List of number-one country hits (United States)
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This is a list of number-one country hits in the United States by year from the Billboard magazine Hot Country Songs chart (and as it was known under previous names). Every chart is on a week-ending format.
Contents |
[edit] Background
From 1944-1948, Billboard used just one chart to track songs' popularity: "Most Played Juke Box Folk Records." A "Best Sellers" chart (first titled "Best Seling Retail Folk Records") was added with the May 15, 1948 issue, while a "Jockeys" (first known as "Country & Western Records Most Played by Folk Disk Jockeys") first appeared on December 10, 1949. From 1949-1957, there were three charts that measured the popularity of country music songs; the Jukebox chart was dropped after the June 17, 1957 chart, while the final Best Sellers and Jockeys charts ended with the October 13, 1958 issue.
Starting October 20, 1958, there was one all-encompassing chart, combining both retail sales and radio airplay. First known as "Hot C&W Sides," the chart name changed to "Hot Country Singles" on November 3, 1962; "Hot Country Singles & Tracks" on January 20, 1990; and "Hot Country Songs" on April 30, 2005.
[edit] The songs
The list of years is divided into two sections: One for 1958 and earlier, when there were multiple charts; and another for 1959 and later, when one all-encompassing chart was used.
[edit] Pre-Hot Country Singles era
1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958
[edit] Hot Country Singles era
1959
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
[edit] Sources
The following sources apply to all "by year" pages linked above:
- Roland, Tom, "The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits" (Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991 (ISBN 0-82-307553-2)).
- Whitburn, Joel, "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits," 2nd ed., (Record Research, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 2006. (ISBN 0-82-308291-1)).
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," (Record Research, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 2006. (ISBN 0-89-820165-9)).
Additional information obtained can be verified within Billboard's online archive services and print editions of the magazine.
