Billboard Top Country & Western Records of 1953 is made up of two year-end charts compiled by Billboard magazine ranking the year's top country and western records based on record sales and juke box plays.[1]
Hank Williams died on January 1, 1953, but still dominated the 1953 country and western charts. He had five songs on the year-end charts, and "Kaw-Liga" and "Your Cheating Heart" were the year's No. 1 and No. 2 selling country records. In addition, Jack Cardwell's "The Death of Hank Williams" ranked No. 19 on the year-end chart.[1]
On the juke box chart, "Mexican Joe" by newcomer Jim Reeves was the No. 1 most-played record of 1953.[1]
| Retail year-end[1] |
Juke box year-end[1] |
Peak[note 1][2] | Title | Artist(s) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 1 | "Kaw-Liga" | Hank Williams | M-G-M |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | "Your Cheating Heart" | Hank Williams | M-G-M |
| 3 | 4 | 1 | "No Help Wanted | The Carlisles | Mercury |
| 4 | 7 | 1 | "A Dear John Letter" | Jean Shepard, Ferlin Husky | Capitol |
| 5 | 6 | 1 | "Hey Joe" | Carl Smith | Columbia |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | "Mexican Joe" | Jim Reeves | Abbott |
| 7 | 10 | 1 | "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" | The Davis Sisters | RCA Victor |
| 8 | 9 | 1 | "It's Been So Long" | Webb Pierce | Decca |
| 9 | 8 | 1 | "Take These Chains from My Heart" | Hank Williams | M-G-M |
| 10 | 14 | 3 | "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I | Hank Snow | RCA Victor |
| 11 | 18 | 1 | "Eddy's Song" | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
| 12 | 25 | 4 | "Last Waltz" | Webb Pierce | Decca |
| 13 | 5 | 1 | "Rub-A-Dub-Dub" | Hank Thompson | Capitol |
| 14 | 17 | 1 | "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" | Hank Williams | M-G-M |
| 15 | 15 | 5 | "Bumming Around" | T. Texas Tyler | Decca |
| 16 | 26 | 2 | "(How Much Is) That Hound Dog in the Window" | Homer & Jethro | RCA Victor |
| 17 | 20 | 4 | "Crying in the Chapel" | Rex Allen | Decca |
| 18 | 15 | 1 | "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" | Hank Williams | M-G-M |
| 19 | NR | 3 | "The Death of Hank Williams" | Jack Cardwell | M-G-M |
| 20 | 21 | 1 | "Caribbean" | Mitchell Torok | Abbott |
| 21 | NR | "Let Me Be the One" | Hank Locklin | 4 Star | |
| 22 | NR | 2 | "Trademark" | Carl Smith | Columbia |
| 23 | NR | 1 | "There Stands the Glass" | Webb Pierce | Decca |
| 24 | NR | 4 | "This Orchid Means Goodbye" | Carl Smith | Columbia |
| 25 | 27 | 3 | "Spanish Fire Ball" | Hank Snow | RCA Victor |
| 26 | NR | "I'll Go Alone" | Webb Pierce | Decca | |
| 27 | NR | "Tennessee Wig Walk" | Bonnie Lou | King | |
| 28 | NR | 4 | "Free Home Demonstration" | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
| 29 | NR | "Seven Lonely Days" | Bonnie Lou | King | |
| 30 | 11 | "Back Street Affair" | Webb Pierce | Decca | |
| NR | 12 | "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" | Skeets McDonald | Capitol | |
| NR | 13 | "I Let the Stars Get in My Eyes" | Goldie Hill | Decca | |
| NR | 19 | "Keep It a Secret" | Slim Whitman | Imperial | |
| NR | 22 | "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" | Slim Willet | 4 Star | |
| NR | 23 | "I Couldn't Keep From Crying" | Marty Robbins | Columbia | |
| NR | 24 | "Crying in the Chapel" | Darrell Glenn | Valley | |
| NR | 28 | "Midnight" | Red Foley | Decca | |
| NR | 29 | "That's Me Without You" | Webb Pierce | Decca | |
| NR | 30 | 4 | "Gal Who Invented Kissing" | Hank Snow | RCA Victor |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ This column recites the record's peak position on Billboard's weekly charts.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "1953's Top C & W Records". The Billboard. December 19, 1953. p. 29.
- ^ Joel Whitburn (1995). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Billboard Books. ISBN 0823076326.