This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1939.
Events
No dates 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
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, 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" Decca 5604 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" Decca 5689 US Hillbilly 1939 #2, US Hillbilly #1 for 7 weeks, 27 total weeks 3 Light Crust Doughboys "Pussy Pussy Pussy" Vocalion 04560 US Hillbilly 1939 #3, US Hillbilly #1 for 4 weeks, 15 total weeks 4 Shelton Brothers ""On The Owl-Hoot Trail" Decca 5630 US Hillbilly 1939 #4, US Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 17 total weeks 5 Gene Autry "Paradise in the Moonlight" Vocalion 04810 US Hillbilly 1939 #5, US Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 12 total weeks 6 Roy Acuff and the Crazy Tennesseans "Wabash Cannon Ball" Vocalion 4466 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 7 Shelton Brothers "Knot Hole Blues" Decca 5653 US Hillbilly 1939 #7, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 20 total weeks 8 Gene Autry "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)" Vocalion 5122 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 9 Cliff Bruner "Truck Driver Blues" Decca 5725 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" Vocalion 5080 US Hillbilly 1939 #10, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 16 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales 11 Light Crust Doughboys "She Gave Me the Bird" Vocalion 5039 US Hillbilly 1939 #11, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 14 total weeks 12 Shelton Brothers "My Sweet Darling Wife" Decca 5723 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)" Vocalion 5175 US Hillbilly 1939 #13, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 10 total weeks 14 Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys "San Antonio Rose" Vocalion 4755 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 15 Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers "When You're Smiling" Decca 5660 US Hillbilly 1939 #15, US Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 25 total weeks 16 Gene Autry "Little Sir Echo" Vocalion 4809 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 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" Decca 5620 US Hillbilly 1939 #18, US Hillbilly #2 for 3 weeks, 32 total weeks 19 Buddy Jones "Ease My Troubled Mind" Decca 5673 US Hillbilly 1939 #19, US Hillbilly #2 for 3 week, 22 total weeks 20 Hoosier Hot Shots "Annabelle" Vocalion 4697 US Hillbilly 1939 #20, US Hillbilly #2 for 3 weeks, 20 total weeks
Births January 12 – William Lee Golden, baritone (and long-bearded) member of the Oak Ridge Boys. January 19 – Phil Everly, of The Everly Brothers (died 2014). January 24 – Ray Stevens, country-pop singer releasing a long string of novelty-themed songs. February 14 – Razzy Bailey, blues-styled country vocalist of the 1980s. March 19 – Bob Kingsley, radio personality and longtime host of American Country Countdown and Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40'' (died 2019)."Bob Kingsley Dies At Age 80," All Access Music Group, October 17, 2019. Accessed 10-17-19. April 20 – Johnny Tillotson, 1960s country singer ("It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin'"). May 27 – Don Williams, baritone-voiced "Gentle Giant", one of country's biggest stars of the 1970s and 1980s (died 2017). June 11 – Wilma Burgess, 1960s country singer (died 2003). June 13 – Billy "Crash" Craddock, "Mr. Country Rock," gaining fame in the 1970s. August 8 – Phil Balsley, baritone-voiced member of the Statler Brothers. August 21 – Harold Reid, bass singer, member of the Statler Brothers (died 2020). September 6 – David Allan Coe, singer-songwriter and key member of the outlaw country movement of the 1970s. October 27 – Dallas Frazier, songwriter best known for "Elvira". October 27 – Ruby Wright, daughter of Johnnie Wright and Kitty Wells and member of their touring show (died 2009). December 29 – Ed Bruce, singer-songwriter, best known for writing "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys." (died 2021)
See also Western music (North America)
Further reading Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947–1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 () Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 () Whitburn, Joel. "Top Country Songs 1944–2005 – 6th Edition." 2005.
References