# 1931 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1931.

## Events

Jimmie Rodgers, "the Father of Country Music", continued to dominate Hillbilly (Country) music in 1931, though the Great Depression was causing record sales and royalties to spiral downward at a frightening rate (by 1934, Columbia Records would be bankrupt). Only the Carter Family would come close.

## Top Hillbilly (Country) Recordings 1931

Thanks to the Discography of American Historical Recordings website, the year 1931 is perhaps the most accurate top "Hillbilly" records list of all. Eighteen of the songs were ranked from sales figures kept by Victor Records (as "Number sold," under "Other information") deriving from markings on the backs of blue history cards and are included in DAHR, when known, as part of their effort to make available significant data found in original Victor documents. As John Bolig points out in the introduction to his Victor black label discography (1800-1900 series, Denver: Mainspring Press, 2008), these numbers are not to be considered authoritative. It is likely that they represent a sales audit from a specific time, and they do not appear to have been updated regularly. In addition, it is possible that the sales figures may represent cumulative sales from various issues (catalog numbers) of the masters represented on the blue history cards, and not exclusively from one such release.
Billboard surveys did not approach reasonable accuracy until the late 1940s, due to the small sample size, confusion over best-selling, jukebox, and airplay charts, and any number of startup issues. At this point in history, Victor made up a large percentage of Hillbilly releases because of economic circumstances. They appear to have kept the best records by far of any of the labels.
Numerical rankings are approximate, as there were no Billboard charts in 1931; the numbers are only used for a frame of reference.
| Rank | Artist | Title | Label | Recorded | Released | Chart Positions |
| 1 | Jimmie Rodgers | "Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues)" | Victor 23503 | July 11, 1930 (1930-07-11) | January 6, 1931 (1931-01-06) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 1 |
| 2 | Jimmie Rodgers | "T.B. Blues" | Victor 23535 | January 31, 1931 (1931-01-31) | April 24, 1931 (1931-04-24) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 2, 47,355 sales |
| 3 | Bud Billings (Frank Luther) and Carson Robison | "When Your Hair Has Turned To Silver" | Victor 22588 | November 26, 1931 (1931-11-26) | January 23, 1931 (1931-01-23) | US BB 1931 No. 48, US No. 4 for 1 week, 12 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1931 No. 3, 38,805 sales |
| 4 | Jimmie Rodgers | "Jimmie the Kid" | Victor 23549 | January 31, 1931 (1931-01-31) | June 5, 1931 (1931-06-05) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 4, 36,450 sales |
| 5 | Jimmie Rodgers | "Travellin’ Blues" | Victor 23564 | January 31, 1931 (1931-01-31) | July 17, 1931 (1931-07-17) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 5, 31,734 sales |
| 6 | Jimmie Rodgers | "Nobody Knows But Me" | Victor 23518 | November 25, 1931 (1931-11-25) | March 13, 1931 (1931-03-13) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 6, 28,959 sales |
| 7 | Jimmie Rodgers | "Blue Yodel No. 9 (Standing On a Corner)" | Victor 23580 | July 16, 1931 (1931-07-16) | September 11, 1931 (1931-09-11) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 7, 25,071 sales, Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007 |
| 8 | Jimmie Rodgers Assisted By The Carter Family | "Jimmie Rodgers Visits the Carter Family" | Victor 23574 | June 11, 1931 (1931-06-11) | August 14, 1931 (1931-08-14) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 8, 24,093 sales |
| 9 | Carter Family | "Little Log Hut In The Lane" | Victor 40328 | May 24, 1930 (1930-05-24) | December 9, 1930 (1930-12-09) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 9, 17,990 sales |
| 10 | Carter Family | "On the Rock Where Moses Stood" | Victor 23513 | November 24, 1931 (1931-11-24) | January 16, 1931 (1931-01-16) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 10, 16,407 sales |
| 11 | Carter Family | "Lonesome Valley" | Victor 23541 | November 24, 1930 (1930-11-24) | April 27, 1931 (1931-04-27) | US BB 1931 No. 175, US No. 15 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1931 No. 11, 15,107 sales |
| 12 | Carter Family | "Where Shall I Be" | Victor 23523 | November 25, 1930 (1930-11-25) | February 8, 1931 (1931-02-08) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 12, 13,275 sales |
| 13 | Allen Brothers | "No Low Down Hanging 'Round" | Victor 23536 | November 22, 1930 (1930-11-22) | May 16, 1931 (1931-05-16) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 13, 11,769 sales |
| 14 | Jimmie Rodgers with Lani McIntire's Hawaiians | "Moonlight And Skies" | Victor 23574 | June 30, 1931 (1931-06-30) | August 14, 1931 (1931-08-14) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 13, 24,093 sales |
| 15 | Fleming and Townsend | Little Home Upon the Hill | Victor V-40321 | June 6, 1930 (1930-06-06) | November 21, 1930 (1930-11-21) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 15, 10,888 sales |
| 16 | Buster Carter and Preston Young | "A Lazy Farmer Boy" | Columbia 15702 | June 26, 1931 (1931-06-26) | August 1931 (1931-08) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 16 |
| 17 | Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie | "Let's Go To Town" | Vocalion 1660 | March 16, 1931 (1931-03-16) | May 1931 (1931-05) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 17 |
| 18 | Jimmie Davis | "Arabella Blues" | Victor 23517 | November 29, 1930 (1930-11-29) | February 18, 1931 (1931-02-18) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 18, 9,653 sales |
| 19 | Carter Family | "When I'm Gone" | Victor 23569 | November 24, 1931 (1931-11-24) | January 16, 1931 (1931-01-16) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 18, 9,566 sales |
| 20 | Carter Family | "There Is Someone Waiting For Me" | Victor 23554 | November 24, 1931 (1931-11-24) | January 16, 1931 (1931-01-16) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 19, 9,490 sales |
| 21 | Carter Family | "Fond Affection" | Victor 40328 | November 24, 1931 (1931-11-24) | January 16, 1931 (1931-01-16) | US Hillbilly 1931 No. 20, 7,261 sales |

## Births

* July 26 – Fred Foster, record producer and songwriter (died 2019).
* September 12 – George Jones, "The Possum," one of the genre's all-time greatest vocalists (died 2013).
* November 8 – Harold Shedd, record producer most associated with the 1980s success of Alabama.
* December 30 – Skeeter Davis, the top vocalist in country music during the 1960s, best known for the hit song "The End of the World" (died 2004).

## Deaths

* May 21 – Charlie Poole, banjo player and leader of The North Carolina Ramblers (heart attack)