Various – The Country No. 1s Of The ’40s – 3CD

Acrobat already has on catalogue collections which present “America’s No. 1s of the ‘50s” (ACFCD7501), “America's No. 1s of the '40s” (ACSCD6005), “America’s R&B No. 1s of the ‘50s” (ACSCD6003), “America’s R&B No. 1s Of The '40s” (ACQCD7168), and “Country No. 1s of the '50s” (ACTRCD9034), and this release completes that set with presenting the “Country No. 1s of the ‘40s”. Billboard published its first country chart in January 1944 under the name “Most Played Juke Box Folk Records”, becoming the “Most Played Juke Box Hillbilly Records” chart in 1947, and adding a Best Sellers chart the same year. In 1948 “Country & Western” replaced Hillbilly in the nomenclature, with a “Country & Western Records Most Played by Disk Jockeys” chart added in 1949. This 69-track 3-CD comprises records which made No. 1 in any of those three charts from the first chart in 1944 through to the end of 1950, apart from a couple which were unavailable for copyright reasons – it’s always a moot point as to whether a year like 1950 is the last year of one decade or the first year of the next one. In this case, because so many records spent long periods at No. 1 during these years, there were rather fewer chart-toppers than one might expect, so we were able to include the 1950 No. 1s within the 3-CD set format. As noted, the chart was often dominated by certain records, and Eddy Arnold in particular had an extraordinary run of success, spending many weeks at the top with several of his records, while one of two western swing artists like Bob Wills, Al Dexter and Tex Williams also having some long chart runs, with other big names of the era – Red Foley, Ernest Tubb and the emerging forces of Hank Snow and Hank Williams also featuring. It includes a 10,000-word booklet with notes on every record, and full chart information, and is a fascinating journey through an era when the commercial country scene developed its character as Nashville emerged as a major force.

Track Listing:

CD1:
Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters: 1. Pistol Packin' Mama -   Al Dexter & His Troopers: 2. Pistol Packin' Mama -   Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five: 3. Ration Blues -   Al Dexter & His Troopers: 4. Rosalita -   Floyd Tillman And His Favorite Playboys: 5. They Took The Stars Out Of Heaven -   Al Dexter & His Troopers: 6. So Long Pal -  7. Too Late To Worry -   The King Cole Trio: 8. Straighten Up And Fly Right -   Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five: 9. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby -   Ernest Tubb: 10. Soldier's Last Letter -   Red Foley: 11. Smoke On The Water -   Tex Ritter And His Texans: 12. I'm Wastin' My Tears On You -   Al Dexter & His Troopers: 13. I'm Losing My Mind Over You -   Jimmie Davis: 14. There's A New Moon Over My Shoulder -   Spade Cooley & His Orchestra: 15. Shame On You -   Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys: 16. Smoke On The Water -   Gene Autry: 17. At Mail Call Today -   Bob Wills: 18. Stars And Stripes On Iwo Jima -   Jack Guthrie And His Oklahomans: 19. Oklahoma Hills -   Tex Ritter And His Texans: 20. You Two-Timed Me One Time Too Often -   Wesley Tuttle: 21. With Tears In My Eyes -   Lawrence Welk & His Orchestra with Red Foley: 22. Shame On You -   Dick Thomas: 23. Sioux City Sue -

CD2:
Ernest Tubb: 1. It's Been So Long Darling -   Bob Wills' Texas Playboys: 2. Silver Dew On The Blue Grass Tonight -   3. White Cross On Okinawa -   Tex Ritter: 4. You Will Have To Pay -   Al Dexter & His Troopers: 5. Guitar Polka -   Bob Wills' Texas Playboys: 6. New Spanish Two Step -   Al Dexter & His Troopers: 7. Wine Women And Song -   Merle Travis: 8. Divorce Me C.O.D. -   Ernest Tubb: 9. Rainbow At Midnight -   Merle Travis: 10. So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed -   Red Foley and the Cumberland Valley Boys: 11. New Jolie Blonde (New Pretty Blonde) -   Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys: 12. What Is Life Without Love -   Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys: 13. Sugar Moon -   Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys: 14. It's A Sin -   Tex Williams And His Western Caravan: 15. Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) -   Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys: 16. I'll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms) -   17. Anytime -   18. Texarkana Baby -   19. Bouquet Of Roses -   20. Just A Little Lovin' (Will Go A Long Way) -   Jimmy Wakely: 21. One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart) -   Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys: 22. A Heart Full Of Love (For A Handful Of Kisses) -   Jimmy Wakely: 23. I Love You So Much It Hurts -

CD3:
Red Foley and the Cumberland Valley Boys: 1. Tennessee Saturday Night -   Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys: 2. Don't Rob Another Man’s Castle -  George Morgan: 3. Candy Kisses -   Hank Williams with his Drifting Cowboys: 4. Lovesick Blues -   Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys: 5. One Kiss Too Many -   6. I'm Throwing Rice (At The Girl That I Love) -   Wayne Raney: 7. Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me -   Ernest Tubb: 8. Slipping Around -   Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely: 9. Slipping Around -   Tennessee Ernie: 10. Mule Train -   Ernest Tubb: 11. Blue Christmas -   Gene Autry: 12. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer -   Leon Payne: 13. I Love You Because -   Eddy Arnold: 14. Take Me In Your Arms And Hold Me -   Red Foley: 15. Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy -   Hank Williams with his Drifting Cowboys: 16. Long Gone Lonesome Blues -   Red Foley: 17. Birmingham Bounce -   Hank Williams with his Drifting Cowboys: 18. Why Don't You Love Me -   Red Foley: 19. M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I -   Red Foley & Ernest Tubb: 20. Goodnight Irene -   Hank Snow: 21. I'm Movin' On -   Lefty Frizzell: 22. If You've Got The Money, I've Got The Time -   Hank Williams with his Drifting Cowboys: 23. Moanin' The Blues -