From Joel Whitburn’s Christmas in the Charts, 1920 to 2004, Top Country Christmas Hits lists the peak positions these seasonal songs reached on the country charts.
If We Make It Through December– Merle Haggard, from 1973, four weeks at #1 CW, #28 pop
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry with the Pinafores from 1949, one week at #1 CW, #1 pop for one week. It eventually sold eight million copies, second only to Bing Crosby’s White Christmas. A new version of the song got to #70 pop in 1957.
Blue Christmas – Ernest Tubb from 1949, one week at #1 CW, #21 pop in 1950. “The song was originally recorded by American country singer, musician, and actor Doye O’Dell in 1948. It was popularized the following year in three separate recordings: one by Tubb, one by musical conductor and arranger Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra and chorus, and one by bandleader Russ Morgan and his orchestra. Elvis Presley cemented the status of the song as a rock-and-roll holiday classic by recording it for his 1957 LP Elvis’ Christmas Album.
Snow Flake – Jim Reeves from 1966, three weeks at #2 CW, #66 pop
Jason Ritter’s grandfather
Christmas Carols By The Old Corral – Tex Ritter from 1945, one week at #2 CW. Maurice Woodeward Ritter was the star of c. 85 Hollywood westerns from 1935 to 1945. The late John Ritter was his son.
Thank God for Kids – Oak Ridge Boys from 1982, two weeks at #3 CW
Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) -Gene Autry from 1948, one week at number 4 CW. It reached #8 pop in 1948 and #24 pop in 1949
Frosty the Snowman – Gene Autry with the Cass County Boys and Carl Cotner’s Orchestra, from 1950, one week at number 4 CW. #7 pop in 1951, #23 pop in 1952
Will Santy Come to Shantytown – Eddy Arnold from 1949, one week at #5 CW
C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S – Eddy Arnold from 1949, three weeks at #7 CW, co-written by Arnold
Here are the 1995 #1 Hot Country Singles and Tracks. Joel Whitburn’s Hot Country Songs contains information about chart methodology.
These are the Billboard Hot Country Singles of 1985, part 1. Why only part 1? Because 51 songs made it to #1 that year. And it wasn’t just 1985 but the whole decade. There were 33 #1s in 1979. In the ’80s, there were, in chronological order: 43, 47, 47, 50, 50, 51, 51, 49, 48, and 49, #1 country hits. In 1990, 24, and never more than 32 in any year for the rest of the century.
Of the Country hits of 1975, most topped the chart for one week, including all of the songs listed here. Some also topped the pop charts as well, and will be designated as such.
Here are the #1 Hot Country Singles for 1965. While I only owned one of the songs on this list – Roger Miller, naturally – I always had a great affection for Buck Owens. I liked to watch him on TV long before he was on Hee Haw. It’s partly a function of the fact that he was on Capitol Records, and I got to read the song list of his albums from the record sleeves of my Beatles albums. I loved that Bakersfield sound.