1939 in country music explained

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1939.

Events

No dates

sales recovered to approximately 2/3 of 1929 levels
Billboard magazine begins publishing its first country music chart. Known as "Hillbilly Hits," the chart appears on a semi-regular (usually, monthly) basis, and will be published until early 1942. It is the predecessor for Billboards later "Most Played Juke Box Folk Records," which would be published weekly and eventually evolve into today's Hot Country Songs chart.

Top Hillbilly (Country) Recordings

The following songs achieved the highest positions in Billboard magazine's 'Hillbilly Hits' chart, supplemented by 'Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954' and record sales reported on the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website,^[1] and other sources as specified, during 1939. Numerical rankings are approximate, they are only used as a frame of reference.

Rank	Artist	Title	Label	Chart Positions
1		"It Makes No Difference Now"^[2] ^[3]	Decca 5604	US Billboard 1938 #308, US JW #16 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1939 #1, US Hillbilly #1 for 11 weeks, 56 total weeks
2		"Big Rock Candy Mountains"^[4] ^[5]	Decca 5689	US Hillbilly 1939 #2, US Hillbilly #1 for 7 weeks, 27 total weeks
3		"Pussy Pussy Pussy"^[6]	Vocalion 04560	US Hillbilly 1939 #3, US Hillbilly #1 for 4 weeks, 15 total weeks
4		""On The Owl-Hoot Trail"^[7]	Decca 5630	US Hillbilly 1939 #4, US Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 17 total weeks
5		"Paradise in the Moonlight"^[8]	Vocalion 04810	US Hillbilly 1939 #5, US Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 12 total weeks
6		"Wabash Cannon Ball"^[9]	Vocalion 4466	US Billboard 1938 #223, US JW #12 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1939 #6, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 38 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales
7	Shelton Brothers	"Knot Hole Blues"^[10]	Decca 5653	US Hillbilly 1939 #7, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 20 total weeks
8	Gene Autry	"South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)"^[11]	Vocalion 5122	US Billboard 1939 #190, US JW #12 for 1 week, 4 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1939 #8, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 22 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales
9		"Truck Driver Blues"^[12]	Decca 5725	US Hillbilly 1939 #9, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 20 total weeks, sold more than 100,000 copies.
10	Gene Autry	"Back In The Saddle Again"	Vocalion 5080	US Hillbilly 1939 #10, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 16 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales^[13]
11		"She Gave Me the Bird"	Vocalion 5039	US Hillbilly 1939 #11, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 14 total weeks
12	Shelton Brothers	"My Sweet Darling Wife"^[14]	Decca 5723	US Hillbilly 1939 #12, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 12 total weeks
13		"I Ought To Break Your Neck (For Breakin' My Heart)"	Vocalion 5175	US Hillbilly 1939 #13, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 10 total weeks
14		"San Antonio Rose"	Vocalion 4755	US Billboard 1939 #267, US JW #15 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1939 #14, US Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 36 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales
15		"When You're Smiling"^[15]	Decca 5660	US Hillbilly 1939 #15, US Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 25 total weeks
16	Gene Autry	"Little Sir Echo"	Vocalion 4809	US Hillbilly 1939 #16, US Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 13 total weeks
17	Jimmie Davis	"The Last Trip Of The Old Ship"	Decca 5737	US Hillbilly 1939 #17, US Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 11 total weeks
18	Jimmie Davis with Rudy Sooter's Ranchmen	"It Makes No Difference Now"^[16]	Decca 5620	US Hillbilly 1939 #18, US Hillbilly #2 for 3 weeks, 32 total weeks
19		"Ease My Troubled Mind]"^[17]	Decca 5673	US Hillbilly 1939 #19, US Hillbilly #2 for 3 week, 22 total weeks
20		"Annabelle"	Vocalion 4697	US Hillbilly 1939 #20, US Hillbilly #2 for 3 weeks, 20 total weeks

Births

January 12 – William Lee Golden, baritone (and long-bearded) member of the Oak Ridge Boys.
January 19 – Phil Everly, of The Everly Brothers (died 2014).
January 24 – Ray Stevens, country-pop singer releasing a long string of novelty-themed songs.
February 14 – Razzy Bailey, blues-styled country vocalist of the 1980s.
March 19 – Bob Kingsley, radio personality and longtime host of American Country Countdown and Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40 (died 2019).^[18]
April 20 – Johnny Tillotson, 1960s country singer ("It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin'").
May 27 – Don Williams, baritone-voiced "Gentle Giant", one of country's biggest stars of the 1970s and 1980s (died 2017).
June 11 – Wilma Burgess, 1960s country singer (died 2003).
June 13 – Billy "Crash" Craddock, "Mr. Country Rock," gaining fame in the 1970s.
August 8 – Phil Balsley, baritone-voiced member of the Statler Brothers.
August 21 – Harold Reid, bass singer, member of the Statler Brothers (died 2020).
September 6 – David Allen Coe, singer-songwriter and key member of the outlaw country movement of the 1970s.
October 27 – Dallas Frazier, songwriter best known for "Elvira".
October 27 – Ruby Wright, daughter of Johnnie Wright and Kitty Wells and member of their touring show (died 2009).
December 29 – Ed Bruce, singer-songwriter, best known for writing "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys." (died 2021)

Notes and References

Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 . Record Research . 1986.
Web site: Decca matrix 64504. It makes no difference now / Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers - Discography of American Historical Recordings. 2022-01-04. adp.library.ucsb.edu.
Web site: April 29, 1939. The Billboard pg 84. live. 2022-01-06. worldradiohistory.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20220106204745/https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1939/Billboard-1939-04-29-IDX-60.pdf . 2022-01-06 .
Web site: Decca matrix DLA 1660. The Big Rock Candy Mountains / Haywire Mac - Discography of American Historical Recordings. 2022-01-04. adp.library.ucsb.edu.
Web site: June 24, 1939. The Billboard June 24, 1939 pg 127. live. 2022-01-06. worldradiohistory.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20220106205855/https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1939/Billboard-1939-06-24-IDX-60.pdf . 2022-01-06 .
Web site: Vocalion (USA) 78rpm numerical listing discography: 4500 - 4999. 2022-01-06. www.78discography.com.
Web site: Decca matrix 64536. On the owl-hoot trail / The Shelton Brothers - Discography of American Historical Recordings. 2022-01-06. adp.library.ucsb.edu.
Web site: May 27, 1939. The Billboard May 27, 1939. live. worldradiohistory.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20220106205512/https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1939/Billboard-1939-05-27-IDX-60.pdf . 2022-01-06 .
Web site: Vocalion 78rpm numerical listing discography: 4000 - 4500. 2022-01-06. www.78discography.com.
Web site: Decca matrix 64538. Knot hole blues / The Shelton Brothers - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-09 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
Web site: Vocalion (USA) 78rpm numerical listing discography: 5000 - 5499. 2022-01-06. www.78discography.com.
Web site: Decca matrix 66303. Truck driver's blues / Cliff Bruner and his Boys - Discography of American Historical Recordings. 2022-01-04. adp.library.ucsb.edu.
Web site: TSHA Autry, Orvon Gene . 2022-04-26 . www.tshaonline.org.
Web site: Decca matrix 64544. My own sweet darling wife / The Shelton Brothers - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-09 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
Web site: Decca matrix 64510. When you're smiling / Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-09 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
Web site: Decca matrix DLA 1551. It makes no difference now / Jimmie Davis - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-09 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
Web site: Decca matrix 65124. Ease my troubled mind / Buddy Jones - Discography of American Historical Recordings . 2022-04-09 . adp.library.ucsb.edu.
"Bob Kingsley Dies At Age 80," All Access Music Group, October 17, 2019. Accessed 10-17-19. https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/190626/bob-kingsley-dies-at-age-80?ref=mail_bulletin