1924 in country music explained

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1924.

Events

• First broadcast of WLS Barn Dance in Chicago, led by the "Solemn Old Judge" George D. Hay.
• Beginning of the "Old Times Tunes" series on Okeh Records.
• Beginning of the "Special Records for Southern States" series on Vocalion Records.
• August 13 Vernon Dalhart records "The Prisoner's Song" and "Wreck of the Old 97."^[1]

Top Hillbilly (Country) Recordings

The following songs were extracted from records included in Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954,^[2] record sales reported on the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website, and other sources as specified. Numerical rankings are approximate, they are only used as a frame of reference.

Rank	Artist	Title	Label	Recorded	Released	Chart Positions
1		"It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'"^[3]	Victor 19171			US BB 1924 #1, US #1 for 6 weeks, 20 total weeks, 678,403 sales^[4]
2		"Wreck On the Southern Old 97"^[5]	Okeh 40015			US BB 1924 #163, US #14 for 1 week, 1 total weeks
3		"Wreck On the Southern Old 97"	Victor 19427			US BB 1925 #38, US #4 for 1 week, 8 total weeks, 1,085,985 sales
4		"Arkansaw Traveler"^[6]	Okeh 40108			US BB 1924 #172, US #14 for 1 week, 1 total weeks
5	Fiddlin' John Carson	"You Will Never Miss Your Mother Until She is Gone"^[7]	Okeh 4994			US BB 1924 #18, US #2 for 1 week, 8 total weeks
6		"Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy"^[8]	Vocalion 14848
7	Eck Robertson and Henry Gilliland	"Done Gone"^[9]	Victor 19372
8	Fiddlin' John Carson	"Fare You Well, Old Joe Clark"^[10]	Okeh 40038
9		"Little Rosewood Casket"^[11]	Columbia 216
10	Fiddlin' John Carson	"John Henry Blues"^[12]	Okeh 7004			US BB 1924 #122, US #10 for 1 week, 1 total weeks
11		"Whistling the Blues Away"^[13]	Victor 19338			US BB 1924 #129, US #10 for 1 week, 1 total weeks
12	Eck Robertson and Henry Gilliland	"Sallie Johnson And Billy In The Low Ground"^[14]	Victor 19372
13		"Rock All Our Babies To Sleep"^[15]	Columbia 107
14	Henry Whitter	"Lonesome Road Blues"^[16]	Okeh 40015

Births

• January 6 – Earl Scruggs, early bluegrass pioneer who, with Lester Flatt, formed the Foggy Mountain Boys (died 2012).
• February 16 – Jo Walker-Meador, Country Music Association Executive Director from 1962 to 1991 (died 2017).
• March 29 – Jimmy Work, 94, American country singer-songwriter ("Making Believe") (died 2018).^{[17] [18]}
• April 21 – Ira Louvin, member of The Louvin Brothers (with brother Charlie). (died 1965)
• June 20 – Chet Atkins, session musician and record producer, primarily with RCA Records (died 2001).
• June 28 – George Morgan, pop-styled singer of the 1940s and 1950s; Grand Ole Opry stalwart and father of 1990s star Lorrie Morgan (died 1975).
• July 22 – Margaret Whiting, female country and pop vocalist of the 1940s and early 1950s; first female vocalist to top the Billboard country charts (1949's "Slippin' Around," as part of a duet with Jimmy Wakely). (died 2011)
• September 19 – Don Harron, Canadian comedian and playwright best known to country audiences as "Charlie Farquharson" on television's Hee Haw (died 2015).

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.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Victor matrix BVE-30633. The prisoner's song / Vernon Dalhart - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-09 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
2. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 . Record Research . 1986.
3. Web site: Victor matrix B-28741. It ain't gonna rain no mo' / Wendell W. Hall - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-09 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
4. Web site: The Victor Talking Machine Company . 2022-04-06 . davidsarnoff.org.
5. Web site: OKeh matrix S-72167. The wreck on the Southern Old 97 / Henry Whitter - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-02 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
6. Web site: OKeh matrix 8613. Arkansas traveler / Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-14 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
7. Web site: OKeh matrix S-72011. You will never miss your mother until she is gone / Fiddlin' John Carson - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-14 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
8. Web site: Vocalion matrix 13330-13332. Keep my skillet good and greasy / Uncle Dave Macon - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-14 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
9. Web site: Victor matrix B-26669. Done gone / Eck Robertson - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-14 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
10. Web site: OKeh matrix S-72016. Fare you well, old Joe Clark / Fiddlin' John Carson - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-14 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
11. Web site: Columbia matrix 81983. The little rosebud casket / Ernest Errott Thompson - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-14 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
12. Web site: OKeh matrix 8610. John Henry blues / Fiddlin' John Carson - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-14 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
13. Web site: Victor matrix B-29955. Whistling the blues away / Wendell W. Hall - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-14 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
14. Web site: Victor matrix B-26666. Sallie Johnson / Eck Robertson - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-14 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
15. Web site: Columbia matrix 81633. Rock all our babies to sleep / Riley Puckett - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-14 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
16. Web site: OKeh matrix S-72168. Lonesome road blues / Henry Whitter - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-14 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
17. http://www.kfvs12.com/2018/12/25/heartland-musician-songwriter-jimmy-work-dies/ Heartland musician and songwriter Jimmy Work, dies at 94
18. Web site: Jimmy Work of Dukedom, Tennessee 1924 - 2018 Obituary . 2018-12-27 . 2019-05-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190504033542/https://www.hornbeakfuneralchapel.com/obituary/jimmy-work . dead .