• Country music has long been popular in the United States.Country Music image by Scott Maxwell from Fotolia.com
  
  When determining the 10 best of anything you have to take into account the differences in taste. Just because you choose a particular genre of music does not mean everyone will arrive at the same conclusion when deciding what album sounds best. Typically, the music charts navigate around the taste factor by utilizing cold, hard numbers and going with best in sales. In the 1970s people bought entire albums and the 10 best according to sales spanned a wide variety of country music.
  
  

One Album on the Chart

• "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers came it at No. 10. Rogers won a Grammy for Best Male Country vocal Performance for the lead track. Charlie Rich's "Behind Closed Doors," an album that went gold, placed No. 9. Rich also garnered three country music association awards and a Grammy. Somewhat surprisingly, the Carpenters took the No. 6 six spot with "A Song for You." The Carpenters came in as one of the best selling artists of the 70s in all American music. This album remains ranked No. 26 on the top albums of the 70s not sorted by genre.
  
  

John Denver

• John Denver represents epic success in country music. In the 1970s three of the Top 10 album spots belong to the singer. He left the decade with the honor as the most recognized name on the list and also with an Emmy for Outstanding Special, Comedy-Variety or Musical. The No. 8 spot holds "Back Home Again," released in 1974. The No. 7 spot lists "An Evening with John Denver" a live album. This recording session is the showcase scoring Mr. Denver the Emmy. His highest-ranking album for the decade came in at No. 4 with "Rocky Mountain High."
  
  

Extensive Creator

• Despite being the most prolific creator of the decade, Marty Robbins only landed one album on the Top 10 list for the decade. He released 14 albums over the span of 10 years, won a Grammy and accomplished his first ever No. 1 single with "El Paso City." Robbins' album "My Woman, My Wife" landed at No. 2.
  
  

Names Everyone Knows

• The list rounds out with some of the most well known names in country music. These men have worked hard and tend to be recognized names even among those who do not listen to country music. Willie Nelson sold "Red-headed Stranger" in the 70s, though the album was almost not released. The record company officials changed their minds and the album finished the year at No. 5. Waylon Jennings, also known for singing and narrating the "Dukes of Hazzard" TV show, scored the No. 3 spot with "Ol' Waylon," which sold more than 5 million copies. The top spot goes to Conway Twitty with "Hello, Darlin." Though the only other lady on the chart is half of a duo, this album prominently features another woman. This album rose to the top due to the duets featured on it with Loretta Lynn, one of which won a Grammy.