3 Iconic Married Couples That Helped Define Country Music in the 1960s
American Songwriter highlights three married songwriting and performing partnerships whose work helped shape country music’s 1960s legacy.
– Felice and Boudleaux Bryant built on early success with Little Jimmy Dickens’s 1948 chart hit “Country Boy”, later writing widely recorded songs including Everly Brothers hits and “Rocky Top”.
– Liz and Casey Anderson contributed to Merle Haggard’s rise: Liz wrote several of his early hits, while their joint song “The Fugitive” became his first No. 1 in 1967; they also helped found the Nashville Songwriters Association International.
– Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash recorded together before marrying in 1968, including “Jackson”; June co-wrote Cash’s 1963 hit “Ring of Fire” with Merle Kilgore.
- Three couples influenced 1960s country through songwriting and performance.
- The Bryants wrote major crossover and country standards.
- The Andersons and Cashes helped define key country hits.