[2] He signed with Columbia Records in 1970 and finally achieved solo success, placing the single "I Just Can't Help Believing" on the Billboard top-40 country chart.
[2] In 1981, he recorded his first number-one country hit, "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma," a duet with Shelly West.
[2] The song won the Country Music Association's Song of the Year and Vocal Duet of the Year awards in 1981, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and was featured in Clint Eastwood's film Any Which Way You Can.
[2] In August 1982, Frizzell scored his only solo number-one country single with "I'm Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home".
[2] After he parted ways with Shelly West, Frizzell continued to record solo albums, but he has not kept up the popularity he enjoyed during the early 1980s.