1951 in country music
See also: 1950 in country music, 1951 in music, other events of 1951, 1952 in country music, 1950s in music and the List of years in Country Music
Events
Top hits of the year
Number one hits
(As certified by Billboard magazine)
- January 6 - "I Love You a Thousand Ways" - Lefty Frizzell
- January 6 - "The Golden Rocket" - Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys
- January 13 - "The Shot Gun Boogie" - Tennessee Ernie Ford
- February 10 - "There's Been a Change in Me" - Eddy Arnold
- March 31 - "The Rhumba Boogie" - Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys
- May 12 - "Cold, Cold Heart" - Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
- May 19 - "Kentucky Waltz" - Eddy Arnold
- May 26 - "I Want To Be With You Always" - Lefty Frizzell
- July 14 - "I Wanna Play House With You" - Eddy Arnold
- August 11 - "Hey, Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
- September 1 - "Always Late (With Your Kisses)" - Lefty Frizzell
- November 3 - "Slow Poke" - Pee Wee King and His Golden West Cowboys (feat. Redd Stewart)
- December 22 - "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way" - Carl Smith
- 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.
Other major hits
"Let's Live A Little" Carl Smith "Mister Moon" Carl Smith "If Teardrops Were Pennies" Carl Smith "Howlin' At The Moon" Hank Williams "I Can't Help It" Hank Williams "Dear John" Hank Williams" "Crazy Heart" Hank Williams "May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You" Eddy Arnold "something Old Something New" Eddy Arnold "Heartstrings" Eddy Arnold "Somebody's Been Beatin'My Time" Eddy Arnold "Hot Rod Race" Red Foley, Jimmy Dolan, Tiny Hill "Down Yonder" Del Wood "Peace In The Valley" Red Foley "Poison Love" Johnny and Jack "Cryin" Heart Blues" Johnny & Jack "Beautiful Brown Eyes" Jimmy Wakely "My Heart Cries For You" Jimmy Wakely "On Top Of Old Smokey" Weavers "Mocking Bird Hill" Pinetoppers "Mister And Mississippi" Tennessee Ernie "Strange Little Girl" Cowboy Copas, Tennessee Ernie "Look What Thoughts Will Do" Lefty Frizzell "Travelin' Blues" Lefty Frizzell "Mom And Dad's Waltz" Lefty Frizzell— "Unwanted Sign Upon Your Heart" Hank Snow "Bluebird Island" Hank Snow "Down The Trail Of Aching Hearts" Hank Snow "Cherokee Boogie" Moon Mullican—
Top new album releases
Births
Deaths
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.