Now (finally) we come to the year 1956 on the Hot Country chart (or as it’s still called in '56, the Billboard Best Selling Retail Folk [Country & Western] Records chart). In this, the year of Elvis Aron Presley on the pop chart, the Big E’s influence is so all-encompassing that, as you’ll see, he leaves a not-insignificant mark on the country chart as well.
Anyway, which song do YOU think is the best?
I really like the Marty Robbins tune, a real rockabilly number.
Crazy Arms by Ray Price, the Cherokee cowboy. True country as opposed to the others. Made him a star.
Yeah, it’s hard to not vote for the Webb Pierce song, but “Crazy Arms” wins this one by a mile for me.
It’s worth remembering that country music as a genre had not yet been as rigidly defined as it is today, which is why it was possible for Elvis to be seen as both a rock singer and a country singer. Heartbreak Hotel is pretty twangy by today’s standards, but he also did stuff like “That’s Alright” which is distinctly on the country side of the divide, as well as country standards like “Just Because” (and let’s not forget “Blue Suede Shoes”, which was originally by Carl Perkins"). Even as late as 1972, “Burning Love” made #36 in the country chart (it got stuck at #2 on the Hot 100, thanks to “My Ding-A-Ling”.)
I myself voted for “Sixteen Tons” in this particular poll, because it’s a truly timeless song.
Also, you should probably start doing like I did in my Hot 100 series and start including links to the previous polls so readers can find them all more easily (and in case you do ever want to go back and fill in the 1946-1954 period.)
Elvis since he is the one I recognize.