1951 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1951.

Events

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

(As certified by Billboard magazine)

• January 6 - "I Love You a Thousand Ways" - Lefty Frizzell
• January 6 - "The Golden Rocket" - Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys
• January 13 - "The Shot Gun Boogie" - Tennessee Ernie Ford
• February 10 - "There's Been a Change in Me" - Eddy Arnold
• March 31 - "The Rhumba Boogie" - Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys
• May 12 - "Cold, Cold Heart" - Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
• May 19 - "Kentucky Waltz" - Eddy Arnold
• May 26 - "I Want To Be With You Always" - Lefty Frizzell
• July 14 - "I Wanna Play House With You" - Eddy Arnold
• August 11 - "Hey, Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
• September 1 - "Always Late (With Your Kisses)" - Lefty Frizzell
• November 3 - "Slow Poke" - Pee Wee King and His Golden West Cowboys (feat. Redd Stewart)
• December 22 - "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way" - Carl Smith

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.

Other major hits

• "Beautiful Brown Eyes" — Jimmy Wakely
• "Bluebird Island" — Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys
• "Cherokee Boogie" — Moon Mullican
• "Crazy Heart" — Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
• "Cryin" Heart Blues" — Johnny & Jack
• "Dear John" — Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
• "Down the Trail Of Aching Hearts" — Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys
• "Down Yonder" — Del Wood
• "Heartstrings" — Eddy Arnold
• "Hot Rod Race" — Red Foley
• "Hot Rod Race" — "Ramblin'" Jimmie Dolan
• "Hot Rod Race" — Tiny Hill
• "Howlin' At The Moon" — Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
• "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" — Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
• "If Teardrops Were Pennies" — Carl Smith
• "It is No Secret" — Stuart Hamblen
• "Let's Live A Little" — Carl Smith
• "Look What Thoughts Will Do" — Lefty Frizzell
• "May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You" — Eddy Arnold
• "Mister and Mississippi" — Tennessee Ernie Ford
• "Mister Moon" — Carl Smith
• "Mockin' Bird Hill" — The Pinetoppers
• "Mom And Dad's Waltz" — Lefty Frizzell
• "My Heart Cries For You" — Jimmy Wakely
• "Old Soldiers Never Die" — Gene Autry
• "On Top Of Old Smokey" — The Weavers
• "Peace In The Valley" — Red Foley
• "Poison Love" — Johnny and Jack
• "Somebody's Been Beatin' My Time" — Eddy Arnold
• "Something Old Something New" — Eddy Arnold
• "Strange Little Girl" — Cowboy Copas
• "Strange Little Girl" — Tennessee Ernie Ford
• "Travelin' Blues" — Lefty Frizzell
• "Unwanted Sign Upon Your Heart" — Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys

Top new album releases

Births

• January 19 — Crystal Gayle, younger sister of Loretta Lynn who became a star in her own right, mainly in the country-pop vein.
• May 23 — Judy Rodman, backing vocalist who enjoyed fame in the 1980s as a solo performer.

Deaths

Further reading

• 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.