List of Billboard number-one country songs of 1958

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Ray Price was at number one on the first combined sales and airplay chart in October and remained in the top spot until the end of the year.

At the start of 1958, Billboard magazine published two charts specifically covering the top-performing country music songs in the United States. The C&W Best Sellers in Stores chart ranked records based on their "current national selling importance at the retail level", based on a survey of record retailers "with a high volume of sales in country and western records".[1] The Most Played C&W by Jockeys chart ranked songs based on the "number of plays on disk jockey radio shows" according to a weekly survey of "top disk jockey shows in all key markets".[1] With effect from the October 20 issue of Billboard the magazine discontinued both charts and combined sales and airplay into one chart called Hot C&W Sides, which has been published continuously since that date, currently under the title Hot Country Songs. In 1990 it changed to being based solely on airplay from country music radio stations, before reverting to a combined sales and airplay chart in 2012 but utilizing airplay data from stations of all formats as well as digital sales and streaming.[2]

The number one song on the Best Sellers chart in the first issue of 1958 was "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis, and the song at the top of the Jockeys chart was "The Story of My Life" by Marty Robbins; both songs replaced "My Special Angel" by Bobby Helms, which had topped both charts the week before.[1] Eight different singles topped the Best Sellers chart, including two each by Johnny Cash, Don Gibson and the Everly Brothers. The longest unbroken run in the top spot was eight weeks, achieved by both of Cash's chart-toppers, "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" / "Big River" and "Guess Things Happen That Way" / "Come In, Stranger"; in each case the B-side of the single was listed jointly at number one for some or all of its time in the top spot under the methodology in use at the time. The sixteen weeks which Cash spent at number one was the most for any act. Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me" also spent eight weeks at number one, but in two separate runs. The song gave Gibson his first number-one country song and he would go on to achieve his second later in the year with "Blue Blue Day". He remained popular in the 1960s, but did not return to the top of the country singles chart until 1972.[3][4]

Three singles which topped the Best Sellers chart did not reach number one on the Jockeys chart: "Great Balls of Fire" by Lewis, "Blue Blue Day" by Gibson, and "Bird Dog" / "Devoted to You" by the Everly Brothers. "Alone With You" by Faron Young had the longest unbroken run of the year on the airplay-based listing, spending 13 weeks in the top spot. Despite its popularity on the radio, the song was one of two Jockeys chart-toppers never to top the Best Sellers chart, the other being "Just Married" by Marty Robbins. The separate sales and airplay charts were published for the final time in the issue of Billboard dated October 13. The final Best Sellers number one was "Bird Dog" / "Devoted to You" and the last Jockeys chart-topper was "Alone With You". The following week the magazine launched the combined Hot C&W Sides chart, based on playlists submitted by country music radio stations and sales reports submitted by stores.[5][6] The first number one on the new chart was "City Lights" by Ray Price, which in the previous issue had been at number 2 on the Best Sellers chart and number 4 on the Jockeys chart.[7] Price's song would remain at number one for the remainder of 1958.

Chart history[edit]

Best Sellers and Jockeys charts[edit]

During this period, Billboard sometimes listed both sides of a single jointly at number one on the Best Sellers chart, based on a methodology which combined the survey data for both songs if "significant action [was] reported on both sides of a record".[1] This does not indicate that the single was officially released or promoted as a double A-side.

A blond-haired man in a striped shirt smiling broadly as he rests his chin on his left hand
Jerry Lee Lewis had the first number one of 1958 on the Best Sellers chart.
A dark-haired man wearing a light-coloured jacket
Johnny Cash topped the Best Sellers chart for a total of sixteen weeks.
A dark-haired man, wearing a cardigan sweater, smiling broadly
"Just Married" by Marty Robbins was a number one on the Jockeys chart but did not top the Best Sellers listing.
A dark-haired man wearing a blue jacket and black tie, smiling broadly
Faron Young had the final number one on the Jockeys chart.
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers topped the final Best Sellers chart.
Best Sellers and Jockeys charts
Issue date Best Sellers Jockeys Ref.
Title Artist(s) Title Artist(s)
January 6 "Great Balls of Fire" Jerry Lee Lewis "The Story of My Life" Marty Robbins [1]
January 13 [8]
January 20 "The Story of My Life" Marty Robbins [9]
January 27 [10]
February 3 "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" Johnny Cash [10]
February 10 [11]
February 17 "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" / "Big River"[a] Johnny Cash [12]
February 24 [13]
March 3 [14]
March 10 [15]
March 17 [16]
March 24 [17]
March 31 [18]
April 7 [19]
April 14 "Oh Lonesome Me" / "I Can't Stop Loving You"[b] Don Gibson "Oh Lonesome Me" Don Gibson [20]
April 21 [21]
April 28 [22]
May 5 [23]
May 12 [24]
May 19 [25]
May 26 "Just Married" Marty Robbins [26]
June 2 "All I Have to Do Is Dream" / "Claudette"[b] The Everly Brothers "All I Have to Do Is Dream" The Everly Brothers [27]
June 9 "Just Married" Marty Robbins [28]
June 16 "Oh Lonesome Me" Don Gibson [29]
June 23 "Oh Lonesome Me" / "I Can't Stop Loving You"[b] Don Gibson "Guess Things Happen That Way" Johnny Cash [30]
June 30 "Guess Things Happen That Way" / "Come In, Stranger"[b] Johnny Cash "Oh Lonesome Me" Don Gibson [31]
July 7 "Guess Things Happen That Way" Johnny Cash [32]
July 14 [33]
July 21 "Alone With You" Faron Young [34]
July 28 [34]
August 4 [34]
August 11 [35]
August 18 [36]
August 25 "Blue Blue Day" Don Gibson [37]
September 1 [38]
September 8 "Bird Dog" / "Devoted to You"[b] The Everly Brothers [39]
September 15 [34]
September 22 [40]
September 29 [41]
October 6 [42]
October 13 [7]

a. ^ "Big River" not listed jointly at number one in the issues dated February 17, February 24 and April 7
b. ^ Both sides listed jointly at number one

Hot C&W Sides[edit]

Hot C&W Sides
Issue date Title Artist(s) Ref.
October 20 "City Lights" Ray Price [43]
October 27 [44]
November 3 [45]
November 10 [46]
November 17 [47]
November 24 [48]
December 1 [49]
December 8 [50]
December 15 [51]
December 22 [52]
December 29 [53]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Country & Western Records". Billboard. January 6, 1958. p. 47. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  2. ^ McKinley, James C. Jr. (October 26, 2012). "Changes to Charts by Billboard Draw Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Watson-Guptill. pp. 122–123. ISBN 978-0-8230-8289-6.
  4. ^ Eder, Bruce. "Don Gibson Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2005). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944–2005. Record Research. p. ix. ISBN 978-0-89820-165-9.
  6. ^ Campbell, Michael (2012). Popular Music in America:The Beat Goes On. Cengage Learning. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-133-71260-2.
  7. ^ a b "Country & Western Records". Billboard. October 13, 1958. p. 50. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  8. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. January 13, 1958. p. 76. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  9. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. January 20, 1958. p. 78. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Country & Western Records". Billboard. February 3, 1958. p. 60. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  11. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. February 10, 1958. p. 47. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  12. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. February 17, 1958. p. 58. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  13. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. February 24, 1958. p. 44. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  14. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. March 3, 1958. p. 53. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  15. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. March 10, 1958. p. 56. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  16. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. March 17, 1958. p. 34. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  17. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. March 24, 1958. p. 65. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  18. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. March 31, 1958. p. 47. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  19. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. April 7, 1958. p. 52. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  20. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. April 14, 1958. p. 46. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  21. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. April 21, 1958. p. 53. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  22. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. April 28, 1958. p. 43. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  23. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. May 5, 1958. p. 116. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  24. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. May 12, 1958. p. 46. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  25. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. May 19, 1958. p. 43. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  26. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. May 26, 1958. p. 45. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  27. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. June 2, 1958. p. 46. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  28. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. June 9, 1958. p. 37. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  29. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. June 16, 1958. p. 41. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  30. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. June 23, 1958. p. 49. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  31. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. June 30, 1958. p. 46. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  32. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. July 7, 1958. p. 43.
  33. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. July 14, 1958. p. 45.
  34. ^ a b c d Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Watson-Guptill. p. 516. ISBN 978-0-8230-8289-6.
  35. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. August 11, 1958. p. 51.
  36. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. August 18, 1958. p. 51.
  37. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. August 25, 1958. p. 44.
  38. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. September 1, 1958. p. 44.
  39. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. September 8, 1958. p. 48.
  40. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. September 22, 1958. p. 41.
  41. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. September 29, 1958. p. 58.
  42. ^ "Country & Western Records". Billboard. October 6, 1958. p. 54. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  43. ^ "Hot C&W Sides chart for October 20, 1958". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  44. ^ "Hot C&W Sides chart for October 27, 1958". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  45. ^ "Hot C&W Sides chart for November 3, 1958". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  46. ^ "Hot C&W Sides chart for November 10, 1958". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  47. ^ "Hot C&W Sides chart for November 17, 1958". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  48. ^ "Hot C&W Sides chart for November 24, 1958". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  49. ^ "Hot C&W Sides chart for December 1, 1958". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  50. ^ "Hot C&W Sides chart for December 8, 1958". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  51. ^ "Hot C&W Sides chart for December 15, 1958". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  52. ^ "Hot C&W Sides chart for December 22, 1958". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  53. ^ "Hot C&W Sides chart for December 29, 1958". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
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