98 Country Classic Bonus – 5 Classic Country Hits from 1968 [VIDEOS]

Good morning and welcome to the 98 Country Classic Show! We’re on air at 98.1 FM, online at 98country.com and on your mobile device. Each Sunday we offer an online bonus to enjoy after the 98 Country Classic Radio Show. It’s an extra helping of country classic performances. Today we feature Top Ten Country Hits from 1968.

Making the News in 1968:

North Vietnamese launch the Tet Offensive, a turning point in the Vietnamese War;
President Johnson announces he will not seek or accept Presidential re-nomination on March 31^st;
Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Leader is slain in Memphis on April 4^th;
James Earl Ray indicted in King Murder is sentenced to 99 years;
Senator Robert F. Kennedy is shot and critically-wounded in Los Angeles Hotel after winning the California Primary June 5^th, dies June 6^th.

In Country music on the radio we were listening to Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette and Glen Campbell.

Loretta Lynn – “Fist City”

Loretta Lynn wrote and performed “Fist City” in 1968. The song was in response to a woman who began pursuing her husband, Doolittle, while Lynn was frequently touring in Tennessee. The song was a warning for other women to stay away from him. It is one of several songs that got Lynn banned from the radio in the 1960’s for her controversial themes and content.

You’ve been makin’ brags around town that you’ve been lovin’ with my man.

Johnny Cash – “Folsom Prison Blues”

Johnny Cash wrote and recorded “Folsom Prison Blues.” Cash was inspired to write this song after seeing the movie, “Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison” in 1951 while serving in West Germany in the United States Air Force. The song was a number one hit for four weeks.

I hear the train a comin’ it’s rollin’ round the bends.

Merle Haggard – “Mama Tried”

Merle Haggard wrote and performed “Mama Tried.” In the song, The Hag focuses on the pain and suffering he caused his own mother by being incarcerated in 1957 in San Quentin. The song became one of the cornerstone songs of his career. “Mama Tried” was at number one for four weeks on the Country charts in 1968.

The first thing I remember knowing was a lonesome whistle blowing.

Tammy Wynette – “Stand By Your Man”

“Stand By Your Man” is a song co-written by Tammy Wynette and Bill Sherrill. The song was released as a single in September of 1968. It turned out to be the most successful record of Wynette’s career. The song peaked at number one and stayed at that position for three weeks.

Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman, giving all your love to just one man.

Glen Campbell – “Dreams of the Everyday Housewife”

Chris Gantry wrote “Dreams of the Everyday Housewife” which was recorded by Glen Campbell. It was released in July of 1968 as the first single from his album, "Wichita Lineman." The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart.