1936 in country music explained
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1936.
Events
- In Knoxville, Tennessee the emerging media chain Scripps-Howard purchased the WNOX station in 1935, and then in 1936 the station launched its most popular program, the influential Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round, a live noontime performance show which highlighted hillbilly music artists.[1]
- Lee Roy "Lasses" White of Wills Point, TX, who was featured on the Nashville radio station WSM, with "Honey" Wilds, and they were featured in their own Friday night "minstrel show and on The Grand Ole Opry, left for Hollywood in May 1936. He found a career as a character actor in the B-Grade Western "horse operas".[2]
Top Hillbilly (Country) Recordings
The following songs were extracted from records included in Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954,[3] 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 | | "Mexicali Rose"[4] | Melotone 60559 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #1 |
| 2 | | "Spanish Two Step"[5] | Vocalion 3230 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #2 |
| 3 | | "What Would You Give In Exchange"[6] | Bluebird 6309 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #3 |
| 4 | | "Old Shep"[7] | Melotone 60353 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #4 |
| 5 | | "Nobody's Darling But Mine" | Melotone 60452 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #5 |
| 6 | | "Jealous Hearted Me" | Melotone 13432 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #6 |
| 7 | | "You're the Only Star in My Blue Heaven" | Melotone 60559 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #7 |
| 8 | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys | "Trouble in Mind" | Vocalion 3343 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #8 |
| 9 | | "I'm an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande)"[8] | Decca 871 | | | US BB 1936 #30, US #2 for 4 weeks, 13 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1936 #9 |
| 10 | | "Sweet Violets" | Vocalion 3110 | | | US BB 1936 #172, US #12 for 1 weeks, 3 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1936 #10 |
| 11 | Sons of the Pioneers | "Texas Star"[9] | Decca 5232 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #11 |
| 12 | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys | "Osage Stomp (Rukus Juice Shuffle)" | Vocalion 3096 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #12 |
| 13 | | "Ride Ranger Ride"[10] | Decca 5243 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #13 |
| 14 | | "Sunny Side of Life"[11] | Bluebird 6457 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #14 |
| 15 | | "The Hesitation Blues"[12] | Decca 5266 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #15 |
| 16 | Jimmie Davis | "Mama's Getting Hot and Papa's Getting Cold"[13] | Decca 5249 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #16 |
| 17 | Sweet Violet Boys | "Sweet Violets No. 2" | Vocalion 3256 | | | US BB 1936 #236, US #16 for 1 weeks, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1936 #17 |
| 18 | Bill Boyd And His Cowboy Ramblers | "When The Sun Sets On My Swiss Chalet"[14] | Bluebird 6599 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #18 |
| 19 | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys | "Sitting on Top of the World" | Vocalion 3139 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #19 |
| 20 | Jimmie Rodgers & Carter Family | "Why There’s a Tear in My Eye"[15] | Bluebird 6698 | | | US Hillbilly 1936 #20 | |
Births
- January 2 – Roger Miller, singer-songwriter best known for honky-tonk novelty songs, and the non-novelty "King of the Road" (died 1992).
- February 27 – Chuck Glaser, 83, member of Tompall and the Glaser Brothers (died 2019).[16]
- March 9 – Mickey Gilley, pianist and nightclub owner who enjoyed success throughout the 1970s and 1980s; cousin of Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart.
- April 22 – Glen Campbell, pop-country singer and guitarist, host of The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (died 2017).
- May 25 – Tom T. Hall, singer-songwriter who became known as "The Storyteller."
- June 22 – Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter and actor who grew to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
- July 24 – Max D. Barnes, songwriter and record producer whose peak came in the 1980s and early 1990s (died 2004).
- November 5 – Billy Sherrill, record producer for numerous acts in the 1960s through 1980s, most famously Tammy Wynette (died 2015).
- December 12 – Reggie Young, session guitarist (died 2019).[17]
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
- Web site: Country Music in Knoxville. Cook. Hollie. Knox Heritage & Junior League of Knoxville. April 16, 2018.
- Book: Carlin, Richard. Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary. Rutledge. 2003. 0-415-93802-3. New York and London. 224.
- Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 . Record Research . 1986.
- Web site: MELOTONE 78rpm numerical listing discography: 13000 to end. 2022-01-06. www.78discography.com.
- Web site: Vocalion 78rpm numerical listing discography: 3000 - 3500. 2022-01-18. www.78discography.com.
- Web site: Victor matrix BS-99195. What would you give in exchange? / Monroe Brothers - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-23 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
- Web site: MELOTONE 1936 78rpm numerical listing discography . 2022-04-23 . www.78discography.com.
- Web site: Decca matrix DLA 442. I'm an old cowhand / Bing Crosby - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-23 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
- Web site: Decca matrix DLA 361. Texas star / Sons of the Pioneers - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-23 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
- Web site: Decca matrix DLA 383. Ride, ranger, ride / Sons of the Pioneers - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-23 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
- Web site: Victor matrix BS-102641. Sunny side of life / Blue Sky Boys - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-23 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
- Web site: Decca matrix 60634. The hesitation blues / Brownies [Milton Brown] - Discography of American Historical Recordings ]. 2022-04-23 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
- Web site: Decca matrix DLA 379. Mama's getting hot and Papa's getting cold / Jimmie Davis - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-23 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
- Web site: Victor matrix BS-99326. When the sun sets on my Swiss chalet / Bill Boyd ; Jim Boyd ; Cowboy Ramblers - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-23 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
- Web site: Victor matrix BVE-69412. Why there's a tear in my eye / Sara Carter ; Jimmie Rodgers - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-23 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
- Web site: RIP: Country Legend Dead at 83. Sterling. Whitaker. Tasteofcountry.com. November 13, 2021.
- Web site: Legendary guitarist Reggie Young — key sideman to Elvis, Waylon, Willie and more — dead at age 82 . Commercial Appeal . January 18, 2019 . January 18, 2019.
