1940 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1940.

1940 in music
By location
By genre
By topic
List of years in country music (table)
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Events
  • 1940 marked first year that sales exceeded 1929 levels
  • April 4 — Ernest Tubb makes his first recordings for Decca Records, a label where he will remain for more than 30 years.

Top Hillbilly (Country) Recordings 1940

The following songs achieved the highest positions in Billboard magazine's 'Best Sellers in Stores' chart, monthly 'Hillbilly Hits' chart, supplemented by 'Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954' and record sales reported on the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website,[1] and other sources as specified, during 1940. Numerical rankings are approximate.

Rank Artist Title Label Recorded Released Chart Positions
1Bob Atcher and Bonnie Blue Eyes"You Are My Sunshine"[2]Vocalion 05370January 17, 1940 (1940-01-17)February 1940 (1940-02)US Hillbilly 1940 #1, US Hillbilly #1 for 5 weeks, 37 total weeks
2Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys"San Antonio Rose"[3]Vocalion 04755November 28, 1938 (1938-11-28)April 1939 (1939-04)US Hillbilly 1940 #2, Hillbilly #1 for 3 week, 18 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales[1]
3Gene Autry"Goodbye Little Darlin' Goodbye"[2]Vocalion 05463March 12, 1940 (1940-03-12)April 1940 (1940-04)US Billboard 1940 #264, US #20 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1940 #3, US Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 27 total weeks
4Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys"New San Antonio Rose"[4][5]Okeh 05694April 16, 1940 (1940-04-16)August 1940 (1940-08)US Billboard 1941 #126, US #16 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1940 #4, Hillbilly #1 for 2 week, 29 total weeks
5Jimmie Davis""You Are My Sunshine"[6][5]Decca 7004February 5, 1940 (1940-02-05)March 24, 1940 (1940-03-24)US Hillbilly 1940 #5, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 18 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales,[1] Grammy Hall of Fame 1999, Library of Congress artifact added 2012
6Bob Skyles and His Skyrockets"Only in Dreams"[7]Decca 5887April 9, 1940 (1940-04-09)September 1940 (1940-09)US Hillbilly 1940 #6, Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 15 total weeks
7Gene Autry"Were You Sincere"[8]Vocalion 05693October 15, 1937 (1937-10-15)August 1940 (1940-08)US Hillbilly 1940 #7, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 18 total weeks
8Shelton Brothers"I'll Be Seein' You In Dallas, Alice"[9]Decca 5844April 6, 1940 (1940-04-06)May 29, 1940 (1940-05-29)US Hillbilly 1940 #8, Hillbilly #1 for 3 week, 13 total weeks
9Cliff Bruner And His Boys"The Girl You Loved Long Ago"[10]Decca 5827September 1, 1939 (1939-09-01)December 1939 (1939-12)US Hillbilly 1940 #9, US #1 for 2 weeks, 16 total weeks
10Cliff Bruner And His Boys"Sorry (I'll Say I'm Sorry)"[11]Decca 5860April 8, 1940 (1940-04-08)June 20, 1940 (1940-06-20)US Hillbilly 1940 #10, Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 20 total weeks
11Jimmie Davis"I'd Love to Call You My Sweetheart"[12]Decca 5803February 5, 1940 (1940-02-05)February 1940 (1940-02)US Hillbilly 1940 #11, Hillbilly #1 for 3 week, 15 total weeks
12Roy Newman And His Boys"Take Me Back To My Home In The Mountains"[2]Vocalion 5486December 1, 1938 (1938-12-01)April 1940 (1940-04)US Hillbilly 1940 #12, Hillbilly #1 for 3 week, 14 total weeks
13Texas Jim Lewis and His Lone Star Cowboys"Rock And Rye Polka"[13]Decca 5875August 23, 1940 (1940-08-23)September 1940 (1940-09)US Hillbilly 1940 #13, Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 14 total weeks
14Gene Autry"I'm Beginning To Care"[2]Vocalion 5257September 12, 1939 (1939-09-12)January 2, 1940 (1940-01-02)US Hillbilly 1940 #14, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 13 total weeks
15Texas Jim Lewis and His Lone Star Cowboys"Seven Beers With The Wrong Woman"[14]Decca 5874August 8, 1940 (1940-08-08)September 1940 (1940-09)US Hillbilly 1940 #15, Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 20 total weeks
16Shelton Brothers"I’m a Handy Man to Have Around"[15]Decca 5833April 6, 1940 (1940-04-06)May 1940 (1940-05)US Hillbilly 1940 #16, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 14 total weeks
17Hank Penny's Radio Cowboys"Cowboy Swing"[2]Vocalion 5438November 9, 1938 (1938-11-09)March 1940 (1940-03)US Hillbilly 1940 #17, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 12 total weeks
18Cliff Bruner And His Boys"Jessie"[16]Decca 5769August 26, 1939 (1939-08-26)December 6, 1939 (1939-12-06)US Hillbilly 1940 #18, Hillbilly #2 for 2 weeks, 19 total weeks
19Ted Daffan's Texans"Worried Mind"[4]Okeh 5668April 25, 1940 (1940-04-25)July 1940 (1940-07)US Hillbilly 1940 #19, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 17 total weeks, sold over 350,000 copies[17]
20Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys"Time Changes Everything"[4]Okeh 05753April 15, 1940 (1940-04-15)August 1940 (1940-08)US Hillbilly 1940 #20, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 16 total weeks

Births
  • January 8 — Cristy Lane, Christian singer who also enjoyed secular success as a country performer in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
  • June 23 – Diana Trask, Australian-born singer who enjoyed American success in the early 1970s.
  • August 5 — Bobby Braddock, prominent songwriter with more than 40 years of success; later, producer for Blake Shelton.
  • August 10 – Jerry Kennedy, prominent producer from the 1960s through early 1990s.

Deaths
Main article: Deaths in 1940

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. "Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954: The History of American Popular Music," Record Research Inc., Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 1986 (ISBN 0-89820-083-0).

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research.
  2. "Vocalion 78rpm numerical listing discography - 5000 series (main sequence)". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  3. "Vocalion (USA) 78rpm numerical listing discography: 4500 - 4999". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  4. "OKeh (by CBS) numerical listing discography: 5600 - 5999". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  5. "Complete National Recording Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  6. "Decca matrix 67157. You are my sunshine / Jimmie Davis - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  7. "Decca matrix 92062. Only in dreams / Bob Skyles Skyrockets - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  8. "Vocalion 78rpm numerical listing discography 5500 - 5600". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  9. "Decca matrix 92026. I'll be seein' you in Dallas / The Shelton Brothers - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  10. "Decca matrix 66355. The girl that you loved long ago / Cliff Bruner and his Boys - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  11. "Decca matrix 92053. Sorry (I'll say I'm sorry) / Cliff Bruner and his Boys - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  12. "Decca matrix 67159. I'd love to call you my sweetheart / Jimmie Davis - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  13. "Decca matrix DLA 2084. Rock and rye polka / Texas Jim Lewis and his Lone Star Cowboys - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  14. "Decca matrix DLA 2083. Seven beers with the wrong woman / Texas Jim Lewis and his Lone Star Cowboys - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  15. "Decca matrix 92036. I'm a handy man to have around / The Shelton Brothers - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  16. "Decca matrix 66300. Jessie / Cliff Bruner and his Boys - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  17. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/30 30]. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
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