Artists
Placeholder intro paragraph. The bands and performers behind the decade's greatest records.
Jim Croce: The Song He Released the Day After He Died
Jim Croce died September 20, 1973. His next single shipped one day later. The real timeline of his final year, verified against Billboard's own chart data.
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Carole King: The Same Chart, Three Different Names
Carole King topped the 1971 year-end chart as a performer, and showed up twice more as the writer behind two other artists' hits that same year.
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Willie Nelson: The Songwriter Who Became the Star
Willie Nelson spent a decade writing hits for other singers. See how a Nashville house fire and one stripped-down album turned him into a star himself.
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Dolly Parton: The Split, the Songs, and the Lawsuit
Dolly Parton split from Porter Wagoner in 1974, wrote two career songs in one summer, then got sued for it. Here's the real 70s story.
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Stevie Wonder: The Deal That Built His Classic Period
Stevie Wonder let his Motown contract expire at 21, then came back with full creative control. Here's the 1971 deal that built his classic period.
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Brian May and Queen: The Guitar Built From a Fireplace
Brian May and Queen built a signature sound from a homemade guitar, a coin for a pick, and an amp made from junk. Here's how it actually worked.
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