This is the Hot Country Hits of 1975, part 1. There are 43 songs in total, only eight of which charted for more than a week. I’ll note the ones that were also #1 on the pop charts.
Convoy—C.W. McCall, six weeks at #1. I couldn’t believe this did not hit #1 on the pop charts, as I heard it often, and it seemed to have encapsulated the CB radio craze. It even inspired a 1978 movie. Ah, it did hit #1 pop, but not until early 1976. It was chronologically the last #1 country hit of 1975.
Rhinestone Cowboy -Glen Campbell, three weeks at #1; also #1 pop for two weeks and #1 AC for a week. I really liked him.
Before The Next Teardrop Falls – Freddy Fender, two weeks at #1; also #1 pop for a week.
Always Wanting You – Merle Haggard, two weeks at #1. He had a total of four #1s in 1975. Several biographies were crafted for the Ken Burns series Country Music on the PBS website. Here’s his.
Touch The Hand – Conway Twitty, two weeks at #1. Three #1s, including a duet, in 1975.
Wasted Days and Wasted Nights – Freddy Fender, two weeks at #1. Two #1s in 1975
Daydreams About Night Things– Ronnie Milsap, two weeks at #1. Two #1s in 1975
#1 for one week
The Door – George Jones
Ruby Baby – Billy “Crash” Craddock, the Leiber-Stoller song previously recorded by, among others, the Drifters (#10 RB in 1956), Dion (#2 pop in 1963), the Beatles, and the Beach Boys
Kentucky Gambler – Merle Haggard
(I’d Be) A Legend In My Time – Ronnie Milsap
City Lights – Mickey Gilley. Two #1s in 1975
Then Who Am I – Charlie Pride. Two #1s in 1975
Devil In The Bottle – T.G. Sheppard. Two #1s in 1975
I Care – Tom T. Hall. This appears on the album Country Songs For Children
It’s Time To Pay The Fiddler – Cal Smith
Linda On My Mind – Conway Twitty
The Bargain Store – Dolly Parton. PBS bio.
I Just Can’t Get Her Out Of My Mind – Johnny Rodriguez, yet it didn’t even make the top 100 pop. Three #1s in 1975. PBS bio. His website. He died May 9, 2025.
Always Wanting You – Merle Haggard
Blanket On The Ground – Billie Jo Spears