# 1956 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1956.

## Events

* January 30 — Despite a 4-inch snowstorm, 17,000 fans attend a Coliseum concert in Denver, Colorado. On the bill are Webb Pierce, Red Foley, the Foggy River Boys, Ray Price, Floyd Cramer, Roy Hill, the Echo Valley Boys and others.
* March 15 — Colonel Tom Parker becomes manager of Elvis Presley.
* March 22 — Carl Perkins is seriously injured in a car accident near Wilmington, Delaware, while en route to perform on The Perry Como Show.
* November 10 — George Jones is named the most promising country and western artist, according to Billboard magazine's annual nationwide disc jockey poll. Elvis Presley is the most played C&W artist.

### No dates

* Although he already has had one No. 1 hit (with "I Forgot to Remember to Forget") and several other smaller-scale hits, Elvis Presley's national star power explodes when "Heartbreak Hotel" soars to the top of all three of Billboard's country charts by the end of March. The song also completes a rare feat by topping each of the Billboard pop and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.
* With release of Ray Price's "Crazy Arms", the 4/4 shuffle is established and would transform country music, especially honky tonk.

## Top hits of the year
### Number one hits
#### United States

(as certified by Billboard)
| Date | Single Name | Artist | Wks. No.1 | Spec. Note |
| February 11 | Why Baby Why | Red Sovine and Webb Pierce | 4 | |
| February 25 | I Forgot to Remember to Forget | Elvis Presley | 5 | |
| March 17 | Heartbreak Hotel | Elvis Presley | 17 | Also reached Number One on the Billboard Pop chart. |
| March 17 | I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby | The Louvin Brothers | 2 | |
| April 7 | Blue Suede Shoes | Carl Perkins | 3 | |
| June 23 | Crazy Arms | Ray Price | 20 | |
| July 14 | I Want You, I Need You, I Love You | Elvis Presley | 2 | Also reached Number One on the Billboard Pop chart. |
| July 21 | I Walk the Line | Johnny Cash | 6 | |
| September 15 | Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog | Elvis Presley | 10 | Also reached Number One on the Billboard Pop and R&B chart. |
| November 10 | Singing the Blues | Marty Robbins | 13 | |

##### Notes

* 1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard.
* 2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
* A^ First Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
* B^ Only Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
    Note: Several songs were simultaneous No. 1 hits on the separate "Most Played C&W in Juke Boxes," "Most Played C&W by Jockeys" and "C&W Best Sellers in Stores" charts.

### Other major hits

| US | Single | Artist |
| 4 | According to My Heart | Jim Reeves |
| 7 | Any Old Time | Webb Pierce |
| 5 | Be-Bop-A-Lula | Gene Vincent |
| 6 | Before I Met You | Carl Smith |
| 4 | The Blackboard of My Heart | Hank Thompson |
| 7 | Boppin' the Blues | Carl Perkins |
| 15 | Casey Jones (The Brave Engineer) | Eddy Arnold |
| 7 | Cash on the Barrelhead | The Louvin Brothers |
| 12 | The Cat Came Back | Sonny James |
| 3 | 'Cause I Love You | Webb Pierce |
| 14 | Cheated Too | Wilma Lee Cooper and Stoney Cooper |
| 13 | Come Back to Me | Jimmy C. Newman |
| 4 | Conscience I'm Guilty | Hank Snow |
| 10 | Dixie Fried | Carl Perkins |
| 6 | Doorstep to Heaven | Carl Smith |
| 3 | Eat, Drink, and Be Merry (Tomorrow You'll Cry) | Porter Wagoner |
| 4 | Folsom Prison Blues | Johnny Cash |
| 14 | The Fool | Sanford Clark |
| 6 | Go Away with Me | The Wilburn Brothers |
| 9 | God Was So Good | Jimmy C. Newman |
| 5 | Hold Everything (Till I Get Home) | Red Sovine |
| 9 | Honky-Tonk Man | Johnny Horton |
| 7 | Hoping That You're Hoping | The Louvin Brothers |
| 11 | How Far Is Heaven | Kitty Wells |
| 5 | Hula Rock | Hank Snow |
| 7 | I Feel Like Cryin' | Carl Smith |
| 15 | I Gotta Know | Wanda Jackson |
| 2 | I Take the Chance | The Browns |
| 13 | I Want to Be Loved | Johnnie & Jack |
| 8 | I Was the One | Elvis Presley |
| 13 | I'd Rather Stay Home | Kitty Wells |
| 7 | I'm a One-Woman Man | Johnny Horton |
| 11 | I'm Moving In | Hank Snow |
| 14 | I'm Not Mad, Just Hurt | Hank Thompson |
| 10 | I'm So in Love with You | The Wilburn Brothers |
| 11 | I've Changed | Carl Smith |
| 2 | I've Got a New Heartache | Ray Price |
| 4 | I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night | Faron Young |
| 5 | It's a Great Life (If You Don't Weaken) | Faron Young |
| 11 | Just as Long as You Love Me | The Browns |
| 3 | Just One More | George Jones |
| 5 | Little Rosa | Red Sovine and Webb Pierce |
| 7 | The Lonely Side of Town | Kitty Wells |
| 10 | Love Me | Elvis Presley |
| 3 | Love Me Tender | Elvis Presley |
| 13 | My Baby Left Me | Elvis Presley |
| 8 | My Lips Are Sealed | Jim Reeves |
| 11 | Mystery Train | Elvis Presley |
| 9 | Only You, Only You | Charlie Walker |
| 2 | Poor Man's Riches | Benny Barnes |
| 5 | Run Boy | Ray Price |
| 3 | Searching (For Someone Like You) | Kitty Wells |
| 9 | Seasons of My Heart | Jimmy C. Newman |
| 4 | So Doggone Lonesome | Johnny Cash |
| 2 | Sweet Dreams | Faron Young |
| 9 | Sweet Dreams | Don Gibson |
| 10 | Teenage Boogie | Webb Pierce |
| 12 | That's All | Tennessee Ernie Ford |
| 5 | These Hands | Hank Snow |
| 7 | Trouble in Mind | Eddy Arnold |
| 11 | Tryin' to Forget the Blues | Porter Wagoner |
| 9 | Turn Her Down | Faron Young |
| 11 | Twenty Feet of Muddy Water | Sonny James |
| 14 | Uncle Pen | Porter Wagoner |
| 14 | Waltz of the Angels | Wynn Stewart |
| 4 | Wasted Words | Ray Price |
| 7 | What Am I Worth | George Jones |
| 8 | What Would You Do (If Jesus Came to Your House) | Porter Wagoner |
| 15 | What Would You Do (If Jesus Came to Your House) | Red Sovine |
| 9 | Why Baby Why | Hank Locklin |
| 9 | Wicked Lies | Carl Smith |
| 10 | Without Your Love | Bobby Lord |
| 2 | Yes I Know Why | Webb Pierce |
| 3 | You and Me | Kitty Wells and Red Foley |
| 4 | You Are the One | Carl Smith |
| 10 | You Don't Know Me | Eddy Arnold |
| 7 | You Gotta Be My Baby | George Jones |
| 6 | You're Free to Go | Carl Smith |
| 13 | You're Not Play Love | The Wilburn Brothers |
| 7 | You're Running Wild | The Louvin Brothers |
| 3 | You're Still Mine | Faron Young |

## Top new album releases

| Single | Artist | Record Label |
| Songs of a Love Affair | Jean Shepard | Capitol |
| Grand Ole Opry's New Star | George Jones | Starday (debut album) |

## Births

* January 18 — Mark Collie, country artist of the early 1990s.
* March 26 — Charly McClain, country vocalist of the early-to-mid-1980s.
* June 19 — Doug Stone, popular country vocalist during the early- to mid-1990s.
* July 6 — John Jorgenson, member of The Desert Rose Band.
* July 26 — Scott Hendricks, record producer (Restless Heart, Blake Shelton)
* August 12 — Danny Shirley, lead singer of Confederate Railroad
* September 22 — Debby Boone, granddaughter of Red Foley who enjoyed country success of her own in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
* October 23 — Dwight Yoakam, neotraditionalist since the mid-1980s who helped revitalize interest in the Bakersfield Sound.
* December 9 — Sylvia, pop-styled female vocalist of the early-1980s who became best known as "Sylvia."
* December 18 – Ron White, comedian, member of Blue Collar Comedy with Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy
* December 21 — Lee Roy Parnell, alternative country star who enjoyed mainstream country success during the mid-1990s.
* December 30 — Suzy Bogguss, folk-styled country artist who rose to fame in the early 1990s.