Billboard Top Country & Western Records of 1956 is made up of three year-end charts compiled by Billboard magazine ranking the year's top country and western records based on record sales, juke box plays, and jockey plays.
Ray Price's "Crazy Arms was the year's No. 1 record on both the retail and jockey charts.
Several newcomers, including three from the Sun Records label, made impressive debuts:
- Elvis Presley had five records that placed in the top 10 on at least one of the year-end country charts. "Heartbreak Hotel" was the No 1 song on the country juke box chart and No. 2 on the retail chart. "Heartbreak Hotel" was also No. 1 on the year-end pop chart.
- Johnny Cash, landed multiple records on the year-end charts, including "I Walk the Line" (No. 2 jockeys, No. 3 retail) and "Folsom Prison Blues" (No. 19 jockeys).
- Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes" ranked No. 2 on the year-end country juke box chart (No. 4 retail) and also placed at No. 18 on the year-end pop chart.
In the first appearance by an African-American artist on the country year-end chart, Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill" ranked No. 23 on the year-end retail chart.
| Retail | Juke box | Jockeys | Title | Artist(s) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 1 | "Crazy Arms" | Ray Price | Columbia |
| 2 | 1 | 3 | "Heartbreak Hotel" | Elvis Presley | RCA Victor |
| 3 | 4 | 2 | "I Walk the Line" | Johnny Cash | Sun |
| 4 | 2 | 4 | "Blue Suede Shoes" | Carl Perkins | Sun |
| 5 | 9 | 13 | "Searching (For Someone Like You)" | Kitty Wells | Decca |
| 6 | 11 | 22 | "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" | Elvis Presley | RCA Victor |
| 7 | 8 | 12 | "Don't Be Cruel" | Elvis Presley | RCA Victor |
| 8 | 6 | 7 | "Why Baby Why" | Red Sovine, Webb Pierce | Decca |
| 9 | 5 | 16 | "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" | Elvis Presley | RCA Victor |
| 10 | 17 | 17 | "Singing the Blues" | Marty Robbins | Columbia |
| 11 | 14 | 26 | "Hound Dog" | Elvis Presley | RCA Victor |
| 12 | 15 | 6 | "You and Me" | Kitty Wells, Red Foley | Decca |
| 13 | 16 | 8 | "Sweet Dreams" | Faron Young | Capitol |
| 14 | 19 | NR | "So Doggone Lonesome" | Johnny Cash | Sun |
| 15 | 7 | 15 | "Sixteen Tons" | Tennessee Ernie Ford | Capitol |
| 16 | 13 | 10 | "Love Love Love" | Webb Pierce | Decca |
| 17 | 18 | 9 | "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby" | The Louvin Brothers | Capitol |
| 18 | 25 | 11 | "I Take the Chance" | The Browns | RCA Victor |
| 19 | 22 | 18 | "Blackboard of My Heart" | Hank Thompson | Capitol |
| 20 | 24 | 41 | "Be-Bop-a-Lula" | Gene Vincent | Capitol |
| 21 | 10 | 5 | "Yes I Know Why" | Webb Pierce | Decca |
| 22 | 12 | 25 | "Eat, Drink and Be Merry" | Porter Wagoner | RCA Victor |
| 23 | NR | NR | "Blueberry Hill" | Fats Domino | Imperial |
| 24 | 21 | 14 | "You Are the One" | Carl Smith | Columbia |
| 25 | 20 | 33 | "I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night" | Faron Young | Capitol |
| 26 | 40 | 23 | "Little Rosa" | Red Sovine, Webb Pierce | Decca |
| 27 | NR | 44 | "I Was the One" | Elvis Presley | RCA Victor |
| 28 | 33 | 39 | "Conscience I'm Guilty" | Hank Snow | RCA Victor |
| 29 | 23 | 30 | "Why Baby Why" | George Jones | Starday |
| 30 | NR | NR | "What Would You Do (If Jesus Came to Your House)" | Porter Wagoner | RCA Victor |
| 31 | 43 | NR | "Love Me Tender" | Elvis Presley | RCA Victor |
| 32 | 29 | 19 | "Folsom Prison Blues" | Johnny Cash | Sun |
| 33 | 31 | NR | "Mystery Train" | Elvis Presley | RCA Victor |
| 34 | 44 | 24 | "Honky-Tonk Man" | Johnny Horton | Columbia |
| 35 | 38 | 27 | "My Lips Are Sealed" | Jim Reeves | RCA Victor |
| 36 | 27 | 45 | "'Cause I Love You" | Webb Pierce | Decca |
| 37 | 26 | NR | "Just Call Me Lonesome" | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
| 38 | 35 | 37 | "You're Free to Go" | Carl Smith | Columbia |
| 39 | NR | 34 | "How Far Is Heaven" | Kitty Wells | Decca |
| 40 | NR | NR | "You Don't Know Me" | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
See also
- List of Billboard number-one country songs of 1956
- Billboard year-end top 30 singles of 1956
- 1956 in country music
References
- "1956's Top Country and Western Records". The Billboard. January 26, 1957. p. 64.
| Billboard Year-End hot country singles | |
|---|---|
| 1946–1949 | |
| 1950–1959 | |
| 1960–1969 | |