List of Billboard number-one country songs of 1957

In 1957, Billboard magazine published three charts covering the best-performing country music songs in the United States: Most Played C&W in Juke Boxes, which had appeared in Billboard since 1944, C&W Best Sellers in Stores, which had debuted in 1948, and Most Played C&W by Jockeys, which had launched in 1949. The "C&W" used in the titles of the charts was an abbreviation for "country and western", a term which Billboard had adopted for the genre in 1949, replacing the earlier "folk music".[1] The Juke Box chart was published for the final time in the issue of Billboard dated June 17, 1957. The other two charts merged in 1958 to form a multimetric chart, which since 2005 has been published as Hot Country Songs.[2]

The Everly Brothers took the songs "Bye Bye Love" and "Wake Up Little Susie" to number one on both the best sellers and jockeys charts.

At the start of the year, the number one position on all three charts was held by "Singing the Blues" by Marty Robbins, who achieved a second number one in June with "A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)". The latter song also topped all three charts and was in the top spot on the final C&W juke box chart published by Billboard. Robbins was the only artist with more than one chart-topper on the juke box listing, and his eleven weeks in the top spot was the most by any artist on the chart. Three other acts had more than one country number one in 1957. Bobby Helms took both "Fraulein" and "My Special Angel" to the top of both the best sellers and jockeys charts, a feat also achieved by The Everly Brothers with "Bye Bye Love" and "Wake Up Little Susie". Elvis Presley was the only act with three country number ones during the year; he reached number one on the juke box chart in May with "All Shook Up" and later in the year topped the best sellers chart with "Teddy Bear" / "Loving You" and "Jailhouse Rock" / "Treat Me Nice". Despite their success on the other charts, none of Presley's songs topped the jockeys chart. Four songs topped only the jockeys chart, including "Four Walls" by Jim Reeves, which spent eight non-consecutive weeks atop the airplay-based listing beginning in May, but failed to top either of the other two charts.

Sonny James achieved his first number one in 1957 with "Young Love", which also topped the pop singles charts. The singer, dubbed the "Southern Gentleman", would go on to become one of the most successful artists in country music history, with more than 20 number ones to his name.[3][4] Rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis, whose early recordings were successful on the country charts, reached number one for the first time in September with "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On",[5] which was also a rhythm and blues number one.[6] The song has been included on lists of the greatest tracks of all time,[7] and in 2015 was selected for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.[8] The Everly Brothers also topped the country charts for the first time, with "Bye Bye Love",[9] and returned to the top spot later in the year with "Wake Up Little Susie", which also topped Billboard's pop and R&B charts.[10] The brothers had the highest total number of weeks atop both the country best sellers and jockeys charts, with 14 and 15 weeks respectively at number one. "Gone" by Ferlin Husky had the longest unbroken run at number one on any of the charts, topping the best sellers chart for ten consecutive weeks. The final number one of the year on both the best sellers and jockeys charts was "My Special Angel" by Bobby Helms.

Chart history

In 1957, Billboard sometimes listed both sides of a single jointly at number one on the Best Sellers and Juke Box charts, based on a methodology which combined the survey data for both songs if "significant action [was] reported on both sides of a record".[11] This does not indicate that the single was officially released or promoted as a double A-side.

Marty Robbins had the final number one on the juke box chart.
Ferlin Husky had the longest-running number one on the best sellers chart.
Bobby Helms had two chart-toppers in 1957 and ended the year at number one on both the best sellers and jockeys charts.
Issue date Juke Box Best Sellers Jockeys Ref.
Title Artist(s) Title Artist(s) Title Artist(s)
January 5 "Singing the Blues" Marty Robbins "Singing the Blues" Marty Robbins "Singing the Blues" Marty Robbins [11]
January 12 [12]
January 19 [13]
January 26 [14]
February 2 "Young Love" Sonny James [15]
February 9 [16]
February 16 "Young Love" Sonny James "Young Love"[a] Sonny James "Singing the Blues" Marty Robbins [17]
February 23 "Young Love" Sonny James [18]
March 2 "There You Go" / "Train of Love"[c] Johnny Cash [19]
March 9 [20]
March 16 "Young Love" Sonny James [21]
March 23 [22]
March 30 "There You Go" / "Train of Love"[b] Johnny Cash [23]
April 6 "Gone" Ferlin Husky "Gone" Ferlin Husky [24]
April 13 [25]
April 20 "Gone" Ferlin Husky [26]
April 27 [27]
April 29[d] [28]
May 6 [29]
May 13 "All Shook Up" Elvis Presley [30]
May 20[e] "Gone" Ferlin Husky [31]
"A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)" Marty Robbins "Honky Tonk Song" Webb Pierce
May 27[f] "Gone" Ferlin Husky [32]
"Four Walls" Jim Reeves [32]
June 3 "A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)" Marty Robbins [33]
June 10 "A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)" Marty Robbins "Four Walls" Jim Reeves [34]
June 17 [35]
June 24 N/A [36]
July 1 [37]
July 8 [38]
July 15 "Bye Bye Love" The Everly Brothers [39]
July 22 [40]
July 29 "Bye Bye Love" The Everly Brothers [41]
August 5 "Teddy Bear" / "Loving You"[c] Elvis Presley [42]
August 12 "Bye Bye Love" The Everly Brothers [43]
August 19
August 26 [44]
September 2 [45]
September 9 "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" Jerry Lee Lewis [46]
September 16 "Fraulein" Bobby Helms [47]
September 23 "Fraulein" Bobby Helms [48]
September 30 "My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You" Ray Price [49]
October 7 "Fraulein" Bobby Helms [50]
October 14 "Wake Up Little Susie" The Everly Brothers [51]
October 21 "My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You" Ray Price [52]
October 28 "Wake Up Little Susie" The Everly Brothers
November 4 [53]
November 11 [54]
November 18 [55]
November 25 [56]
December 2 "Jailhouse Rock" / "Treat Me Nice"[c] Elvis Presley [57]
December 9 "My Special Angel" Bobby Helms [58]
December 16 "My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You" Ray Price [59]
December 23 "Wake Up Little Susie" The Everly Brothers [60]
December 30 "My Special Angel" Bobby Helms [61]

a. ^ B-side "You're the Reason (I'm in Love)" listed jointly at number one from the March 16 issue onwards.
b. ^ "Train of Love" not listed jointly at number one in the March 30 issue.
c. ^ Both sides listed jointly at number one
d. ^ Due to a change in Billboard's cover-dating policy, the issue after that dated April 27 was dated April 29.
e. ^ Two singles tied for number one on both the Juke Box and Jockeys charts.
f. ^ Two singles tied for number one on the Jockeys chart.

See also

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Watson-Guptill. p. 8. ISBN 9780823082896.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2005). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944-2005. Record Research. p. ix. ISBN 9780898201659.
  3. Bush, John. "Sonny James Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  4. Betts, Stephen L. (February 22, 2016). "'Young Love' Singer Sonny James Dead at 87". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Watson-Guptill. p. 184. ISBN 9780823082896.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 347. ISBN 9780898201604.
  7. "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  8. "Jerry Lee Lewis: 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On'". Sound on Sound. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  9. Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Watson-Guptill. p. 105. ISBN 9780823082896.
  10. Thompson, Gayle (October 14, 2015). "58 Years Ago: The Everly Brothers' 'Wake Up Little Susie' Goes to No.1". The Boot. Townsquare Media. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
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