Billboard Top Country & Western Records of 1950

These are lists of Billboard magazine's "Top Country & Western Records" and "Top Country & Western Artists" for 1950, ranked by retail sales and juke box plays.

Hank Snow's "I'm Movin' On" was 1950's No. 1 country hit based on retail sales and ranked No. 4 based on juke box plays.[1] Red Foley's "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" ranked No. 1 based on juke box plays and No. 2 based on retail sales. The year's other top hits included: Moon Mullican's "I'll Sail My Ship Alone" (No. 2 juke box, No. 3 retail); Hank Williams' "Why Don't You Love Me?" (No. 3 juke box, No. 4 retail); and Williams' "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" (No. 5 juke box, No. 5 retail).[1]

The artists with the most songs in the 1950 year-end charts were Red Foley with eight songs, Eddy Arnold with seven, Ernest Tubb with five, Hank Williams with four, and the duet pairing of Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely with four.[1] Billboard also ranked the year's top artists as follows: (1) Red Foley, (2) Ernest Tubb, (3) Hank Williams, (4) Eddy Arnold, and (5) Hank Snow (retail)/Moon Mullican (juke box).[2]

The Decca Records label released 11 of the songs included on the year-end lists, followed by RCA Victor with nine, and Capitol with six.[1]

Top records

Retail
year-end[1]
Juke box
year-end[1]
Peak[note 1][3] Title Artist(s) Songwriter Label
1 4 1 "I'm Movin' On" Hank Snow Hank Snow RCA Victor
2 1 1 "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" Red Foley Harry Stone, Jack Stapp Decca
3 2 1 "I'll Sail My Ship Alone" Moon Mullican Mullican, Bernard, Mann, Thurston King
4 3 1 "Why Don't You Love Me?" Hank Williams Hank Williams M-G-M
5 5 1 "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" Hank Williams Hank Williams M-G-M
6 10 1 "Goodnight, Irene" Red Foley, Ernest Tubb Lead Belly Decca
7 13 2 "Cuddle Buggin' Baby" Eddy Arnold Red Rowe RCA Victor
8 24 2 "(Remember Me) I'm the One Who Loves You" Stuart Hamblen Stuart Hamblen Columbia
9 6 1 "Birmingham Bounce" Red Foley Hardrock Gunter Decca
10 17 2 "Lovebug Itch" Eddy Arnold Carson, Roy Blotkin RCA Victor
11 9 1 "M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I" Red Foley Hanlon, Ryan, Tierney Decca
12 12 3 "Throw Your Love My Way" Ernest Tubb Tubb, Loys Southerland Decca
13 8 2 "I Love You Because" Ernest Tubb Leon Payne Decca
14 26 2 "Cincinnati Dancing Pig" Red Foley Wood, Lewis Decca
15 21 "I'll Never Be Free" Tennessee Ernie Ford, Kay Starr Benjamin, Weiss Capitol
16 28 2 "Let's Go to Church (Next Sunday Morning)" Margaret Whiting, Jimmy Wakely Steve Allen Capitol
17 23 6 "Enclosed One Broken Heart" Eddy Arnold Red Rowe RCA Victor
18 NR 3 "Little Angel With the Dirty Face" Eddy Arnold Dale Parker RCA Victor
19 16 3 "Why Should I Cry Over You?" Eddy Arnold Zeke Clements RCA Victor
20 19 1 "Slipping Around" Margaret Whiting, Jimmy Wakely Floyd Tillman Capitol
21 NR "I Love You Because" Leon Payne Leon Payne Capitol
22 NR 2 "Broken Down Merry-Go-Round" Margaret Whiting, Jimmy Wakely Fred Stryker, Arthur Herbert Capitol
23 20 2 "Letters Have No Arms" Ernest Tubb Tubb, Arbie Gibson Decca
24 NR "Hillbilly Fever" Little Jimmy Dickens Vaughn Horton Columbia
25 NR "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" Red Foley Traditional Decca
26 14 2 "Tennessee Border #2 Red Foley, Ernest Tubb Jimmy Work Decca
27 NR "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time" Lefty Frizzell Lefty Frizzell, Jim Beck Columbia
28 27 4 "Mona Lisa" Moon Mullican Ray Evans, Jay Livingston King
29 NR "Bonaparte's Retreat" Pee Wee King Pee Wee King RCA Victor
30 NR 1 "Moanin' the Blues" Hank Williams Hank Williams M-G-M
NR 7 1 "Take Me in Your Arms" Eddy Arnold Cindy Walker RCA Victor
NR 11 "Rag Mop" Johnnie Lee Wills Willis, Anderson Bullett
NR 15 9 "Sugarfoot Rag" Red Foley Hank Garland, Vaughn Horton Decca
NR 18 "Bloodshot Eyes" Hank Penny Hank Penny, Ruth Hall King
NR 22 "Blues Stay Away From Me" Delmore Brothers Delmore, Raney, Delmore, Glover King
NR 25 2 "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" Hank Williams Clarence Williams M-G-M
NR 29 3 "The Gods Were Angry With Me" Margaret Whiting, Jimmy Wakely Foreman Bill, Roma Capitol
NR 30 6 "Mama and Daddy Broke My Heart" Eddy Arnold Spade Cooley RCA Victor

See also

Notes

  1. ^ This column recites the record's peak position on Billboard's weekly charts.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "The Year's Top Country & Western Records" (PDF). The Billboard. January 13, 1951. p. 19. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  2. ^ "The Year's Top Country & Western Artists" (PDF). The Billboard. January 13, 1951. p. 19.
  3. ^ Joel Whitburn (1995). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Billboard Books. ISBN 0823076326.