List of years in country music

This page indexes the individual year in country music pages. Each year is annotated with a significant event as a reference point.

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Pre-1920s –

1920s –

1930s –

1940s –

1950s –

1960s –

1970s –

1980s –

1990s –

2000s –

2010s -

2020s -

Pre-1920s

Prior to 1920 in country music,
Train accidents – the C & O in 1890 near Hinton, West Virginia; train 382 occurs in 1900 in Vaughn, Mississippi; and train 97 in 1903 near Danville, Virginia – become the subject of several early country recordings.
The word "Hillbillie" printed for the first time in New York Journal on April 23, 1900.
"Rube" comedy, long country dialect tales like "Uncle Josh" become popular in 1909.

1920 in country music
1921 in country music
1922 in country music, First commercial recordings of country music by Eck Robertson for Victor Records.
1923 in country music, First radio "barn dance" WBAP in Fort Worth, Texas. "Sally Gooden" by A.C. (Eck) Robertson top country record.
1924 in country music, "It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'" by Wendell Hall top country record. "The Prisoner's Song" recorded by Vernon Dalhart in August sells 1.3 million records by end of decade.
1925 in country music, WSM signs on; first WSM Barn Dance. "The Prisoner's Song" by Vernon Dalhart top country record. Charlie Poole and The North Carolina Ramblers recorded the successful "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Blues" and "The Girl I Loved in Sunny Tennessee" on July 27.
1926 in country music, Formation of The Skillet Lickers. "The Prisoner's Song" by the Carter Family Top Country Record.
1928 in country music, "Blue Yodel" recorded by Jimmie Rodgers "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)"
1929 in country music, "Wildwood Flower" by the Carter Family top country record and sells one million copies. Gene Autry makes his first recordings.

1930 in country music, Ken Maynard becomes first singing screen cowboy. ""Anniversary Yodel (Blue Yodel No. 7)"" by Jimmie Rodgers Top Country Record.
1931 in country music, "Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues)" recorded by Jimmie Rodgers Top Country Record.
1932 in country music, "Why Should I Be Lonely" by Jimmie Rodgers with Lani McIntire's Hawaiians Top Country Record.
1933 in country music, Jimmie Rodgers dies in May 1933. "Yellow Rose Of Texas" by Gene Autry and Jimmy Long Top Country Record.
1934 in country music, "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" by Gene Autry Top Country Record.
1937 in country music, Beginning of Renfro Valley Barn Dance. "Steel Guitar Rag" recorded by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys Top Country Record.
1938 in country music, "Wabash Cannonball" by Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers Top Country Record. Billboard prints its first "Hillbilly...Hits" charts. These charts will continue, primarily on a monthly basis, until 1942.

1940 in country music, "You Are My Sunshine" by Bob Atcher and Bonnie Blue Eyes Top Country Record.
1941 in country music, Gene Autry's "You Are My Sunshine" Top Country Record and sells one million copies. Ernest Tubb records and releases "Walking the Floor Over You."
1942 in country music, Musicians' strike bans all recording starting August; Acuff-Rose Music, Inc., is incorporated in Tennessee.. "There's a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere" by Elton Britt Top Country Record and earns Gold record.
1943 in country music, Al Dexter and His Troopers's "Pistol Packin' Mama" Top Country Record, and becomes first Country record to also top Popular music chart.
1944 in country music, Billboard magazine creates national chart to track popularity of country music records. Al Dexter and His Troopers's "So Long Pal"