1953 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1953.

List of years in country music (table)
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Events

• January 1 — Hank Williams, due to play a New Year's Day show in Canton, Ohio, dies sometime after midnight in the rear seat of his Cadillac, somewhere between Knoxville, Tennessee and Oak Hill, West Virginia. He was 29. Stories conflict on what happened in the final hours of his life, but what is not disputed is that his death gave rise to the legend. In the 50-plus years following his death, Williams' songs would be covered countless times, singers and songwriters would directly cite him as an influence, and his son - Hank Williams, Jr., would become a star in his own right. Ironically, the last song released in his lifetime was "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive."

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

United States

(as certified by Billboard)

Date	Single Name	Artist	Wks. No.1	Spec. Note
January 10	Midnight	Red Foley	1	Foley's first Billboard Number One since "Goodnight Irene" in 1950.
January 24	I'll Go On Alone	Marty Robbins	2	[A], [2]
January 24	I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive	Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys	1	The first of three posthumous Number Ones recorded by Hank Williams.
January 31	No Help Wanted	The Carlisles	4	[B]
January 31	Eddy's Song	Eddy Arnold	3
February 7	I Let the Stars Get In My Eyes	Goldie Hill	3	[B] With this song, Goldie Hill became the second solo female artist to have a Number One country single.
February 21	Kaw-Liga	Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys	13	[1]
April 11	Your Cheatin' Heart	Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys	6	[2]
May 9	Mexican Joe	Jim Reeves	9	[A], [2]
June 6	Take These Chains from My Heart	Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys	4	[2]
July 11	It's Been So Long	Webb Pierce	8	[2]
August 1	Rub-a-Dub-Dub	Hank Thompson and His Brazo Valley Boys	3	[2]
August 22	Hey Joe	Carl Smith	8	[2]
August 29	A Dear John Letter	Ferlin Husky and Jean Shepard	6	[B] - Jean Shepard [2]
October 17	I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know	The Davis Sisters	8	[B], [2] The first Billboard Number One by a female country act, a record that would remain until The Judds with "Mama He's Crazy" in 1984. This song became a posthumous Number One hit after the death of member Betty Jack Davis in a car accident in August.
November 21	There Stands the Glass	Webb Pierce	12	[2]
December 12	Carribean	Mitchell Torok	2	[B]
December 19	Let Me Be the One	Hank Locklin	3	[A], [2]

Notes

• 1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard.
• 2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
• A^ First Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
• B^ Only Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.

Note: Several songs were simultaneous No. 1 hits on the separate "Most Played in Juke Boxes," "Most Played by Jockeys" and "National Best Sellers" charts.

Other major hits

• "Gambler's Guitar" - Rusty Draper
• "Crying in the Chapel" -(Rex Allen]
• "How Much is That Hound Dog in the Window" - Homer and Jethro
• "I Couldn't Keep From Crying" - Marty Robbins
• "Paying For That Back Street Affair" - Kitty Wells
• "Shake a Hand" - Red Foley
• "Yesterday's Girl" - Hank Thompson and His Brazos Valley Boys
• "A Fool Such– As I" Hank Snow
• "Gal Who Invented Kissin" Hank Snow
• "Spanish Fire Ball" Hank Snow
• "When Mexican Joe Let Jole Blon" Hank Snow
• "The Last Waltz" Webb Pierce
• "I'll Go On Alone" Webb Pierce
• "That's Me Without You" Webb Pierce, Sonny James
• "I'm Walkin' The Dog" Webb Pierce
• "Free Home Demonstration" Eddy Arnold
• "Mama Come Get Your Baby Boy" Eddy Arnold
• "I Won't Be Home No More" Hank Williams
• "Weary Blues" Hank Williams
• "North Wind" Slim Whitman
• "Trademark" Carl Smith
• "Do I Like It" Carl Smith
• "Just Wait Till I Get You Alone" Carl Smith
• "This Orchid Means Goodbye" Carl Smith
• "Satisfaction Guaranteed" Carl Smith
• "Crying in the Chapel" Darryl Glenn
• "Going Steady" Faron Young
• "Knothole" Carlisles
• "Is Zat You Myrtle" Carlisles
• "Bumming Around" T.Texas Tyler, Jimmy Dean
• "Death Of Hank Williams" Jack Cardwell
• "Dear Joan" Jack Cardwell
• "Forgive Me John" Jean Shepherd & Ferlin Husky
• "No Help Wanted #2" Ernest Tubb & Red Foley
• "No Help Wanted" Hank Thompson
• "Seven Lonely Days" Bonnie Lou
• "Tennessee Wig Walk" Bonnie Lou
• "Hot Toddy"-[Red Foley]
• "Don't Let The Stars Get in Your Eyes"-[Red Foley]
• "Slaves Of A Hopeless Love Affair"-[Red Foley]
• "How's The World Treating You?"-{Eddy Arnold]
• "Bring Your Sweet Self Back To Me"-[Lefty Frizzell]
• "Too Young To Tango"-[Sunshine Ruby]

Births

• April 9 — Hal Ketchum, popular country artist of the early 1990s.
• June 1 — Ronnie Dunn, one half of Brooks & Dunn.

Deaths

• January 1 — Hank Williams, 29, country music singing-songwriting giant and pioneer.

Further reading

• Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947-1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 (ISBN 0-8118-3572-3)
• Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (ISBN 0-06-273244-7)
• Whitburn, Joel. "Top Country Songs 1944-2005 - 6th Edition." 2005.