Years in Country Music - 1950s

1950s

• 1959 in country music, Chart debut of Buck Owens and rise of trademark Bakersfield Sound; peak of the saga song, through songs such as "The Battle of New Orleans," "Long Black Veil" and "El Paso."
• 1958 in country music, The Nashville sound becomes country music's response to continued encroachment of genre by rock artists; Billboard magazine consolidates best-sellers and disc jockeys' charts into one all-encompassing "Hot C&W Sides" chart.
• 1957 in country music, Rock-flavored acts — Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Everly Brothers and Ricky Nelson — dominate charts; Patsy Cline debuts on the charts.
• 1956 in country music, Ray Price, Marty Robbins and Johnny Horton emerge, resurrect traditional country music after the influx of rock and roll threatens the heart of country music.
• 1955 in country music, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Elvis Presley and Porter Wagoner each have first national hits; Webb Pierce spends 40 combined weeks at #1 on Billboard country chart's "Best Sellers in Stores" chart with "In The Jailhouse Now" (20 weeks), "I Don't Care" (12 weeks) and "Love Love Love" (eight weeks).
• 1954 in country music, Elvis Presley makes first recordings, one and only appearance on Grand Ole Opry; the rise of the pedal steel guitar; Hank Snow"s "I Don't Hurt Anymore" and the Red Foley-Kitty Wells duet "One By One" are ranked 1-2 for 19 consecutive weeks on Billboard magazine's country "Best Sellers in Stores" chart.
• 1953 in country music, Death of Hank Williams, Betty Jack Davis; crash that kills Davis will also sideline duet partner Skeeter Davis' career until the end of the 1950s.
• 1952 in country music, The fall of Hank Williams; Kitty Wells has first solo female No. 1 song with "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels." Carl Smith becomes only country artist to have two records tied at No. 1 on the modern Billboard country charts ("Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way" and "Don't Just Stand There")
• 1951 in country music, The year of "Hank and Lefty" (as Merle Haggard would sing in song more than 25 years later); Hank Snow and Eddy Arnold were equally dominating; chart debut of Carl Smith.
• 1950 in country music, 21 weeks at No. 1 for Hank Snow's "I'm Moving On."