1938 in country music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1938.
Events
Top Hillbilly-Folk (Country) Recordings 1938
The following songs were extracted from records included in Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954,[1] record sales reported on the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website, and other sources as specified. Numerical rankings are approximate, they are only used as a frame of reference.
| Rank | Artist | Title | Label | Recorded | Released | Chart Positions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roy Acuff and the Crazy Tennesseans | "Wabash Cannon Ball"[2] | Vocalion 4466 | October 21, 1936 | November 1938 | US BB 1938 #223, US #12 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1938 #1, 1,000,000 sales,[1] National Recording Registry 2005 |
| 2 | Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers | "It Makes No Difference Now"[3] | Decca 5604 | September 13, 1938 | September 30, 1938 | US Hillbilly 1938 #2 |
| 3 | Shelton Brothers | "Aura Lee"[4] | Decca 5533 | February 17, 1937 | June 1938 | US Hillbilly 1938 #3 (this melody was used for Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender") |
| 4 | Hoosier Hot Shots | "The Man with the Whiskers"[5] | Vocalion 4502 | October 28, 1938 | December 1938 | US BB 1938 #207, US #11 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1938 #4 |
| 5 | Roy Acuff with The Crazy Tennesseans | "Great Speckled Bird"[6] | Melotone 70159 | October 20, 1936 | January 1937 | US BB 1938 #236, US #13 for 1 week, 3 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1938 #5 |
| 6 | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys | "Steel Guitar Stomp"[7] | Vocalion 3997 | June 7, 1937 | February 1938 | US Hillbilly 1938 #6 |
| 7 | Gene Autry | "Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle"[2] | Vocalion 4172 | October 18, 1937 | June 1938 | US Hillbilly 1938 #7 |
| 8 | Claude Casey's Pinestate Playboys | "Pine State Honky Tonk"[8] | Bluebird 7883 | September 27, 1938 | October 19, 1938 | US Hillbilly 1938 #8 |
| 9 | Roy Acuff and the Crazy Tennesseans | "Freight Train Blues"[2] | Vocalion 4466 | October 21, 1936 | November 1938 | US Hillbilly 1938 #9 |
| 10 | Jimmie Rodgers with Lani McIntire's Hawaiians | "The One Rose That's Left in My Heart"[9] | Bluebird B-7280 | July 7, 1930 | December 1, 1937 | US Hillbilly 1938 #10 |
| 11 | Roy Rogers | "Hi-Ho Silver"[2] | Vocalion 4190 | June 15, 1938 | July 1938 | US BB 1938 #250, US #13 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1938 #10 |
| 12 | Jimmie Davis with Charles Mitchell | "Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland"[10] | Decca 5616 | September 22, 1938 | November 1938 | US BB 1938 #253, US #13 for 1 week, 12 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1938 #11 |
| 13 | Light Crust Doughboys | "Beautiful Ohio"[2] | Vocalion 4158 | May 14, 1938 | June 1938 | US BB 1938 #18, US #2 for 1 week, 8 total weeks |
| 14 | Hoosier Hot Shots | "Red Hot Fannie"[2] | Vocalion 4289 | June 6, 1938 | August 1938 | US Hillbilly 1938 #13 |
| 15 | Girls of the Golden West | "Ragtime Cowboy Joe"[2] | Vocalion 4292 | February 28, 1938 | August 1938 | US Hillbilly 1938 #14 |
| 16 | Jimmie Revard And His Oklahoma Playboys | "Tulsa Waltz"[11] | Bluebird 7371 | February 26, 1937 | January 19, 1938 | US Hillbilly 1938 #15 |
| 17 | Joe Werner's Ramblers | "Running Around"[12] | Bluebird 4994 | April 1, 1938 | April 20, 1938 | US Hillbilly 1938 #16 |
| 18 | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys | "The Maiden's Prayer"[7] | Vocalion 3924 | September 23, 1935 | February 1938 | US Hillbilly 1938 #17 |
| 19 | W Lee O'Daniel and His Hillbilly Boys | "Beautiful Texas"[2] | Vocalion 4185 | May 15, 1938 | July 1938 | US Hillbilly 1938 #18 |
| 20 | Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers | "Girl Of My Dreams"[13] | Decca 5560 | December 8, 1937 | July 1938 | US Hillbilly 1938 #19 |
| 21 | Gene Autry | "End of My Round-Up Days"[2] | Vocalion 4146 | October 15, 1937 | May 1938 | US Hillbilly 1938 #20 |
Births
- January 30 â Norma Jean, female singer of the 1960s and regular on The Porter Wagoner Show from 1961 to 1967.
- March 12 â Lew DeWitt, songwriter and former member of The Statler Brothers (he sang tenor) (died 1990).
- March 18 â Charley Pride, the most successful African-American country music performer, active since the mid-1960s (died 2020).
- April 4 â Norro Wilson, prominent songwriter and record producer (died 2017).
- August 18 â Allen Reynolds, prominent record producer, best known for his association with Garth Brooks.
- August 21 â Kenny Rogers, pop-styled country crooner who has enjoyed hits since the late 1960s (died 2020).
Further reading
- Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947â1989," 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 1944â2005 â 6th Edition." 2005.