Billboard Top Country & Western Records of 1952 is made up of two year-end charts compiled by Billboard magazine ranking the year's top country and western records based on record sales and juke box plays.
Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life" spent 15 weeks at No. 1 and was the No. 1 record of 1952 based on both retail sales and juke box plays. Kitty Wells' "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", which was an answer song to "The Wild Side of Life," ranked No. 4 on the retail sales chart.
Hank Williams led all artists with five records included on the year-end charts. His record of "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" was No. 3 on the year-end retail sales chart while "Half as Much" ranked No. 11 on the same chart.
Carl Smith had four records on the year-end charts. His recording of "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way" ranked No. 2 based on both retail sales and juke box plays.
Lefty Frizzell also had four records on the year-end charts, including the year's No. 6 juke box record, "Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses)".
Columbia Records led the other labels with 11 records on the year-end charts, followed by RCA Victor with nine, and Decca with seven.
Retailyear-end Juke boxyear-end PeakThis column recites the record's peak position on Billboard's weekly charts. Title Artist(s) Label1 1 1 "The Wild Side of Life" Hank Thompson Capitol2 2 1 "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way" Carl Smith Columbia3 8 1 "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" Hank Williams M-G-M4 9 1 "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" Kitty Wells Decca5 5 1 "Slow Poke" Pee Wee King RCA Victor6 13 2 "Indian Love Call" Slim Whitman Imperial7 7 1 "Wonderin'" Webb Pierce Decca8 4 1 "(When You Feel Like You're in Love) Don't Just Stand There" Carl Smith Columbia9 12 2 "Almost" George Morgan Columbia10 6 1 "Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses)" Lefty Frizzell Columbia11 14 2 "Half as Much" Hank Williams M-G-M12 3 1 "Easy on the Eyes" Eddy Arnold RCA Victor13 10 2 "The Gold Rush Is Over" Hank Snow RCA Victor14 11 1 "Are You Teasing Me" Carl Smith Columbia15 21 1 "A Full Time Job" Eddy Arnold RCA Victor16 NR 3 "Missing in Action" Ernest Tubb Decca17 15 3 "Waiting in the Lobby of Your Heart" Hank Thompson Capitol18 NR 5 "Too Old to Cut the Mustard" Red Foley, Ernest Tubb Decca19 17 2 "Don't Stay Away (Till Love Grows Cold)" Lefty Frizzell Columbia20 24 1 "That Heart Belongs to Me" Webb Pierce Decca21 29 2 "Lady's Man" Hank Snow RCA Victor22 20 1 "Back Street Affair" Webb Pierce Decca23 NR 2 "Mom and Dad's Waltz" Lefty Frizzell Columbia24 16 4 "Bundle of Southern Sunshine" Eddy Arnold RCA Victor25 NR 5 "It's a Lovely, Lovely World" Carl Smith Columbia26 NR 1 "Always Late (With Your Kisses)" Lefty Frizzell Columbia27 28 2 "Wild Side of Life" Burl Ives Columbia28 19 2 "Honky Tonk Blues" Hank Williams M-G-M29 30 3 "Talk to Your Heart" Ray Price Columbia30 18 5 "Silver and Gold" Pee Wee King RCA VictorNR 22 3 "Alabama Jubilee" Red Foley DeccaNR 23 4 "Baby, We're Really in Love" Hank Williams M-G-MNR 25 4 "Music Makin' Mama From Memphis" Hank Snow RCA VictorNR 26 3 "I Went to Your Wedding" Hank Snow RCA VictorNR 27 4 "Crazy Heart" Hank Williams M-G-M
See also List of Billboard number-one country songs of 1952 Billboard year-end top 30 singles of 1952 1952 in country music
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