1949 in country music

Events

December 10 - Billboard magazine 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

January 22 - "I Love You So Much it Hurts" - Jimmy Wakely
March 5 - "Don't Rob Another Man's Castle" - Eddy Arnold
March 19 - "Tennessee Saturday Night" - Red Foley and the Cumberland Valley Boys
April 2 - "Candy Kisses" - George Morgan
May 7 - "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
June 18 - "One Kiss Too Many" - Eddy Arnold
July 30 - "I'm Throwing Rice (at the Girl I Love)" - Eddy Arnold
September 10 - "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me" - Wayne Raney
September 24 - "Slipping Around" - Ernest Tubb
October 8 - "Slipping Around" - Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely
December 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.

Other major hits

"Anticipation Blues" — Tennessee Ernie Ford
"Blue Skirt Waltz" — Frank Yankovic
"C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S" — Eddy Arnold
"Country Boy" — Little Jimmy Dickens
"Cry Baby Heart" — George Morgan
"Death Of Kathy Fiscus" — Jimmy Osborne
"Echo Of Your Footsteps" — Eddy Arnold
"I Never See Maggie Alone" — Kenny Roberts
"I'm Bitin' My Fingernails" — Ernest Tubb and the Andrews Sisters
"My Bucket's Got A Hole In It" — Hank Williams
"Panhandle Rag" — Leon McCauliffe
"Room Full Of Roses" – George Morgan
"Riders In The Sky" — Vaughn Monroe
"Smokey Mountain Boogie" — Tennessee Ernie Ford
"Take An Old Cold Tater And Wait" — Little Jimmy Dickens
"Tennessee Border" — Red Foley
"Tennessee Border #2" — Red Foley and Ernest Tubb
"There's Not A Thing" — Eddy Arnold
"Warm Red Wine" — Ernest Tubb
"Wedding Bells" — Hank Williams
"Whoa Sailor" — Hank Thompson

 "Please Don't Let Me Love You  George Morgan
 "Tennessee Polka"   Red Foley
 "Slipping Around"  Floyd Tillman
 "I'll Never Slip Around Again"  Jimmy Wakely & Marga

"Will Santa Come To Shanty Town" — Eddy Arnold
"You're Gonna Change" — Hank Williams

 "Please Don"t Let Me Love You"  George Morgan
 "Tennessee Polka"  Red Foley
 "Slipping Around"  Floyd Tillman
 "I"ll never Slip Around Again"  Jimmy Wakely & Margaret Whiting
 "Mind Your Own Business"  Hank Williams
 "Candy Kisses"  Eltom Britt

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Top new album releases

Births

Deaths

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