This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1943.
1941 was a great year for the United States recording industry, as bad memories of the Depression-tainted 1930s were replaced by record-setting sales. Then came Pearl Harbor, and on August 1, 1942, a strike by the American Federation of Musicians, which ended all recording sessions. Record companies kept business going by releasing promising recordings from their vaults, but by mid-1943, alternate sources were running dry, as the strike continued. Decca was the first company to settle with the union in September, but year-end statistics showed a 50% drop in charted records from 1942. Scan down the "recorded"(date) column, you won't see 1943 very often.
"Pistol Packin' Mama" by Al Dexter was easily the top record of the year, becoming the first #1 Hillbilly-Folk record to cross over and reach #1 on the Popular Chart as well. 1943 featured two of the greatest double-sided Country records ever, "PPM/Rosalita" by Dexter, and the close runner-up, "No Letter Today / Born To Lose" by Ted Daffan, also a top ten crossover hit. Both records stayed on the Hillbilly-Folk chart for over a year, and all four sides made the Popular chart too.
The Top Hillbilly-Folk Records of the Year chart is, like 1942, mostly derived from The Billboard's weekly "American Folk Records" columns of 1943, with raw reports from nationwide jukebox operators, and summaries of the top records in the nation.[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Supplemental information came from 'Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954',[8] record sales reported on the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website, and other sources as specified. As always, numerical rankings are approximate.
| Rank | Artist | Title | Label | Recorded | Released | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pistol Packin' Mama"[9] | Okeh 6708 | US Billboard 1943 #9, US Pop #1 for 1 week, 36 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #1, Hillbilly #1 for 27 weeks, 50 total weeks, 2,500,000 sales, Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000 | ||||
| 2 | "No Letter Today" | Okeh 6706 | US Billboard 1943 #64, US Pop #13 for 1 week, 20 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #2, Hillbilly #1 for 6 weeks, 53 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales | ||||
| 3 | Al Dexter and His Troopers | "Rosalita" | Okeh 6708 | US Billboard 1943 #178, US Pop #22 for 1 week, 47 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #3, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 58 total weeks | |||
| 4 | Ted Daffan's Texans | "Born To Lose" | Okeh 6706 | US Billboard 1943 #124, US Pop #19 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #4, Hillbilly #2 for 6 weeks, 72 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales | |||
| 5 | "Pistol Packin' Mama"[10] | Decca 23277 | US Billboard 1943 #22, US Pop #2 for 4 weeks, 14 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #5, Hillbilly #1 for 12 weeks, 25 total weeks | ||||
| 6 | "Honey Song" | Okeh 6687 | US Billboard 1943 #123, US Pop #19 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #6, Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 61 total weeks | ||||
| 7 | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys | "New San Antonio Rose"[11] | Okeh 6274 | US Billboard 1943 #127, US Pop #19 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #7, Hillbilly #2 for 1 week, 56 total weeks | |||
| 8 | "That Old Grey Mare Is Back Where She Used to Be"[12] | Bluebird 30-0808 | US Billboard 1943 #128, US Pop #19 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #8, Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 31 total weeks | ||||
| 9 | "They Took the Stars Out of Heaven"[13] | Decca 6090 | US Hillbilly 1943 #9, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 35 total weeks | ||||
| 10 | "Home in San Antone"[14] | Okeh 6710 | US Billboard 1943 #160, US Pop #21 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #10, Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 36 total weeks | ||||
| 11 | "Pins and Needles (In My Heart)" | Okeh 6689 | US Billboard 1943 #132, US Pop #19 for 1 week, 47 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #11, Hillbilly #2 for 1 week, 60 total weeks | ||||
| 12 | "Night Train to Memphis" | Okeh 6693 | US Hillbilly 1943 #12, Hillbilly #4 for 1 week, 51 total weeks | ||||
| 13 | Gene Autry | "I Hang My Head And Cry" | Okeh 6627 | US Hillbilly 1943 #13, Hillbilly #4 for 1 week, 34 total weeks | |||
| 14 | "You Nearly Lose Your Mind"[15] | Decca 6067 | US Hillbilly 1943 #14, Hillbilly #2 for 1 week, 38 total weeks | ||||
| 15 | "It Makes No Difference Now" | Okeh 6274 | US Hillbilly 1943 #15, Hillbilly #3 for 2 weeks, 33 total weeks | ||||
| 16 | "Columbus Stockade Blues"[16] | Decca 6083 | US Hillbilly 1943 #16, Hillbilly #2 for 1 week, 23 total weeks | ||||
| 17 | Ernest Tubb | "I Hate To See You Go"[17] | Decca 6684 | US Hillbilly 1943 #17, Hillbilly #4 for 1 week, 18 total weeks | |||
| 18 | "Buddy Boy"[18] | Bluebird 9023 | US Hillbilly 1943 #18, Hillbilly #3 for 2 weeks, 33 total weeks | ||||
| 19 | Dick Kuhn Orchestra | "Put Your Arms Around Me Honey"[19] | Decca 4337 | US Billboard 1943 #45, US Pop #8 for 1 week, 12 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #19, Hillbilly #2 for 1 week, 11 total weeks | |||
| 20 | Ernest Tubb | "I'll Get Along Somehow"[20] | Decca 5825 | US Hillbilly 1943 #20, Hillbilly #4 for 2 weeks, 26 total weeks |
Because of the lack of fresh material, many hits from past years made chart returns.
| "Wabash Cannonball 1939" | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys |
| "New San Antonio Rose 1940" | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys |
| "Back In the Saddle Again 1939" | Gene Autry |
| "It Makes No Difference Now 1941" | Gene Autry |
| "I'm Knocking At Your Door Again 1941" | Jimmie Davis |
| "Sitting on Top of the World 1936" | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys |
| "Sitting on Top of the World 1935" | Shelton Brothers |
| "The Precious Jewel 1941" | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys |