Billboard Top Country & Western Records of 1956 is made up of three year-end charts compiled by Billboard magazine ranking the year's top country and western records based on record sales, juke box plays, and jockey plays.
Ray Price's "Crazy Arms was the year's No. 1 record on both the retail and jockey charts.
Several newcomers, including three from the Sun Records label, made impressive debuts: Elvis Presley had five records that placed in the top 10 on at least one of the year-end country charts. "Heartbreak Hotel" was the No 1 song on the country juke box chart and No. 2 on the retail chart. "Heartbreak Hotel" was also No. 1 on the year-end pop chart. Johnny Cash, landed multiple records on the year-end charts, including "I Walk the Line" (No. 2 jockeys, No. 3 retail) and "Folsom Prison Blues" (No. 19 jockeys). Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes" ranked No. 2 on the year-end country juke box chart (No. 4 retail) and also placed at No. 18 on the year-end pop chart.
In the first appearance by an African-American artist on the country year-end chart, Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill" ranked No. 23 on the year-end retail chart.
Retail Juke box Jockeys Title Artist(s) Label1 3 1 "Crazy Arms" Ray Price Columbia2 1 3 "Heartbreak Hotel" Elvis Presley RCA Victor3 4 2 "I Walk the Line" Johnny Cash Sun4 2 4 "Blue Suede Shoes" Carl Perkins Sun5 9 13 "Searching (For Someone Like You)" Kitty Wells Decca6 11 22 "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" Elvis Presley RCA Victor7 8 12 "Don't Be Cruel" Elvis Presley RCA Victor8 6 7 "Why Baby Why" Red Sovine, Webb Pierce Decca9 5 16 "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" Elvis Presley RCA Victor10 17 17 "Singing the Blues" Marty Robbins Columbia11 14 26 "Hound Dog" Elvis Presley RCA Victor12 15 6 "You and Me" Kitty Wells, Red Foley Decca13 16 8 "Sweet Dreams" Faron Young Capitol14 19 NR "So Doggone Lonesome" Johnny Cash Sun15 7 15 "Sixteen Tons" Tennessee Ernie Ford Capitol16 13 10 "Love Love Love" Webb Pierce Decca17 18 9 "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby" The Louvin Brothers Capitol18 25 11 "I Take the Chance" The Browns RCA Victor19 22 18 "Blackboard of My Heart" Hank Thompson Capitol20 24 41 "Be-Bop-a-Lula" Gene Vincent Capitol21 10 5 "Yes I Know Why" Webb Pierce Decca22 12 25 "Eat, Drink and Be Merry" Porter Wagoner RCA Victor23 NR NR "Blueberry Hill" Fats Domino Imperial24 21 14 "You Are the One" Carl Smith Columbia25 20 33 "I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night" Faron Young Capitol 26 40 23 "Little Rosa" Red Sovine, Webb Pierce Decca27 NR 44 "I Was the One" Elvis Presley RCA Victor28 33 39 "Conscience I'm Guilty" Hank Snow RCA Victor29 23 30 "Why Baby Why" George Jones Starday30 NR NR "What Would You Do (If Jesus Came to Your House)" Porter Wagoner RCA Victor31 43 NR "Love Me Tender" Elvis Presley RCA Victor32 29 19 "Folsom Prison Blues" Johnny Cash Sun33 31 NR "Mystery Train" Elvis Presley RCA Victor34 44 24 "Honky-Tonk Man" Johnny Horton Columbia35 38 27 "My Lips Are Sealed" Jim Reeves RCA Victor36 27 45 "'Cause I Love You" Webb Pierce Decca37 26 NR "Just Call Me Lonesome" Eddy Arnold RCA Victor38 35 37 "You're Free to Go" Carl Smith Columbia39 NR 34 "How Far Is Heaven" Kitty Wells Decca40 NR NR "You Don't Know Me" Eddy Arnold RCA Victor
See also List of Billboard number-one country songs of 1956 Billboard year-end top 30 singles of 1956 1956 in country music
References