The Dark Side About Being A Country Star In The 1960s

The 1960s were a tumultuous time of profound social change, which witnessed the rise of countless countercultural movements. America was experiencing a heady climate of unrest and upheaval, which many artists mirrored in their music. The times, as Bob Dylan famously proclaimed, were a-changing.

This instability coincided with the expansion of television and radio stations, which transmitted thrilling new genres of music into the homes of millions of listeners every night. Despite these changes, the honest, down-to-earth themes of country music still resonated with the sensibilities and struggles of many Americans. According to author Jeremy Hill's ''Country Comes to Town,” city life blossomed, and rural life became romanticized. As a result, many songwriters headed to the neighborhoods of cities like Nashville to seek fortune and fame.

In such hotbeds of talent and innovation, many artists found kindred spirits eager to reimagine tradition and transform the rougher country sound of earlier decades. The result was a sleeker style that promised an unprecedented popular appeal. As a result, such singers rose to prominence and became household names (via Britannica). However, as the old adage goes, the tougher the life, the sweeter the song. While the country music of the time was intertwined with themes of love, loss, and nostalgia, it often masked a darker side that drew from a well of controversy and personal pain. Artists often tried to bury their sorrows from the public eye, with mixed results. Yet with fame came notoriety, and many country artists paid a heavy price for their success. Here are some of the sinister sides of country stardom.

While marriages became a battlefield for equality, America was also dealing with the ugly reality of its colonial past and embittered race relations. Despite the musical roots of country music being steeped in the blues and R&B, many artists of color found themselves excluded from the table of country music's burgeoning success, according to Time.

Many country musicians found their careers bearing the brunt of segregation and the ghosts of discriminatory Jim Crow-era mindsets. This led to a lack of diversity in mainstream country, and a parallel music market emerged for artists of color. Often, their contributions as session musicians were uncredited, or their records were sold as ”race records.” White America, on the other hand, became the genre's target audience. Audiences, too, experienced the withered fruits of such harsh separations. 

Black audiences couldn't attend white-only shows, band members of different races couldn't play together, and many venues refused to schedule gigs for artists of color, as verified by Rolling Stone. A simple peek into the past reveals that the famed Grand Ole Opry, one of country music's most beloved institutions, excluded many artists of color during this period, as supported by The New York Times. Eventually, with the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, opportunities became more available to discriminated artists. Charley Pride was one industry-acclaimed artist who overcame adversity and persevered to become a country superstar. Pride would later reflect on America's racial attitudes in an interview with The Dallas Morning News, via AP News, saying that such ”skin hangups” were ”a disease."

While whiskey was the muse of countless country tunes, it wasn't the only devil on many country performers' shoulders. Many musicians struggled to maintain momentum when faced with grueling touring schedules that involved traveling hundreds of miles daily just to make the next show. These rigorous touring regimes, along with immense expectations to consistently deliver stellar performances, took its toll on the bodies and psyches of many country artists. As such, many country artists turned to drugs and alcohol to deal with such demands.

Unsurprisingly, many country stars' personal problems became aggravated by alcoholism and drug addiction. A Rolling Stone feature collects session musicians' and songwriters' first-hand accounts of how commonplace it was for musicians to swallow pills just to cope. George Jones and Johnny Cash were two of country music's biggest stars who notoriously grappled with drug addiction throughout the 1960s. Initially, Jones seemed able to disappear and reappear just in time to fulfill his professional obligations. But, after slipping into alcoholism and cocaine addiction, he eventually became nicknamed ”No Show Jones” due to his tendency to miss performances (via The New York Times).

Cash has candidly expressed his struggles with drug addiction throughout his life. For example, he recalls in his memoirs how simple it was to receive medications from doctors and how easily they became a comforting crutch. In addition, Cash's son, John Carter Cash, believes both his parents suffered from prescription medication addictions throughout their careers, corroborating the singer's publicized substance abuse difficulties, as Reuters reports.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

In stark contrast to the rise of feminism in the 1960s comes the harrowing realization that domestic violence had remained somewhat normalized during this decade. While many country songs of the era portray troubled men letting alcohol and drugs distort their judgment, the silent reality was different for many female artists. Domestic violence was often downplayed or outright ignored by many in the industry. As a result, many perpetrators were allowed to continue their careers without real repercussions.

Part of the reason for this is that domestic violence was often considered a private problem, and abusive behavior went unchecked, as per Independent Women's Forum. Another significant factor is due to the 1960s country music industry being heavily male-dominated, which perhaps led to a tolerance of such behaviors. In her book about her marriage to Johnny Cash, Vivian Liberto describes her ex-husband allegedly getting physical with her. Another, more harrowing example involves Tammy Wynette, who claimed to have been kidnapped and beaten by a stranger at gunpoint. There is considerable uncertainty regarding this incident, per Country Living. In the decades since, Wynette's daughter Georgette Jones has come out in support of the allegation that Wynette made up the tale to protect the suspected offender: her manager and fifth husband, George Richey. 

Another notorious relationship in the industry involves Loretta Lynn and her husband and manager, Oliver "Doolittle" Lynn (pictured above). Throughout her career, their rocky marriage was riddled with drunkenness, violence, and cheating, which inspired many of Lynn's songs, per Biography. However, according to CBS, Lynn would later admit that, despite her feelings, she "put up with it because of six kids."

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

So, how much of the 1960s country music culture was a boys' club? Despite the decade's drastic social change, many old gender roles persisted. Women were frequently underrepresented in 1960s country music, often serving as backup vocalists rather than songwriters headlining national tours. Looking back through the prism of today's beliefs, women are frequently represented as suffering or relegated as objects of desire in the songs. Yet, despite this, many of the era's female songwriters became stars who forever changed the genre. These pioneering artists paved the path for future generations via hard work and sheer talent. Although, it probably wasn't all that easy.

In ”Dumb Blonde,” Dolly Parton's 1968 hit, Dolly defiantly sings ”this dumb blonde ain't nobody's fool,” challenging many of the sexist and stereotypical attitudes she would have likely experienced. Similarly, Pacific Standard reflects on how Patsy Cline bucked social norms and is now considered a trendsetter for women in country music. After all, a mother and wife was expected to stay home, but Cline worked her tail off to achieve success.

Loretta Lynn is another noteworthy example of a woman who demanded autonomy and a career. By 15, she was married; by the mid-1960s, she already had six kids. Yet, when she released her most controversial song, ”The Pill'' — a song extolling the freedom contraception offers women — it courted controversy. The song remains so "scandalous" today that many radio stations still refuse to play it on the air, reports Time.

February 3, 1959, was permanently carved into the American song tradition as "the day the music died." Several country stars boarded a jet in a last-ditch bid to get to their next gig, relates Biography. The plane, carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the ”Big Bopper,” would never reach its destination.

Life as a country music star didn't become any less fragile over the ensuing decade. After all, the touring schedules hadn't become any less strenuous. As a result, several bright flames were tragically extinguished in the 1960s before their careers could reach their full potential, as several country performers died in the transit between concerts. Most notably, in an eerily similar fashion, Patsy Cline (pictured above) died in 1963, after a plane crash that also claimed the lives of two other country performers, Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins. The aircraft was on its way back to Nashville following a concert in Kansas, relates Taste of Country. The following year, a plane carrying Jim Reeves, a Nashville Sound veteran, vanished from radar, only to be discovered destroyed by a search team on August 2, 1964 (via The New York Times).

Unfortunately, the skies were not the only peril. Many country stars also got into catastrophic collisions on the road. Taste of Country reports that Cline herself had survived one such car crash in 1961. A rising star who wasn't so lucky was Johnny Horton, who passed away in 1960 upon driving back from a concert in Austin, Texas, according to AllMusic.