CONTENTS About The Author ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Synopsis Of Billboard’s Country Singles Charts 1944-2012 .................................................................................. 6 Researching Billboard’s Country Singles Charts.................................................................................................... 7 User’s Guide........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Top Country Songs & Artist Awards..................................................................................................................... 11 ARTIST SECTION ........................................................................................................................................13 An alphabetical listing, by artist, of every song to chart on Billboard’s Country singles charts from January 8, 1944 through December 29, 2012. SONG TITLE SECTION............................................................................................................................389 An alphabetical listing, by song title, of every song to chart on Billboard’s Country singles charts from January 8, 1944 through December 29, 2012. TOP ARTISTS ..............................................................................................................................................473 Kings & Queens Of Country (The Top 300 Artists) ......................................................................................... 475 Top 50 Artists by Decade: 1940s / 1950s / 1960s / 1970s / 1980s / 1990s / 2000s / 2010s ...................... 479 Top Artist Achievements: ............................................................................................................................. 483 Most Chart Hits Most #1 Hits Most #2 Hits Most Top 40 Hits Most Weeks At The #1 Position Most #3 Hits Most Top 10 Hits CHART FACTS & FEATS ........................................................................................................................485 Top #1 Hits: All-Time................................................................................................................................... 486 Top #1 Hits by Decade: 1940s / 1950s / 1960s / 1970s / 1980s / 1990s / 2000s / 2010s .......................... 488 Singles Of Longevity: 1940s / 1950s / 1960s / 1970s / 1980s / 1990s / 2000s / 2010s.............................. 492 Country Music Association Awards: ............................................................................................................ 493 Single of the Year Song of the Year Country Music Hall Of Fame........................................................................................................................ 494 Top Country Labels...................................................................................................................................... 495 #1 HITS...........................................................................................................................................................497 A chronological listing, by peak date, of every title to top Billboard’s Country singles charts. 3 SYNOPSIS OF BILLBOARD’S COUNTRY SINGLES CHARTS 1944-2012 JUKE BOX Date Positions Chart Title 1/8/44 2-8 Most Played Juke Box Folk Records (9/6/47-11/1/47 shown as Most-Played Juke Box Hillbilly Records) 1/31/48 9-15 Most Played Juke Box Folk Records 6/25/49 7-15 Most Played Juke Box (Country & Western) Records 11/4/50 6-10 Most Played Juke Box Folk (Country & Western) Records 11/15/52 8-10 Most Played in Juke Boxes 6/30/56 9-10 Most Played C&W in Juke Boxes 6/17/57 final chart _____________________________________________________________________________________________ BEST SELLERS 5/15/48 10-15 Best Selling Retail Folk Records 6/25/49 5-15 Best Selling Retail Folk (Country & Western) Records 11/15/52 8-10 National Best Sellers 2/20/54 9-15 Best Sellers in Stores 6/30/56 13-20 C&W Best Sellers in Stores 10/13/58 final chart _____________________________________________________________________________________________ JOCKEYS 12/10/49 8-10 Country & Western Records Most Played By Folk Disk Jockeys 11/15/52 9-15 Most Played by Jockeys 6/30/56 12-15 Most Played C&W by Jockeys 10/13/58 final chart _____________________________________________________________________________________________ HOT COUNTRY SINGLES 10/20/58 30 Hot C&W Sides 11/3/62 30 Hot Country Singles 1/11/64 50 Hot Country Singles 10/15/66 75 Hot Country Singles 7/14/73 100 Hot Country Singles 1/20/90 * 75 Hot Country Singles 2/17/90 75 Hot Country Singles & Tracks 1/6/01 60 Hot Country Singles & Tracks 4/30/05 60 Hot Country Songs 10/20/12 * 50 Hot Country Songs * see Chart Methodologies on next page _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 DEBUT PEAK WKS ARTIST ắ=Pic. Slv. ẵ="45" DATE POS CHR Song Title Ẳ=Cassette Ả=CD Songwriter...B-side Pop Label & Number DAVIS, Sammy Jr. Born on 12/8/1925 in Harlem, New York. Died of cancer on 5/16/1990 (age 64). Black singer/dancer/actor. Numerous appearances on TV, Broadway and in movies. AWARD: Grammy: Lifetime Achievement 2001 12/11/82 89 2 Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette).........Merle Travis/Tex Williams...We Could Have Been The Closest Of Friends — Applause 100 DAVIS, Skeeter 1960s: 25 / All-Time: 129 Born Mary Penick on 12/30/1931 in Dry Ridge, Kentucky. Died of cancer on 9/19/2004 (age 72). Female singer/songwriter. Worked as The Davis Sisters with friend Betty Jack Davis, and later with Georgia Davis. Went solo in 1956. Married to Ralph Emery from 1960-64. Married to Joey Spampinato, the bassist of rock band NRBQ, from 1983-96. Also see Some Of Chet's Friends. AWARD: OPRY: 1959 TOP HITS: 1)The End Of The World 2)(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too 3)What Does It Take (To Keep A Man Like You Satisfied) 4)My Last Date (With You) 5)Set Him Free 2/24/58 15 1 1 Lost To A Geisha Girl...................................................DJ:15 Lawton Williams...I'm Going Steady With A Heartache — RCA Victor 7084 answer to "Geisha Girl" by Hank Locklin 3/30/59 5 17 2 Set Him Free Skeeter Davis/Helen Moyers/Marie Wilson...The Devil's Doll — RCA Victor 7471 also see #24 below 9/21/59 15 13 3 Homebreaker.......................................................................................Skeeter Davis/Marie Wilson...Give Me Death — RCA Victor 7570 3/7/60 11 12 4 Am I That Easy To Forget? .............................................................Carl Belew/W.S. Stevenson...Wishful Thinking — RCA Victor 7671 3 8/29/60 2 16 5 (I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too Hal Blair/Don Robertson...No Never 39 RCA Victor 7767 answer to "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" by Hank Locklin 12/31/60+ 5 13 6 My Last Date (With You) Boudleaux Bryant/Floyd Cramer/Skeeter Davis...Someone I'd Like To Forget 26 RCA Victor 7825 answer to "Last Date" by Floyd Cramer 4/24/61 11 11 7 The Hand You're Holding Now....................................................................Marty Robbins...Someday, Someday — RCA Victor 7863 10/16/61 10 11 8 Optimistic ...........................................................................................................Aubrey Freeman...Blueberry Hill — RCA Victor 7928 3/10/62 9 9 9 Where I Ought To Be / ..............................................................................................................Harlan Howard — 6/2/62 23 3 10 Something Precious .................................................................................................................Lorene Mann — RCA Victor 7979 9/8/62 22 1 11 The Little Music Box..........................................................................Skeeter Davis/Rudy Thacker...The Final Step — RCA Victor 8055 3 1 12/15/62+ 2 24 ¤ 12 The End Of The World Sylvia Dee/Arthur Kent...Somebody Loves You 2 RCA Victor 8098 5/25/63 9 14 13 I'm Saving My Love...........................................................................Alex Zanetis...Somebody Else On Your Mind 41 RCA Victor 8176 10/12/63 14 10 14 I Can't Stay Mad At You...................................................................Gerry Goffin/Carole King...It Was Only A Heart 7 ắ RCA Victor 8219 1/25/64 17 15 15 He Says The Same Things To Me...............................Gary Geld/Peter Udell...How Much Can A Lonely Heart Stand 47 RCA Victor 8288 5/16/64 8 14 16 Gonna Get Along Without You Now ...............................................................Milton Kellem...Now You're Gone 48 RCA Victor 8347 9/26/64 45 4 17 Let Me Get Close To You ..............................................................Gerry Goffin/Carole King...The Face Of A Clown 106 RCA Victor 8397 11/14/64 38 5 18 What Am I Gonna Do With You...................................Gerry Goffin/Russ Titelman...Don't Let Me Stand In Your Way 123 RCA Victor 8450 3/13/65 11 12 19 A Dear John Letter ..............................................Billy Barton/Fuzzy Owen/Lewis Talley...Too Used To Being With You 114 RCA Victor 8496 SKEETER DAVIS & BOBBY BARE 9/11/65 30 7 20 Sun Glasses .......................................................................................John D. Loudermilk...He Loved Me Too Little 120 RCA Victor 8642 10/15/66 36 9 21 Goin' Down The Road (Feelin' Bad) .................................................Skeeter Davis...I Can't Stand The Sight Of You — RCA