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1939 in country music

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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1939.

List of years in country music (table)
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Events

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No dates

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  • sales recovered to approximately 2/3 of 1929 levels
  • Billboard magazine begins publishing its first country music chart. Known as "Hillbilly Hits," the chart appears on a semi-regular (usually, monthly) basis, and will be published until early 1942. It is the predecessor for Billboard's later "Most Played Juke Box Folk Records," which would be published weekly and eventually evolve into today's Hot Country Songs chart.


Top Hillbilly (Country) Recordings

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The following songs achieved the highest positions in Billboard magazine's 'Hillbilly Hits' chart, supplemented by 'Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954' and record sales reported on the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website,[1] and other sources as specified, during 1939. Numerical rankings are approximate, they are only used as a frame of reference.

Rank Artist Title Label Recorded Released Chart Positions
1 Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers "It Makes No Difference Now"[2][3] Decca 5604 September 13, 1938 (1938-09-13) September 30, 1938 (1938-09-30) US Billboard 1938 #308, US JW #16 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1939 #1, US Hillbilly #1 for 11 weeks, 56 total weeks
2 Haywire Mac "Big Rock Candy Mountains"[4][5] Decca 5689 December 14, 1938 (1938-12-14) April 1939 (1939-04) US Hillbilly 1939 #2, US Hillbilly #1 for 7 weeks, 27 total weeks
3 Light Crust Doughboys "Pussy Pussy Pussy"[6] Vocalion 04560 November 30, 1938 (1938-11-30) January 1939 (1939-01) US Hillbilly 1939 #3, US Hillbilly #1 for 4 weeks, 15 total weeks
4 Shelton Brothers ""On The Owl-Hoot Trail"[7] Decca 5630 September 18, 1938 (1938-09-18) December 27, 1938 (1938-12-27) US Hillbilly 1939 #4, US Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 17 total weeks
5 Gene Autry "Paradise in the Moonlight"[6][8] Vocalion 04810 April 13, 1939 (1939-04-13) May 1939 (1939-05) US Hillbilly 1939 #5, US Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 12 total weeks
6 Roy Acuff and the Crazy Tennesseans "Wabash Cannon Ball"[9] Vocalion 4466 November 7, 1939 (1939-11-07) February 1939 (1939-02) US Billboard 1938 #223, US JW #12 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1939 #6, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 38 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales[1]
7 Shelton Brothers "Knot Hole Blues"[10] Decca 5653 September 18, 1938 (1938-09-18) February 1939 (1939-02) US Hillbilly 1939 #7, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 20 total weeks
8 Gene Autry "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)"[11] Vocalion 5122 September 11, 1939 (1939-09-11) October 1939 (1939-10) US Billboard 1939 #190, US JW #12 for 1 week, 4 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1939 #8, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 22 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales[12]
9 Cliff Bruner "Truck Driver Blues"[13] Decca 5725 August 26, 1939 (1939-08-26) September 5, 1939 (1939-09-05) US Hillbilly 1939 #9, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 20 total weeks, sold more than 100,000 copies.
10 Gene Autry "Back In The Saddle Again"[11] Vocalion 5080 April 17, 1939 (1939-04-17) September 1939 (1939-09) US Hillbilly 1939 #10, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 16 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales[12]
11 Light Crust Doughboys "She Gave Me the Bird"[11] Vocalion 5039 June 14, 1939 (1939-06-14) September 1939 (1939-09) US Hillbilly 1939 #11, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 14 total weeks
12 Shelton Brothers "My Sweet Darling Wife"[14] Decca 5723 September 19, 1939 (1939-09-19) October 1939 (1939-10) US Hillbilly 1939 #12, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 12 total weeks
13 Roy Newman And His Boys "I Ought To Break Your Neck (For Breakin' My Heart)"[11] Vocalion 5175 June 20, 1939 (1939-06-20) October 1939 (1939-10) US Hillbilly 1939 #13, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 10 total weeks
14 Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys "San Antonio Rose"[6] Vocalion 4755 November 28, 1938 (1938-11-28) April 1939 (1939-04) US Billboard 1939 #267, US JW #15 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1939 #14, US Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 36 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales[1]
15 Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers "When You're Smiling"[15] Decca 5660 September 14, 1938 (1938-09-14) February 1939 (1939-02) US Hillbilly 1939 #15, US Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 25 total weeks
16 Gene Autry "Little Sir Echo"[6] Vocalion 4809 April 14, 1939 (1939-04-14) May 1939 (1939-05) US Hillbilly 1939 #16, US Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 13 total weeks
17 Jimmie Davis "The Last Trip Of The Old Ship" Decca 5737 September 2, 1939 (1939-09-02) October 1939 (1939-10) US Hillbilly 1939 #17, US Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 11 total weeks
18 Jimmie Davis with Rudy Sooter's Ranchmen "It Makes No Difference Now"[16] Decca 5620 November 6, 1938 (1938-11-06) November 30, 1938 (1938-11-30) US Hillbilly 1939 #18, US Hillbilly #2 for 3 weeks, 32 total weeks
19 Buddy Jones "Ease My Troubled Mind]"[17] Decca 5673 March 3, 1939 (1939-03-03) April 10, 1939 (1939-04-10) US Hillbilly 1939 #19, US Hillbilly #2 for 3 week, 22 total weeks
20 Hoosier Hot Shots "Annabelle"[6] Vocalion 4697 February 8, 1939 (1939-02-08) March 1939 (1939-03) US Hillbilly 1939 #20, US Hillbilly #2 for 3 weeks, 20 total weeks

Births

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See also

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Further reading

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  • Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947–1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 (ISBN 0-8118-3572-3)
  • Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (ISBN 0-06-273244-7)
  • Whitburn, Joel. "Top Country Songs 1944–2005 – 6th Edition." 2005.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research.
  2. ^ "Decca matrix 64504. It makes no difference now / Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  3. ^ "The Billboard pg 84" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. April 29, 1939. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  4. ^ "Decca matrix DLA 1660. The Big Rock Candy Mountains / Haywire Mac - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  5. ^ "The Billboard June 24, 1939 pg 127" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. June 24, 1939. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Vocalion (USA) 78rpm numerical listing discography: 4500 - 4999". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  7. ^ "Decca matrix 64536. On the owl-hoot trail / The Shelton Brothers - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  8. ^ "The Billboard May 27, 1939" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. May 27, 1939. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-01-06.
  9. ^ "Vocalion 78rpm numerical listing discography: 4000 - 4500". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  10. ^ "Decca matrix 64538. Knot hole blues / The Shelton Brothers - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  11. ^ a b c d "Vocalion (USA) 78rpm numerical listing discography: 5000 - 5499". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  12. ^ a b "TSHA | Autry, Orvon Gene". www.tshaonline.org. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  13. ^ "Decca matrix 66303. Truck driver's blues / Cliff Bruner and his Boys - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  14. ^ "Decca matrix 64544. My own sweet darling wife / The Shelton Brothers - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  15. ^ "Decca matrix 64510. When you're smiling / Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  16. ^ "Decca matrix DLA 1551. It makes no difference now / Jimmie Davis - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  17. ^ "Decca matrix 65124. Ease my troubled mind / Buddy Jones - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  18. ^ "Bob Kingsley Dies At Age 80," All Access Music Group, October 17, 2019. Accessed 10-17-19. [1]