This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1949.
(As certified by Billboard magazine)
| US | Single | Artist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 That 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.
The following songs appeared in The Billboard's 'Best-Selling Retail Folk Records' and 'Most-Played Juke Box Folk Records' charts during 1949. Each week fifteen points were awarded to the number one record, then nine points for number two, eight points for number three, and so on. The total points a record earned determined its year-end rank. Additional information was obtained from the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website, 'Cashbox', and other sources as noted.
| Rank | Artist | Title | Label | Recorded | Released | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Lovesick Blues"[1] | MGM 10352 | US Billboard 1949 #253, US #24 for 1 weeks, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #1, USHB #1 for 16 weeks, 42 total weeks, 725 points, CashBox #3, Grammy Hall of Fame 2011, 1,000,000 sales[2] | ||||
| 2 | "Slippin' Around"[3] | Capitol 40224 | US Billboard 1949 #10, US #1 for 3 weeks, 23 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #2, USHB #1 for 16 weeks, 32 total weeks, 633 points | ||||
| 3 | "Don't Rob Another Man's Castle"[4] | RCA Victor 21-0002 | US Billboard 1949 #234, US #23 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #3, USHB #1 for 12 weeks, 31 total weeks, 454 points | ||||
| 4 | Jimmy Wakely | "I Love You So Much It Hurts"[5] | Capitol 15243 | US Billboard 1948 #170, US #21 for 1 week, 8 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #4, USHB #1 for 5 weeks, 26 total weeks, 402 points | |||
| 5 | "Tennessee Saturday Night"[6] | Decca 46136 | US Hillbilly 1949 #5, USHB #1 for 1 weeks, 40 total weeks, 343 points | ||||
| 6 | "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me"[7] | King 791 | US Billboard 1949 #218, US #22 for 1 week, 4 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #6, USHB #1 for 3 weeks, 21 total weeks, 318 points | ||||
| 7 | Eddy Arnold, The Tennessee Plowboy and His Guitar | "I'm Throwing Rice (At The Girl That I Love)"[8] | RCA Victor 21-0083 | US Billboard 1949 #178, US #19 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #7, USHB #1 for 3 weeks, 21 total weeks, 314 points | |||
| 8 | "Blues Stay Away From Me" | King 803 | US Hillbilly 1949 #8, USHB #1 for 1 weeks, 23 total weeks, CashBox #10, 296 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2007 | ||||
| 9 | Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys | "Wedding Bells" | MGM 10401 | US Hillbilly 1949 #9, USHB #2 for 2 weeks, 29 total weeks, 294 points | |||
| 10 | "Candy Kisses"[9] | Columbia 20547 | US Billboard 1949 #157, US #17 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #10, USHB #1 for 3 weeks, 21 total weeks, 253 points | ||||
| 11 | Eddy Arnold, The Tennessee Plowboy and His Guitar | "One Kiss Too Many"[10] | RCA Victor 21-0051 | US Billboard 1949 #238, US #23 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #11, USHB #1 for 3 weeks, 22 total weeks, 226 points | |||
| 12 | "Slipping Around"[11] | Decca 46173 | US Billboard 1949 #157, US #17 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #12, USHB #1 for 1 weeks, 20 total weeks, 210 points | ||||
| 13 | Eddy Arnold, The Tennessee Plowboy and His Guitar | "The Echo of Your Footsteps"[12] | RCA Victor 21-0051 | US Hillbilly 1949 #13, USHB #2 for 3 weeks, 19 total weeks, 176 points | |||
| 14 | "Mule Train" | Capitol 40258 | US Billboard 1949 #84, US #9 for 1 week, 9 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #14, USHB #1 for 4 weeks, 10 total weeks, 160 points | ||||
| 15 | Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely | "I'll Never Slip Around Again" | Capitol 40246 | US Billboard 1949 #69, US #8 for 3 weeks, 10 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #16, USHB #2 for 3 weeks, 13 total weeks, 145 points | |||
| 16 | Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys | "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It"[13] | MGM 10560 | US Billboard 1949 #, US #1 for 8 weeks, 24 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #17, USHB #2 for 1 weeks, 12 total weeks, 125 points | |||
| 17 | Red Foley | "Tennessee Border"[14] | Decca 46151 | US Hillbilly 1949 #18, USHB #3 for 1 week, 20 total weeks, 124 points | |||
| 18 | "I'm Bitin' My Fingernails and Thinking of You"[15] | Decca 24592 | US Billboard 1949 #304, US #29 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #19, USHB #2 for 1 week, 12 total weeks, 112 points | ||||
| 19 | Tennessee Ernie | "Anticipation Blues" | Capitol 40258 | US Hillbilly 1949 #20, USHB #3 for 3 weeks, 11 total weeks, 101 points | |||
| 20 | George Morgan | "Please Don't Let Me Love You" | Columbia 20547 | US Hillbilly 1949 #21, USHB #4 for 2 weeks, 14 total weeks, 87 points | |||
| 21 | Red Foley | "Tennessee Polka"[16] | Decca 46170 | US Hillbilly 1949 #22, USHB #4 for 3 weeks, 13 total weeks, 76 points | |||
| 22 | Ernest Tubb | "Blue Christmas"[17] | Decca 46186 | US Billboard 1949 #263, US #27 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #23, USHB #1 for 1 weeks, 6 total weeks, 65 points | |||
| 23 | Eddy Arnold, The Tennessee Plowboy and His Guitar | "There's Not A Thing (I Wouldn't Do For You)"[18] | RCA Victor 21-0002 | US Hillbilly 1949 #24, USHB #3 for 1 week, 10 total weeks, 57 points | |||
| 24 | "I Never See Maggie Alone"[19] | Coral 64012 | US Hillbilly 1949 #25, USHB #4 for 1 weeks, 11 total weeks, 56 points | ||||
| 25 | "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"[20] | Columbia 38610 | US Billboard 1949 #17, US #1 for 1 weeks, 13 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #26, USHB #1 for 4 weeks, 5 total weeks, 55 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 1985, 7,000,000 sold by 1969[21] | ||||
| 30 | Ernest Tubb | "Have You Ever Been Lonely? (Have You Ever Been Blue)"[22] | Decca 46144 | US Hillbilly 1949 #30, USHB #2 for 1 weeks, 10 total weeks, 44 points | |||
| 31 | Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys | "Mind Your Own Business" | MGM 10461 | US Hillbilly 1949 #31, USHB #5 for 1 weeks, 11 total weeks, 36 points | |||
| 40 | Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys | "You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave)" | MGM 10506 | US Hillbilly 1949 #40, USHB #4 for 1 weeks, 9 total weeks, 24 points | |||
| 43 | "Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)"[23] | RCA Victor 20-3411 | US Billboard 1949 #1, US #1 for 12 weeks, 22 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #43, USHB #2 for 1 weeks, 3 total weeks, 15 points, CashBox #1, 1,000,000 sales | ||||
| 55 | Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys | "Never Again (Will I Knock on Your Door)" | MGM 10352 | US Hillbilly 1949 #55, USHB #6 for 1 weeks, 2 total weeks, 8 points | |||
| 61 | Gene Autry | "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)"[24] | Columbia 20377 | US Billboard 1949 #248, US #24 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1949 #61, USHB #8 for 1 week, 3 total weeks, 3 points, 1,000,000 sales |