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1954 in country music

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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1954.

List of years in country music (table)
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Events

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  • January 4 — Elvis Presley records a 10-inch acetate demo at the Memphis Recording Studio; the two songs are "Casual Love Affair" and "I'll Never Stand In Your Way".[1]
  • February 20 — "Slowly" by Webb Pierce becomes the first No. 1 song on Billboard's country charts to feature the pedal steel guitar.
  • June 19 — Top recording "I Don't Hurt Anymore" by Hank Snow begins 20-week run at #1 on Best Seller list. "One by One" by Red Foley and Kitty Wells begins 21-week run at #2 on same chart, spending a single week at No. 1 later in the year. For most of the summer and fall, "I Don't Hurt Anymore" holds "One By One" out of the top spot.
  • July 17 — Ozark Jubilee debuts (on radio) as a weekly live broadcast over KWTO-AM. On August 7, ABC Radio begins carrying 25 minutes of the program nationally, hosted by Red Foley.
  • July 6 — Elvis Presley releases his first single, "That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky". A month later, Billboard gives the song a positive review, with the reviewer calling Presley a "strong new talent," and by September is a No. 1 hit in Memphis.[2]
  • October 2 — Elvis Presley makes his one and only appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. Two weeks later, debuted on the Louisiana Hayride and is soon making regular appearances.
  • November 13 — A Billboard disc jockey poll reports that disc jockeys are playing 11 percent country on radio stations, compared to 42 percent pop and 5 percent rhythm and blues.[3]
  • November 20 — Bartenders in Hammond, Indiana request that disc jockeys at WJOB radio stop playing Ferlin Husky's "The Drunken Driver", about an intoxicated driver who causes a crash that kills two children; the song "is hurting business," the union claimed.[4]

No dates

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Top hits of the year

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Number one hits

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United States

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(as certified by Billboard)

Date Single name Artist Wks. No.1 Notes
January 19 Bimbo Jim Reeves 3 [2]
February 20 Slowly Webb Pierce 17
February 20 Wake Up, Irene Hank Thompson and His Brazo Valley Boys 2
May 15 I Really Don't Want to Know Eddy Arnold 1
June 12 (Oh Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely Johnnie & Jack 2 [A]
June 19 I Don't Hurt Anymore Hank Snow (The Singing Ranger) and His Rainbow Ranch Boys 20 [1]
July 3 Even Tho Webb Pierce 2
July 31 One By One Red Foley and Kitty Wells 1
November 6 More and More Webb Pierce 10 [2]
Notes
  • 1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard.
  • 2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
  • A^ Only Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
Note: Several songs were simultaneous No. 1 hits on the separate "Most Played in Juke Boxes," "Most Played by Jockeys" and "Best Sellers in Stores" charts.

Other major hits

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US Single Artist
8 As Far as I'm Concerned Red Foley and Betty Foley[5]
2 Back Up Buddy Carl Smith
15 Backward, Turn Backward Pee Wee King
9 Beware of "It" Johnnie & Jack
9 Bimbo Pee Wee King
10 Breakin' the Rules Hank Thompson
14 Call Me Up (And I'll Come Calling On You) Marty Robbins
4 Changing Partners Pee Wee King
9 Cheatin's a Sin Kitty Wells
12 Christmas Can't Be Far Away Eddy Arnold
3 Courtin' in the Rain T. Texas Tyler
4 Cry, Cry, Darling Jimmy C. Newman
7 Dog-Gone It, Baby, I'm in Love Carl Smith
4 Don't Drop It Terry Fell
9 A Fooler, A Faker Hank Thompson
4 Go, Boy, Go Carl Smith
8 Good Deal, Lucille Al Terry
3 Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight Johnnie & Jack
7 Hep Cat Baby Eddy Arnold
14 Hernando's Hideaway Homer and Jethro
15 Honey, I Need You Johnnie & Jack
12 Honey Love The Carlisles
9 Honky-Tonk Girl Hank Thompson
9 Hootchy Kootchy Henry (From Hawaii) Mitchell Torok
3 I Love You Ginny Wright and Jim Reeves
2 I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me) Ray Price
12 I'm a Stranger in My Home Kitty Wells and Red Foley
3 I'm Walking the Dog Webb Pierce
3 If You Don't Somebody Else Will Jimmy & Johnny
8 If You Don't Somebody Else Will Ray Price
7 Jilted Red Foley
4 Looking Back to See Goldie Hill and Justin Tubb
8 Looking Back to See The Browns
13 Much Too Young to Die Ray Price
7 My Everything Eddy Arnold
15 Never Marilyn Myers and Wesley Tuttle
3 The New Green Light Hank Thompson
9 Out Behind the Barn Little Jimmy Dickens
8 Place for Girls Like You Faron Young
12 Pretty Words Marty Robbins
5 Release Me Jimmy Heap and Perk Williams
6 Release Me Ray Price
8 Release Me Kitty Wells
9 River of No Return Tennessee Ernie Ford
4 Rose-Marie Slim Whitman
8 Run 'Em Off Lefty Frizzell
2 Secret Love Slim Whitman
15 Shake-a-Leg The Carlisles
14 She Done Give Her Heart to Me Sonny James
4 Singing Hills Slim Whitman
4 Sparking Brown Eyes Webb Pierce and The Wilburn Brothers
5 Tain't Nice (To Talk Like That) The Carlisles
8 Thank You for Calling Billy Walker
10 That Crazy Mambo Thing Hank Snow
15 Then I'll Stop Loving You Jim Reeves
3 This Is the Thanks I Get (For Loving You) Eddy Arnold
2 This Ole House Stuart Hamblen
14 Thou Shalt Not Steal Kitty Wells
11 Two Glasses, Joe Ernest Tubb
10 We've Gone Too Far Hank Thompson
4 Whatcha Gonna Do Now Tommy Collins
7 You All Come Arlie Duff
2 You Better Not Do That Tommy Collins
8 You Can't Have My Love Wanda Jackson with Billy Gray
4 You're Not Mine Anymore Webb Pierce

Births

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  • April 29 — Karen Brooks, female vocalist best known for her No. 1 duet with T.G. Sheppard, "Fakin' Love."
  • July 13 -- Louise Mandrell, female vocalist/musician. Was part of the Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell sisters TV show on NBC 80-82. Had a series of country albums and hits 70's and 80's. Starred in her own theater for 8 years in Pigeon Forge TN.
  • July 18 — Ricky Skaggs, artist who fused bluegrass and contemporary country sounds in the 1980s.
  • October 30 — T. Graham Brown, blues-styled country artist of the 1980s.
  • October 30 — Jeannie Kendall, daughter half of The Kendalls.
  • December 13 — John Anderson, honky tonk-styled singer since the early 1980s.
  • December 25 — Steve Wariner, singer-songwriter and guitarist since the early 1980s.

Deaths

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References

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  1. ^ Rolling Stone Rock Almanac: The Chronicles of Rock & Roll," Collier Books, MacMillan Publishing Co., New York and London, 1983, p. 6. ISBN 0-02-081320-1
  2. ^ Rolling Stone Rock Almanac, p. 7-8.
  3. ^ Rolling Stone Rock Almanac, p. 9.
  4. ^ Rolling Stone Rock Almanac," p. 9.
  5. ^ Barry McCloud (1995) Definitive Country: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Country Music and Its Performers, p. 290, ISBN 0-399-52144-5

Further reading

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  • Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947–1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 (ISBN 0-8118-3572-3)
  • Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (ISBN 0-06-273244-7)
  • Whitburn, Joel. "Top Country Songs 1944–2005 – 6th Edition." 2005.