This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1949.

Events December 10 – Billboard begins a "Country & Western Records Most Played by Folk Disk Jockeys" chart – the first chart ever to track a song's popularity by radio airplay. The first No. 1 song on the new chart is "Mule Train" by Tennessee Ernie Ford. With the new chart, there are three charts gauging a song's popularity, with the sales and jukebox charts also being used.

Top hits of the year

Number one hits (As certified by Billboard magazine) USSingleArtistJanuary 22"I Love You So Much It Hurts"Jimmy WakelyMarch 5"Don't Rob Another Man's Castle"Eddy ArnoldMarch 19"Tennessee Saturday Night"Red Foley and the Cumberland Valley BoysApril 2"Candy Kisses"George MorganMay 7"Lovesick Blues"Hank Williams with His Drifting CowboysJune 18"One Kiss Too Many"Eddy ArnoldJuly 30"I'm Throwing Rice (At the Girl That I Love)"Eddy ArnoldSeptember 10"Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me"Wayne RaneySeptember 24"Slipping Around"Ernest TubbOctober 8"Slipping Around"Margaret Whiting and Jimmy WakelyDecember 10"Mule Train"Tennessee Ernie Ford

Note: Several songs were simultaneous No. 1 hits on the separate "Most Played Juke Box Folk (later Country & Western) Records," "Best Selling Retail Folk (later Country & Western) Records) and – starting December 10 – "Country & Western Records Most Played by Folk Disk Jockeys" charts.

Top country records of 1949

The following songs appeared in The Billboard's 'Best-Selling Retail Folk Records' and 'Most-Played Juke Box Folk Records' charts during 1949. Each week fifteen points were awarded to the number one record, then nine points for number two, eight points for number three, and so on. The total points a record earned determined its year-end rank. Additional information was obtained from the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website, 'Cashbox', and other sources as noted. Rank Artist Title Label Recorded Released Chart Positions 1 Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys "Lovesick Blues" MGM 10352 US Billboard 1949 #253, US #24 for 1 weeks, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #1, USHB #1 for 16 weeks, 42 total weeks, 725 points, CashBox #3, Grammy Hall of Fame 2011, 1,000,000 sales 2 Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely "Slippin' Around" Capitol 40224 US Billboard 1949 #10, US #1 for 3 weeks, 23 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #2, USHB #1 for 16 weeks, 32 total weeks, 633 points 3 Eddy Arnold, The Tennessee Plowboy and His Guitar "Don't Rob Another Man's Castle" RCA Victor 21-0002 US Billboard 1949 #234, US #23 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #3, USHB #1 for 12 weeks, 31 total weeks, 454 points 4 Jimmy Wakely "I Love You So Much It Hurts" Capitol 15243 US Billboard 1948 #170, US #21 for 1 week, 8 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #4, USHB #1 for 5 weeks, 26 total weeks, 402 points 5 Red Foley and The Cumberland Valley Boys "Tennessee Saturday Night" Decca 46136 US Hillbilly 1949 #5, USHB #1 for 1 weeks, 40 total weeks, 343 points 6 Wayne Raney "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me" King 791 US Billboard 1949 #218, US #22 for 1 week, 4 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #6, USHB #1 for 3 weeks, 21 total weeks, 318 points 7 Eddy Arnold, The Tennessee Plowboy and His Guitar "I'm Throwing Rice (At The Girl That I Love)" RCA Victor 21-0083 US Billboard 1949 #178, US #19 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #7, USHB #1 for 3 weeks, 21 total weeks, 314 points 8 The Delmore Brothers "Blues Stay Away From Me" King 803 US Hillbilly 1949 #8, USHB #1 for 1 weeks, 23 total weeks, CashBox #10, 296 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2007 9 Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys "Wedding Bells" MGM 10401 US Hillbilly 1949 #9, USHB #2 for 2 weeks, 29 total weeks, 294 points 10 George Morgan "Candy Kisses" Columbia 20547 US Billboard 1949 #157, US #17 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #10, USHB #1 for 3 weeks, 21 total weeks, 253 points 11 Eddy Arnold, The Tennessee Plowboy and His Guitar "One Kiss Too Many" RCA Victor 21-0051 US Billboard 1949 #238, US #23 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #11, USHB #1 for 3 weeks, 22 total weeks, 226 points 12 Ernest Tubb "Slipping Around" Decca 46173 US Billboard 1949 #157, US #17 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #12, USHB #1 for 1 weeks, 20 total weeks, 210 points 13 Eddy Arnold, The Tennessee Plowboy and His Guitar "The Echo of Your Footsteps" RCA Victor 21-0051 US Hillbilly 1949 #13, USHB #2 for 3 weeks, 19 total weeks, 176 points 14 Tennessee Ernie "Mule Train" Capitol 40258 US Billboard 1949 #84, US #9 for 1 week, 9 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #14, USHB #1 for 4 weeks, 10 total weeks, 160 points 15 Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely "I'll Never Slip Around Again" Capitol 40246 US Billboard 1949 #69, US #8 for 3 weeks, 10 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #16, USHB #2 for 3 weeks, 13 total weeks, 145 points 16 Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" MGM 10560 US Billboard 1949 #, US #1 for 8 weeks, 24 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #17, USHB #2 for 1 weeks, 12 total weeks, 125 points 17 Red Foley "Tennessee Border" Decca 46151 US Hillbilly 1949 #18, USHB #3 for 1 week, 20 total weeks, 124 points 18 Andrews Sisters and Ernest Tubb "I'm Bitin' My Fingernails and Thinking of You" Decca 24592 US Billboard 1949 #304, US #29 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #19, USHB #2 for 1 week, 12 total weeks, 112 points 19 Tennessee Ernie "Anticipation Blues" Capitol 40258 US Hillbilly 1949 #20, USHB #3 for 3 weeks, 11 total weeks, 101 points 20 George Morgan "Please Don't Let Me Love You" Columbia 20547 US Hillbilly 1949 #21, USHB #4 for 2 weeks, 14 total weeks, 87 points 21 Red Foley "Tennessee Polka" Decca 46170 US Hillbilly 1949 #22, USHB #4 for 3 weeks, 13 total weeks, 76 points 22 Ernest Tubb "Blue Christmas" Decca 46186 US Billboard 1949 #263, US #27 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #23, USHB #1 for 1 weeks, 6 total weeks, 65 points 23 Eddy Arnold, The Tennessee Plowboy and His Guitar "There's Not A Thing (I Wouldn't Do For You)" RCA Victor 21-0002 US Hillbilly 1949 #24, USHB #3 for 1 week, 10 total weeks, 57 points 24 Kenny Roberts "I Never See Maggie Alone" Coral 64012 US Hillbilly 1949 #25, USHB #4 for 1 weeks, 11 total weeks, 56 points 25 Gene Autry and the Pinafores "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" Columbia 38610 US Billboard 1949 #17, US #1 for 1 weeks, 13 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #26, USHB #1 for 4 weeks, 5 total weeks, 55 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 1985, 7,000,000 sold by 1969 30 Ernest Tubb "Have You Ever Been Lonely? (Have You Ever Been Blue)" Decca 46144 US Hillbilly 1949 #30, USHB #2 for 1 weeks, 10 total weeks, 44 points 31 Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys "Mind Your Own Business" MGM 10461 US Hillbilly 1949 #31, USHB #5 for 1 weeks, 11 total weeks, 36 points 40 Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys "You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave)" MGM 10506 US Hillbilly 1949 #40, USHB #4 for 1 weeks, 9 total weeks, 24 points 43 Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra "Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)" RCA Victor 20-3411 US Billboard 1949 #1, US #1 for 12 weeks, 22 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #43, USHB #2 for 1 weeks, 3 total weeks, 15 points, CashBox #1, 1,000,000 sales 55 Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys "Never Again (Will I Knock on Your Door)" MGM 10352 US Hillbilly 1949 #55, USHB #6 for 1 weeks, 2 total weeks, 8 points 61 Gene Autry "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" Columbia 20377 US Billboard 1949 #248, US #24 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #61, USHB #8 for 1 week, 3 total weeks, 3 points, 1,000,000 sales

Births January 6 – Joey Miskulin, also known as "Joey the Cowpolka King", member of Riders in the Sky. January 22 – J.P. Pennington, member of the 1980s group Exile. May 26 – Hank Williams, Jr., son of country music pioneer Hank Williams, who became a star in his own right, fusing elements of honky tonk and blues with rock. June 17 – Russell Smith, American singer-songwriter (Amazing Rhythm Aces, died 2019).Russell Smith, Amazing Rhythm Aces Singer, Dead at 70 August 23 – Woody Paul, "King of the Cowboy Fiddlers" member of Riders in the Sky. August 25 – Henry Paul, lead singer of the 1990s country group BlackHawk. August 27 – Jeff Cook, member of Alabama (died 2022). October 23 – Nick Tosches, American journalist, music critic and writer (Country), (died 2019).Nick Tosches, Music Journalist and Novelist, Dead at 69 December 13 – Randy Owen, member of Alabama.

Deaths December 11 – Fiddlin' John Carson, 81, one of country music's first popular recording artist on a nationwide basis.

References

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.