The Country No. 1s Of The '40s - Acrobat already has on catalogue collections which present "America's No. 1s of the '50s" (ACFCD7501), "America's No. 1s of the '40s" (ACSCD6005), "America's R&B No. 1s of the '50s" (ACSCD6003), "America's R&B No. 1s Of The '40s" (ACQCD7168), and "Country No. 1s of the '50s" (ACTRCD9034), and this release completes that set with presenting the "Country No. 1s of the '40s". Billboard published it's first country chart in January 1944 under the name "Most Played Juke Box Folk Records", becoming the "Most Played Juke Box Hillbilly Records" chart in 1947, and adding a Best Sellers chart the same year. In 1948 "Country & Western" replaced Hillbilly in the nomenclature, with a "Country & Western Records Most Played by Disk Jockeys" chart added in 1949. This 69-track 3-CD comprises records which made No. 1 in any of those three charts from the first chart in 1944 through to the end of 1950, apart from a couple which were unavailable for copyright reasons - it's always a moot point as to whether a year like 1950 is the last year of one decade or the first year of the next one. In this case, because so many records spent long periods at No. 1 during these years, there were rather fewer chart-toppers than one might expect, so we were able to include the 1950 No. 1s within the 3-CD set format. As noted, the chart was often dominated by certain records, and Eddy Arnold in particular had an extraordinary run of success, spending many weeks at the top with several of his records, while one of two western swing artists like Bob Wills, Al Dexter and Tex Williams also having some long chart runs, with other big names of the era - Red Foley, Ernest Tubb and the emerging forces of Hank Snow and Hank Williams also featuring. It includes a 10,000-word booklet with notes on every record, and full chart information, and is a fascinating journey through an era when the commercial country scene developed it's character as Nashville emerged as a major force.

Track List

1. Bing Crosby ; The Andrews Sisters - Pistol Packin' Mama
2. Al Dexter ; His Troopers - Pistol Packin' Mama
3. Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five - Ration Blues
4. Al Dexter ; His Troopers - Rosalita
5. Floyd Tillman And His Favorite Playboys - They Took The Stars Out Of Heaven
6. Al Dexter ; His Troopers - So Long Pal
7. Al Dexter ; His Troopers - Too Late To Worry
8. The King Cole Trio - Straighten Up And Fly Right
9. Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five - Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby
10. Ernest Tubb - Soldier's Last Letter
11. Red Foley - Smoke On The Water
12. Tex Ritter And His Texans - I'm Wastin' My Tears On You
13. Al Dexter ; His Troopers - I'm Losing My Mind Over You
14. Jimmie Davis - There's A New Moon Over My Shoulder
15. Spade Cooley ; His Orchestra - Shame On You
16. Bob Wills ; His Texas Playboys - Smoke On The Water
17. Gene Autry - At Mail Call Today
18. Bob Wills - Stars And Stripes On Iwo Jima
19. Jack Guthrie And His Oklahomans - Oklahoma Hills
20. Tex Ritter And His Texans - You Two-Timed Me One Time Too Often
21. Wesley Tuttle - With Tears In My Eyes
22. Lawrence Welk ; His Orchestra with Red Foley - Shame On You
23. Dick Thomas - Sioux City Sue
24. Ernest Tubb - It's Been So Long Darling
25. Bob Wills' Texas Playboys - Silver Dew On The Blue Grass Tonight
26. Bob Wills' Texas Playboys - White Cross On Okinawa
27. Tex Ritter - You Will Have To Pay
28. Al Dexter ; His Troopers - Guitar Polka
29. Bob Wills' Texas Playboys - New Spanish Two Step
30. Al Dexter ; His Troopers - Wine Women And Song
31. Merle Travis - Divorce Me C.O.D.
32. Ernest Tubb - Rainbow At Midnight
33. Merle Travis - So Round So Firm So Fully Packed
34. Red Foley and the Cumberland Valley Boys - New Jolie Blonde (New Pretty Blonde)
35. Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys - What Is Life Without Love
36. Bob Wills ; His Texas Playboys - Sugar Moon
37. Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys - It's A Sin
38. Tex Williams And His Western Caravan - Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)
39. Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys - I'll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms)
40. Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys - Anytime
41. Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys - Texarkana Baby
42. Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys - Bouquet Of Roses
43. Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys - Just A Little Lovin' (Will Go A Long Way)
44. Jimmy Wakely - One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)
45. Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys - A Heart Full Of Love (For A Handful Of Kisses)
46. Jimmy Wakely - I Love You So Much It Hurts
47. Red Foley and the Cumberland Valley Boys - Tennessee Saturday Night
48. Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys - Don't Rob Another Man's Castle
49. George Morgan - Candy Kisses
50. Hank Williams with his Drifting Cowboys - Lovesick Blues
51. Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys - One Kiss Too Many
52. Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys - I'm Throwing Rice (At The Girl That I Love)
53. Wayne Raney - Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me
54. Ernest Tubb - Slipping Around
55. Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely - Slipping Around
56. Tennessee Ernie - Mule Train
57. Ernest Tubb - Blue Christmas
58. Gene Autry - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
59. Leon Payne - I Love You Because
60. Eddy Arnold - Take Me In Your Arms And Hold Me
61. Red Foley - Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy
62. Hank Williams with his Drifting Cowboys - Long Gone Lonesome Blues
63. Red Foley - Birmingham Bounce
64. Hank Williams with his Drifting Cowboys - Why Don't You Love Me
65. Red Foley - M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I
66. Red Foley ; Ernest Tubb - Goodnight Irene
67. Hank Snow - I'm Movin' On
68. Lefty Frizzell - If You've Got The Money I've Got The Time
69. Hank Williams with his Drifting Cowboys - Moanin' The Blues