1943 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1943.

List of years in country music (table)
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Events

• September – Decca Records is the first label to come to terms with the American Federation of Musicians, which had been on strike since August 1942 over music royalties. The first song that was released was "Pistol Packin' Mama" by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters.
• October - Pistol Packin' Mama by Al Dexter goes where no "Hillbilly" record has ever gone, to the top of the National Best Selling Retail Records chart, on October 30.^[1] Dexter's publishing company sued "The Hit Parade" radio show for ignoring their record!^[2]
• Mother Maybelle Carter reformed the Carter Family. This time, she was joined by daughters Anita, June and Helen.

Top Hillbilly-Folk (Country) Recordings 1943

1941 was a great year for the United States recording industry, as bad memories of the Depression-tainted 1930s were replaced by record-setting sales. Then came Pearl Harbor, and on August 1, 1942, a strike by the American Federation of Musicians, which ended all recording sessions. Record companies kept business going by releasing promising recordings from their vaults, but by mid-1943, alternate sources were running dry, as the strike continued. Decca was the first company to settle with the union in September, but year-end statistics showed a 50% drop in charted records from 1942. Scan down the "recorded"(date) column, you won't see 1943 very often.

"Pistol Packin' Mama" by Al Dexter was easily the top record of the year, becoming the first #1 Hillbilly-Folk record to cross over and reach #1 on the Popular Chart as well. 1943 featured two of the greatest double-sided Country records ever, "PPM/Rosalita" by Dexter, and the close runner-up, "No Letter Today / Born To Lose" by Ted Daffan, also a top ten crossover hit. Both records stayed on the Hillbilly-Folk chart for over a year, and all four sides made the Popular chart too.

The Top Hillbilly-Folk Records of the Year chart is, like 1942, mostly derived from The Billboard's weekly "American Folk Records" columns of 1943, with raw reports from nationwide jukebox operators, and summaries of the top records in the nation.^{[3][4][5][6][7]} Supplemental information came from 'Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954',^[8] record sales reported on the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website, and other sources as specified. As always, numerical rankings are approximate.

Rank	Artist	Title	Label	Recorded	Released	Chart Positions
1	Al Dexter and His Troopers	"Pistol Packin' Mama"[9]	Okeh 6708	March 20, 1942 (1942-03-20)	April 10, 1943 (1943-04-10)	US Billboard 1943 #9, US Pop #1 for 1 week, 36 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #1, Hillbilly #1 for 27 weeks, 50 total weeks, 2,500,000 sales,[8] Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000
2	Ted Daffan's Texans	"No Letter Today"[10]	Okeh 6706	February 20, 1942 (1942-02-20)	February 1943 (1943-02)	US Billboard 1943 #64, US Pop #13 for 1 week, 20 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #2, Hillbilly #1 for 6 weeks, 53 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales[8]
3	Al Dexter and His Troopers	"Rosalita"[10]	Okeh 6708	March 18, 1942 (1942-03-18)	April 10, 1943 (1943-04-10)	US Billboard 1943 #178, US Pop #22 for 1 week, 47 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #3, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 58 total weeks
4	Ted Daffan's Texans	"Born To Lose"[10]	Okeh 6706	February 20, 1942 (1942-02-20)	February 1943 (1943-02)	US Billboard 1943 #124, US Pop #19 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #4, Hillbilly #2 for 6 weeks, 72 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales[8]
5	Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters	"Pistol Packin' Mama"[11]	Decca 23277	September 27, 1943 (1943-09-27)	October 14, 1943 (1943-10-14)	US Billboard 1943 #22, US Pop #2 for 4 weeks, 14 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #5, Hillbilly #1 for 12 weeks, 25 total weeks
6	Louise Massey and the Westerners	"Honey Song"[10]	Okeh 6687	January 26, 1941 (1941-01-26)	August 15, 1942 (1942-08-15)	US Billboard 1943 #123, US Pop #19 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #6, Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 61 total weeks
7	Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys	"New San Antonio Rose"[12]	Okeh 6274	April 16, 1940 (1940-04-16)	July 1942 (1942-07)	US Billboard 1943 #127, US Pop #19 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #7, Hillbilly #2 for 1 week, 56 total weeks
8	Carson Robison	"That Old Grey Mare Is Back Where She Used to Be"[13]	Bluebird 30-0808	July 17, 1942 (1942-07-17)	January 8, 1943 (1943-01-08)	US Billboard 1943 #128, US Pop #19 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #8, Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 31 total weeks
9	Floyd Tillman	"They Took the Stars Out of Heaven"[14]	Decca 6090	April 30, 1941 (1941-04-30)	May 25, 1943 (1943-05-25)	US Hillbilly 1943 #9, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 35 total weeks
10	Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys	"Home in San Antone"[10]	Okeh 6710	July 14, 1942 (1942-07-14)	November 30, 1942 (1942-11-30)	US Billboard 1943 #160, US Pop #21 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #10, Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 36 total weeks
11	Bob Atcher and Bonnie Blue Eyes	"Pins and Needles (In My Heart)"[10]	Okeh 6689	May 5, 1942 (1942-05-05)	July 1942 (1942-07)	US Billboard 1943 #132, US Pop #19 for 1 week, 47 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #11, Hillbilly #2 for 1 week, 60 total weeks
12	Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys	"Night Train to Memphis"[10]	Okeh 6693	May 28, 1942 (1942-05-28)	September 14, 1942 (1942-09-14)	US Hillbilly 1943 #12, Hillbilly #4 for 1 week, 51 total weeks
13	Gene Autry	"I Hang My Head And Cry"[10]	Okeh 6627	December 13, 1941 (1941-12-13)	March 27, 1942 (1942-03-27)	US Hillbilly 1943 #13, Hillbilly #4 for 1 week, 34 total weeks
14	Ernest Tubb	"You Nearly Lose Your Mind"[15]	Decca 6067	July 17, 1942 (1942-07-17)	August 17, 1942 (1942-08-17)	US Hillbilly 1943 #14, Hillbilly #2 for 1 week, 38 total weeks
15	Gene Autry	"It Makes No Difference Now"[12]	Okeh 6274	June 18, 1941 (1941-06-18)	July 1941 (1941-07)	US Hillbilly 1943 #15, Hillbilly #3 for 2 weeks, 33 total weeks
16	Jimmie Davis	"Columbus Stockade Blues"[16]	Decca 6083	July 27, 1942 (1942-07-27)	March 18, 1943 (1943-03-18)	US Hillbilly 1943 #16, Hillbilly #2 for 1 week, 23 total weeks
17	Ernest Tubb	"I Hate To See You Go"[17]	Decca 6684	November 17, 1941 (1941-11-17)	March 11, 1943 (1943-03-11)	US Hillbilly 1943 #17, Hillbilly #4 for 1 week, 18 total weeks
18	Elton Britt	"Buddy Boy"[18]	Bluebird 9023	March 19, 1942 (1942-03-19)	July 24, 1942 (1942-07-24)	US Hillbilly 1943 #18, Hillbilly #3 for 2 weeks, 33 total weeks
19	Dick Kuhn Orchestra	"Put Your Arms Around Me Honey"[19]	Decca 4337	November 26, 1941 (1941-11-26)	October 1943 (1943-10)	US Billboard 1943 #45, US Pop #8 for 1 week, 12 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1943 #19, Hillbilly #2 for 1 week, 11 total weeks
20	Ernest Tubb	"I'll Get Along Somehow"[20]	Decca 5825	November 29, 1940 (1940-11-29)	December 29, 1940 (1940-12-29)	US Hillbilly 1943 #20, Hillbilly #4 for 2 weeks, 26 total weeks

Because of the lack of fresh material, many hits from past years made chart returns.

"Wabash Cannonball 1939"	Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys
"New San Antonio Rose 1940"	Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
"Back In the Saddle Again 1939"	Gene Autry
"It Makes No Difference Now 1941"[12]	Gene Autry
"I'm Knocking At Your Door Again 1941"	Jimmie Davis
"Sitting on Top of the World 1936"	Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
"Sitting on Top of the World 1935"	Shelton Brothers
"The Precious Jewel 1941"	Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys

Births

• February 4 – Jimmy Johnson, American musician (Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) and record producer (died 2019).^[21]
• April 23 – Richard Sterban, member of the country-gospel group The Oak Ridge Boys (he's the bass).
• April 29 – Duane Allen, member of the country-gospel group The Oak Ridge Boys (he's the second tenor).
• October 11 – Gene Watson, honky tonk-styled vocalist of the 1970s and 1980s.

Deaths

Main article: Deaths in 1943

Further information: Category:1943 deaths

References

1. "The Billboard October 30, 1943 pg 12". google books. 30 October 1943. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
2. Wilgus, D. K. (1970). "Country-Western Music and the Urban Hillbilly". The Journal of American Folklore. 83 (328): 157–179. doi:10.2307/539105. ISSN 0021-8715. JSTOR 539105.
3. "The Billboard Jan 09, 1943 pg 63". google books. 9 January 1943. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
4. "The Billboard Jan 16, 1943 pg 59". google books. 16 January 1943. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
5. "The Billboard Jan 30, 1943 pg 62". google books. 30 January 1943. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
6. "The Billboard Feb 06, 1943 pg 64". google books. 6 February 1943. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
7. "The Billboard Feb 13, 1943 pg 63". google books. 13 February 1943. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
8. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research.
9. "OKeh (by CBS) 78rpm numerical listing discography: 6500 - 6747 (end of series)". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
10. "OKeh (by CBS) 78rpm numerical listing discography: 6500 - 6747 (end of series)". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
11. "Decca matrix L 3197. Pistol packin' Mama / The Andrews Sisters ; Bing Crosby - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
12. "OKeh (by CBS) 78rpm numerical listing discography: 6000 - 6500". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
13. "Victor matrix BS-075429. The old grey mare is back where she used to be / Carson Robison - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
14. "Decca matrix 93739. They took the stars out of heaven / Floyd Tillman - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
15. "Decca matrix L 3101. You nearly lose your mind / Ernest Tubb - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
16. "Decca 6083 (10-in. double-faced) - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
17. "Decca matrix 93792. I hate to see you go / Ernest Tubb ; Ernest Tubb - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
18. "Victor matrix BS-072623. Buddy boy / Elton Britt - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
19. "Decca matrix 69971. Put your arms around me, honey-1 / Dick Kuhn Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
20. "Decca matrix 92008. I'll get along somehow / Ernest Tubb - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
21. Swampers guitarist Jimmy Johnson has died

Further reading

• Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947–1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 (ISBN 0-8118-3572-3)
• Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (ISBN 0-06-273244-7)
• Whitburn, Joel. "Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954: The History of American Popular Music," Record Research Inc., Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 1986 (ISBN 0-89820-083-0).