List of Best Selling Country Singles in the United States (1951)
This is the list of the Best Selling Country and Western Singles in the United States in 1951 . The list was determined by Billboard magazine according to the "C&W Charts according to Best Sellers in Stores". The data was supplemented by further information from other sources and from specialist literature. Under the heading "Title & Composers" you will also find information about the music publishers who published the song, the recording date and producer (if known) and the position of the title in the US charts.
Abbreviations:
BB = Billboard Magazine, CB = Cashbox Magazine; CW = Country & Western, BS = Best Sellers Charts, JB = Juke Box Charts, JC = Jockey Charts, Pop = Pop Music Charts
Min. = Running time of the title, rec. = Date of recording, rel. = Publication date, prod. = Producer, (78) = catalog number for the 78 records, analogous to (45) and (33)
| rank | Interpreter | Title & composer | Label & catalog number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys | B-side: Cold, Cold Heart (Hank Williams, Acuff-Rose, BMI); 2:46 min .; rec. May 5, 1951 at Castle Studios, Nashville, Tenn .; prod. Fred Rose ; BB-CW-BS # 2, BB-CW-JC # 1, BB-CW-JB # 4; CB Top Folk and Western Tunes 1951 # 1
A-side: Dear John (Tex Ritter - Aubrey Gass); 2:33 min .; same recording session as B-side; BB-CW-BS # 10, BB-CW-JB # 8 |
MGM (78) 78-10904 - (45) K-10904 |
| 2 | Lefty Frizzell |
I Want To Be With You Always (Lefty Frizzell - Jim Beck, Chappell, BMI); 3:04 min .; BB-CW-BS # 1, B-CW-JB # 1, B-CW-JC # 1; CB Top Folk and Western Tunes 1951 # 4
B-side: My Baby's Just Like Money (Lefty Frizzell - Jim Beck, Chappell, BMI); 2:44 min. |
Columbia (78) 20799- (45) 4-20799- (33) 3-20799; rel. 01/1951 |
| 3 | Lefty Frizzell |
Always Late (With Your Kisses) (Lefty Frizzell - Blacky Crawford - Chappell - BMI); 3:09 min .; BB-CW-BS # 1, B-CW-JB # 1, BB-CW-JC # 1; CB Top Folk and Western Tunes 1951 # 3
B-side: Mom's And Dad's Waltz (Lefty Frizzell); 3:03 min .; BB-CW-BS # 2, BB-CW-JB # 3, BB-CW-JC # 2; CB Top Folk and Western Tunes 1951 # 15 |
Columbia (78) 20837- (45) 4-20837- (33) 3-20837 |
| 4th | Hank Snow |
The Rhumba Boogie (Clarence E. Snow = Hank Snow, Hill & Range Songs); 2:50 min .; CB Top Folk and Western Tunes 1951 # 6
B-Side: You Pass Me By (Nesbitt - Snow, Hill & Range Songs); 2:50 min .; |
Victor (78) 21-0431- (45) 48-0431; rel. 01/1951 |
| 5 | Eddy Arnold The Tennessee Plowboy and his Guitar |
I Wanna Play House With You (Cy Coben); CB Top Folk and Western Tunes 1951 # 4
B-side: Something Old, Something New (Eddy Arnold - Cy Coben - C. Grean) |
Victor (78) 21-0476 - (45) 48-0476; rel. 06/1951 |
| 6th | Eddy Arnold The Tennessee Plowboy and his Guitar |
There's Been A Change In Me (Cy Coben); 2:21 min .; CB Top Folk and Western Tunes 1951 # 10
B-Side: Tie Me To Your Apron Strings Again (Cy Coben); 2:49 min. |
Victor (78) 21-0412 - (45) 48-0412; rel. 12/1950 |
| 7th | Tennessee Ernie |
The Shot Gun Boogie (Tennessee Ernie - Century Songs - BMI); 2:30 min .; BB-Pop # 21; CB-Pop # 34; CB-CW-JB # 1; CB Top Folk and Western Tunes 1951 # 2
B-side: It Ain't Gonna Let It Happen Again (Tennessee Ernie - Century Songs - BMI); 2:20 min .; |
Capitol (78) 1295 - (45) F-1295 |
| 8th | Hank Williams with his Drifting Cowboys |
Hey, Good Lookin ' (Hank Williams - Acuff-Rose - BMI); 2:35 min .; rec. March 16, 1951 at Castle Studios, Nashville, Tenn .; BB-CW-BS # 2, BB-CW-JC # 1, BB-CW-JB # 4; CB Top Folk and Western Tunes 1951 # 7
B-side: My Heart Would Know (Hank Williams - Acuff-Rose - BMI); 2:24 min .; rec. same recording session as A-side |
MGM (78) 11000- (45) K-11000; rel. June 22, 1951 |
| 9 | Lefty Frizzell | B-side: Mom's And Dad's Waltz (Lefty Frizzell - Chappell - BMI) - (Chart data see 3rd place)
A-side: Always Late (With Your Kisses) (Lefty Frizzell - Blacky Crawford - Chappell - BMI) - (See 3rd place for chart data) |
Columbia (78) 20837- (45) 4-20837- (33) 3-20837 |
| 10 | Hank Snow (The Singing Ranger) and his Rainbow Ranch Cowboys |
Golden Rocket (Clarence E. Snow = Hank Snow, Hill & Range Songs); 2:54 min .; CB Top Folk and Western Tunes 1951 # 13
B-side: Paving The Highway With Tears (Steve Nelson & Ed Nelson, Jr.); 2:49 min. |
Victor (78) 21-0400 - (45) 48-0400; rel. 11/1950 |
| 11 | Hank Snow (The Singing Ranger) and his Rainbow Ranch Cowboys | B-Side: I'm Movin 'On (Clarence E. Snow = Hank Snow; Hill & Range Songs); 2:28 min .; rec. March 28, 1950 at Brown Radio Productions, Nashville, Tenn .; prod. Steven H. Sholes; (Hank Snow - Hill & Range Songs - BMI)
A-side: With This Ring I Thee Wed (E. Nelson Jr., J. Rollins, S. Nelson); 2:29 min .; |
Victor (78) 21-0328 - (45) 48-0328; rel. 05/1950 |
| 12 | Eddy Arnold |
Kentucky Waltz (Bill Monroe); 2:36 min .; CB Top Folk and Western Tunes 1951 # 11
B-side: Million Miles From Your Heart (Jenny Lou Carson); |
Victor (78) 21-0444 - (45) 48-0444; rel. 03/1951 |
| 13 | Pee Wee King and his Golden West Cowboys |
Slow poke (Pee Wee King & Chilton Price, Ridgeway Music, BMI); Singing of the refrain: Redd Stewart - 2:55 min .; BB-Pop # 3; CB Top Folk and Western Tunes 1951 # 9
B-side: Whisper Walt (Pee Wee King & Lillian Blankenship, Acuff-Rose Publishing, BMI); Chant vocals: Redd Stewart; 3:00 min. |
Victor (78) 21-0489 - (45) 48-0489; rel. 07/1951 |
| 14th | Carl Smith |
Let's Live A Little (Coletharp); 2:51 min .; CB Top Folk and Western Tunes 1951 # 12
B-side: Nothing As Sweet As My Baby (H. Williams, Acuff-Rose, BMI); 2:25 min. |
Columbia (78) 20796 - (45) 4-20796 - (33) 3-20796; rel. 03/1951 |
| 15th | Lefty Frizzell | B-side: I Love You A Thousand Ways (Lefty Frizzell); 2:28 min .; rec. July 25, 1950 at Jim Beck Studio, Dallas, Tx; rel. September 14, 1950;
A-side: If You've Got The Money I've Got The Time (Lefty Frizzell); 3:01 min .; same recording session as "I Love You A Thousand Ways"; CB Top Folk and Western Tunes 1951 # 8 |
Columbia (78) 20739- (45) 4-20739- (33) 3-20739 |
| 16 | Johnnie and Jack (= Johnnie Wright & Jack Anglin ) and their Tennessee Mountain Boys | B-side: Poison Love (Bucket Laird); 2:15 min .;
A-Side: Lonesome (Jim and Jack Anglin - Johnnie Wright) |
Victor (78) 21-0377- (45) 48-0377; rel. 08/1950 |
| 17th | Hank Snow with Anita Carter and the Rainbow Ranch Boys |
Down The Trail Of Aching Hearts (Jimmy Kennedy - Nat Simon)
B-side: Bluebird Island (Clarence E. Snow, Hill & Range Songs) |
Victor (78) 21-0441- (45) 48-0441; rel. 03/1951 |
| 18th | Hank Snow | B-side: Bluebird Island (Clarence E. Snow, Hill & Range Songs)
A-side: Down The Trail Of Aching Hearts (see # 17) |
Victor (78) 21-0441- (45) 48-0441; rel. 03/1951 |
| 19th | Red Foley |
Peace In The Valley (Thomas A. Dorsey); rec. March 27, 1951 in Nashville
B-side: Old Soldiers Never Die (Tom Glazer); rec. April 22, 1951 in Nashville |
Decca (78) 46319- (45) 9-46319 |
| 20th | Carl Smith |
Mister Moon (C. Butler)
B-side: If Teardrops Were Pennies (Carl Smith) |
Columbia (78) 20825 - (45) 4-20825 - (33) 3-20825; rel. 06/1951 |
Remarks
- ↑ Overview from Billboard magazine, issue of January 12, 1952, p. 22
- ↑ The magazine "The Cash Box" published in the issue of December 29, 1951 on page 38 the list of the most successful country singles after Cashbox under the title "The Top 15 Folk and Western Tunes for 1951". The single Mockin 'Bird Hill by the Pinetoppers, which is in 14th place in the cashbox list, is not to be found among the best-selling singles on Billboard, but in the Billboard list "Juke-Box-Plays" in 16th place.
- ↑ The single was number 1 on the Country Best Seller Charts for six weeks
- ↑ In October 1951, the track was number 1, while the B-side was number 2, see: Billboard Magazine October 27, 1951, p. 40. In the list of the best-selling country singles of 1952, the title is numbered 26., see: Billboard Magazine, December 27, 1952, p. 19
- ↑ Twelve weeks at number 1 on the Country Best Seller Charts
- ↑ B-side see number 9. In the list of the best-selling country singles of 1952, the title is number 23.
- ↑ The title ranked 23rd in the list of the best-selling singles of 1952; Billboard Magazine, December 27, 1952 issue, p. 19
- ↑ A-page see number 3. In the list of the best-selling singles of 1952, the title landed at number 26.
- ↑ This track was the best-selling country single of 1950; see: Billboard Magazine, 01/13/1951 issue, p. 10.
- ↑ 21st place of the best-selling country singles in 1951
- ↑ B-side see place 18
- ↑ Among the 40,000 numbers, Decca released the C&W singles; this single was also released under catalog number (78) 14573 - (45) 9-14573 for the pop music market
literature
- Whitburn, Joel: The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits 1944-2006. 2nd Edition. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc., 2006
- Whitburn, Joel: Top Pop Records 1940–1955. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc., 1973
- Copyright Office, Library Of Congress (Ed.): Published Music 1950. Washington, DC: The Library of Congress, 1951 (Catalog Of Copyright Entries, 3rd Series, Vol. 4, Part 5A)
- Copyright Office, Library Of Congress (Ed.): Published Music 1951. Washington, DC: The Library of Congress, 1952 (Catalog Of Copyright Entries, 3rd Series, Vol. 5, Part 5A)