ISBN: 9780898202045
The eighth edition of our beloved Country book comes alive on screen and in color! Hot Country Songs 1944-2012 covers the complete history of Billboard magazine's Country Singles chart, from the very first "Juke Box Folk Records" chart in January, 1944, through the "Hot Country Songs" chart of December 29, 2012. This is THE book for true Country music devotees and professionals.
Loads of Data On Every Charted Country Single - That's Nearly 20,000 Songs ...
• Songwriter • B-Side • Artist's hits appear in chronological order • Peak chart position • Chart debut date • Total weeks on the charts • Original label and record number • RIAA Gold or Platinum certification • Peak position(s) on Billboard's multiple weekly 1944-1958 Country singles charts ("Juke Box," "Disk Jockey" and "Best Sellers") • Charted hit's configuration (45 rpm, CD single, download, etc.) • The biggest chart hit of any artist with 10 or more hits is underlined • All #1 hits are highlighted • Special recordings, such as Christmas, novelty and live songs are indicated with a letter symbol • Pop position on Hot 100 or Bubbling Under charts shown
~ 2,600 Artists ...
• At least one line of biographical information on every artist • All-new artist biographies on newly charted artists • Updated bios on previously charted artists • Top 150 Artists photos •All duet name and name variations • Artist's Decade and All-Time Rankings • Country Music Hall Of Fame induction year • Grand Ole Opry induction year • CMA Award year • Artists whose names appear in the bios or title notes who have their own chart discographies elsewhere in the book are highlighted in boldface type • Top 3 or 5 Hits listed below bios of major artists
Special Sections ...
- Song Title Section alphabetically lists every title with its peak chart position, year of peak popularity and artist's name.
- #1 Hits Section chronologically lists every #1 title showing the date it reached #1, its total weeks at #1 and the artist's name.
- Kings & Queens of Country (The Top 300 Artists)
- Top 50 Artists by Decade
- The Top Artist Achievements
- The Top Hits (All Time, by Decade, of Longevity, etc.)
- And More (CMA Awards, Hall Of Fame Awards, Top Labels)
From pastime to passion to profitable enterprise, the growth of Record Research has been the outgrowth of Joel Whitburn’s hobby. Joel began collecting records as a teenager in the 1950s. As his collection grew, he began to sort, categorize and file each record according to the highest position it reached on Billboard magazine's charts. He went on to publish this information — first on individual artists’ cards, then in book form in 1970 — and a business was born.
Over the nearly six decades since, Record Research has created data of the life of a recording on America's major music charts, publishing 189 reference books in print. Joel also collaborated with Warner/Rhino Records in creating a series of 150 CD albums, plus five CD albums with Curb Records.
The Joel Whitburn Music Archive remains unrivaled and includes every charted Hot 100 and pop single (back to 1936), every charted pop album (back to 1945), collections of nearly every charted Country, R&B, Bubbling Under The Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary records. The collection also boasts one of the world’s largest picture sleeve collections, many of which are displayed in the series of books (Top 40 Hits, Top 40 Albums, Top 40 Country Hits, Top 40 R&B Hits) he authored for Billboard’s book division.
The world's most authoritative historian on charted music passed away in 2022, still researching the charts until his final day. His Record Research legacy continues.
