock/pop
3.8 / 5
Lucy is the shit. She had some bops here that just never took off. Can't remember how I found her, but the definition of a hidden gem. Someone's parents probably have this album sitting in a box in the basement and it's just like, forgotten altogether, but I hope this somehow gets its second wind. 161 monthly listeners, making this arguably the most obscure artist on this list. In My Room is SMOOTH AS FUCK. Check it right now. |
| 26 |  | Lazarus (TX)
Lazarus
folk / folk rock
3.65 / 5
Pleasant enough, although probably not one I revisit too often. A nice sleepy record. Pretty sure there are no drums. Acoustic guitars and lots of harmonies. Try the song 'Eastward' if any of those descriptors sound nice! 333 monthly listeners. |
| 27 |  | Morning
Morning
folk rock / country rock
3.6 / 5
Cool little bargain bin find right here. Sleepy Eyes is a weird piano driven track layered thick with eerie harmonies, and then everything else on this record is pretty normal soft rock lol. Super unknown, just over 200 monthly listeners. 1970. |
| 28 |  | Chris Darrow
Artist Proof
country rock / country
4.1 / 5
Ok time for a country detour. I love this one so much. I won't pretend it's perfect but the song Shawnee Moon takes this up a full notch regardless. His other album is supposedly better but I never thought so as it's a lot less consistent imo. If this list were ranked, Artist Proof would be in the top 10. |
| 29 |  | Dan Pavlides
Gambler
country / country rock
3.9 / 5
Good ol' no frills slice of americana! They can't all be famous. < 1k monthly listeners, and most of these songs don't even have 1k plays on spotify. |
| 30 |  | Jim Ringer
Waitin' for the Hard Times to Go
folk / country-folk
4 / 5
Singer-songwriter country-folk. Barebones, unpolished, and true. Comparable to Townes Van Zandt, but with more of a traditional folk feel. Highly recommend this one. |
|
