# 1941 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1941.

## Events

* January 1 – Radio programmers begin a 10-month ban on the ASCAP catalog when they fail to reach an agreement. Instead, disc jockeys begin to rely on BMI and its catalog of "hillbilly" music.
* October – The Grand Ole Opry organizes a "Camel Country" tour in a show of support for American servicemen, many of whom would be off to war two months later.

## Top Hillbilly (Country) Recordings

The following songs achieved the highest positions in Billboard magazine's 'Best Sellers in Stores' chart, monthly 'Hillbilly Hits' chart, supplemented by 'Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954' and record sales reported on the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website, and other sources as specified, during 1941. Numerical rankings are approximate.
| Rank | Artist | Title | Label | Recorded | Released | Chart Positions |
| 1 | Gene Autry | "You Are My Sunshine" | Okeh 6274 | June 18, 1941 (1941-06-18) | July 10, 1941 (1941-07-10) | US Billboard 1941 #131, US Pop #23 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1941 #1, Hillbilly #1 for 20 weeks, 50 total weeks, 403 points, 1,000,000 sales |
| 2 | Ernest Tubb | "Walking the Floor Over You" | Decca 5958 | April 26, 1941 (1941-04-26) | May 28, 1941 (1941-05-28) | US Billboard 1941 #154, US Pop #18 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1941 #2, Hillbilly #1 for 10 weeks, 72 total weeks, 292 points, 1,000,000 sales (see 1942, 8 more weeks at #1), Grammy Hall of Fame 1998, presented gold record 1964. |
| 3 | Gene Autry | "Be Honest with Me" | Okeh 5980 | August 20, 1940 (1940-08-20) | January 17, 1941 (1941-01-17) | US Billboard 1941 #147, US Pop #23 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1941 #3, Hillbilly #1 for 6 week, 58 total weeks, 262 points, 1941 Best Original Song Nominee |
| 4 | Louise Massey and the Westerners | "My Adobe Hacienda" | Okeh 6077 | January 27, 1941 (1941-01-27) | March 1941 (1941-03) | US Billboard 1941 #99, US Pop #13 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1941 #4, Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 21 total weeks, 107 points |
| 5 | Curly Hicks And His Taproom Boys | "Frisky Fiddler Polka" | Bluebird 8740 | October 8, 1940 (1940-10-08) | July 11, 1941 (1941-07-11) | US Hillbilly 1941 #5, Hillbilly #4 for 2 weeks, 34 total weeks, 101 points |
| 6 | Gene Autry | "Tears On My Pillow" | Okeh 6239 | August 22, 1940 (1940-08-22) | June 12, 1941 (1941-06-12) | US Hillbilly 1941 #6, Hillbilly #4 for 3 weeks, 41 total weeks, 100 points |
| 7 | Gene Autry | "You Waited Too Long" | Okeh 5781 | August 22, 1941 (1941-08-22) | September 5, 1941 (1941-09-05) | US Hillbilly 1941 #7, Hillbilly #2 for 6 weeks, 21 total weeks, 95 points |
| 8 | Roy Rogers and his Saddle Pals | "New Worried Mind" | Decca 5906 | November 29, 1940 (1940-11-29) | December 29, 1940 (1940-12-29) | US Hillbilly 1941 #8, Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 15 total weeks, 90 points |
| 9 | Jimmie Davis | "I'm Sorry Now" | Decca 5926 | February 21, 1941 (1941-02-21) | March 12, 1941 (1941-03-12) | US Hillbilly 1941 #9, Hillbilly #3 for 3 weeks, 27 total weeks, 84 points |
| 10 | Tennessee Ramblers | "Come Swing With Me" | Bluebird 8742 | October 12, 1940 (1940-10-12) | July 11, 1941 (1941-07-11) | US Hillbilly 1941 #10, Hillbilly #3 for 4 weeks, 21 total weeks, 81 points |
| 11 | Rice Brothers' Gang | "My Carolina Sunshine Girl" | Decca 5959 | March 11, 1941 (1941-03-11) | April 1941 (1941-04) | US Hillbilly 1941 #11, Hillbilly #3 for 5 weeks, 26 total weeks, 75 points |
| 12 | Karl And Harty | "Let's All Have Another Beer" | Okeh 6066 | January 24, 1941 (1941-01-24) | March 1941 (1941-03) | US Hillbilly 1941 #12, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 15 total weeks, 72 points |
| 13 | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys | "Take Me Back to Tulsa" | Okeh 6101 | February 24, 1941 (1941-02-24) | March 1941 (1941-03) | US Hillbilly 1941 #13, Hillbilly #1 for 1 weeks, 19 total weeks, 72 points, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 |
| 14 | Delmore Brothers | "When It's Time For The Whip-Poor-Will To Sing" | Decca 5925 | September 11, 1940 (1940-09-11) | February 28, 1941 (1941-02-28) | US Hillbilly 1941 #14, Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 14 total weeks, 72 points |
| 15 | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys | "Maiden's Prayer" | Okeh 6205 | February 24, 1941 (1941-02-24) | May 16, 1941 (1941-05-16) | US Hillbilly 1941 #15, Hillbilly #1 for 3 weeks, 14 total weeks, 69 points |
| 16 | Roy Rogers and his Saddle Pals | "Time Changes Everything" | Decca 5906 | November 29, 1940 (1940-11-29) | December 29, 1940 (1940-12-29) | US Hillbilly 1941 #16, Hillbilly #2 for 2 weeks, 21 total weeks, 69 points |
| 17 | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys | "New Worried Mind" | Okeh 6101 | February 24, 1941 (1941-02-24) | March 1941 (1941-03) | US Billboard 1941 #108, US Pop #14 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1941 #17, Hillbilly #2 for 3 weeks, 17 total weeks, 64 points |
| 18 | Sons of the Pioneers | "Cool Water" | Decca 5844 | March 27, 1941 (1941-03-27) | April 25, 1941 (1941-04-25) | US Billboard 1941 #142, US Pop #17 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1941 #18, Hillbilly #1 for 1 weeks, 18 total weeks, 63 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 1986 |
| 19 | Delmore Brothers | "She Won't Be My Little Darling" | Decca 5907 | September 11, 1940 (1940-09-11) | February 28, 1941 (1941-02-28) | US Hillbilly 1941 #19, Hillbilly #2 for 2 weeks, 14 total weeks, 60 points |
| 20 | Texas Jim Robertson | "I'll Be Back In A Year (Little Darlin')" | Bluebird 8606 | November 27, 1940 (1940-11-27) | February 1941 (1941-02) | US Billboard 1941 #204, US Pop #21 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1941 #20, Hillbilly #1 for 1 weeks, 15 total weeks, 59 points |
| 21 | Adolph Hofner And His San Antonians | "Alamo Rag" | Okeh 6139 | February 28, 1941 (1941-02-28) | April 12, 1941 (1941-04-12) | US Hillbilly 1941 #21, Hillbilly #1 for 1 weeks, 18 total weeks, 57 points |
| 22 | Louise Massey and the Westerners | "Beer and Skittles" | Okeh 5916 | October 11, 1940 (1940-10-11) | December 1940 (1940-12) | US Billboard 1941 #129, US Pop #16 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1941 #22, Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 16 total weeks, 54 points |
| 23 | Bill Boyd And His Cowboy Ramblers | "If You'll Come Back" | Bluebird 8533 | February 12, 1940 (1940-02-12) | October 4, 1940 (1940-10-04) | US Hillbilly 1941 #23, Hillbilly #2 for 1 week, 15 total weeks, 54 points |
| 24 | Tiny Hill and His Orchestra | "Spin The Bottle" | Okeh 6160 | March 11, 1941 (1941-03-11) | April 1941 (1941-04) | US Hillbilly 1941 #24, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 14 total weeks, 53 points |
| 25 | Prairie Ramblers | "I'll Be Back In A Year (Little Darlin')" | Okeh 6053 | January 22, 1941 (1941-01-22) | February 1941 (1941-02) | US Hillbilly 1941 #25, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 13 total weeks, 53 points |
| 26 | Ted Daffan and his Texans | "Those Blue Eyes Don't Sparkle Anymore" | Okeh 6160 | March 11, 1941 (1941-03-11) | April 1941 (1941-04) | US Hillbilly 1941 #7, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 14 total weeks, 52 points |
| 28 | Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys | "Mule Skinner Blues" | Bluebird 8568 | October 7, 1940 (1940-10-07) | November 10, 1940 (1940-11-10) | US Hillbilly 1941 #28, Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 17 total weeks, 47 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2009 |
| 29 | Shelton Brothers | "What's The Matter With Deep Elm" | Decca 5898 | April 7, 1940 (1940-04-07) | November 1940 (1940-11) | US Hillbilly 1941 #32, Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 15 total weeks, 46 points |
| 31 | The Jesters | "Repasz Band" | Decca 3719 | April 2, 1941 (1941-04-02) | April 1941 (1941-04) | US Billboard 1941 #205, US Pop #21 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1941 #30, Hillbilly #1 for 2 weeks, 11 total weeks, 44 points |
| 32 | Jimmie Davis and Jimmy Wakely | "Too Late" | Decca 5940 | February 20, 1941 (1941-02-20) | April 18, 1941 (1941-04-18) | US Hillbilly 1941 #31, Hillbilly #1 for 1 week, 16 total weeks, 43 points |

## Births

* January 18 – Bobby Goldsboro, middle-of-the-road artist best known for 1968's "Honey."
* February 8 – Henson Cargill, best known for 1968's "Skip a Rope" (died 2007).
* March 28 – Charlie McCoy, harmonica specialist.
* April 2 – Sonny Throckmorton, songwriter.
* May 31 – Johnny Paycheck, outlaw country-styled singer best known for "Take This Job and Shove It" (died 2003).
* June 8 — Alf Robertson, Swedish country musician (died 2008).
* August 14 – Connie Smith, female vocalist who grew to fame in the 1960s; Grand Ole Opry mainstay.
* September 21 – Dickey Lee, pop-country singer-songwriter.
* September 26 – David Frizzell, brother of Lefty Frizzell who grew into a country star in his own right.
* October 17 – Earl Thomas Conley, singer-songwriter who became one of country's biggest stars of the 1980s (died 2019).
* November 6 – Guy Clark, alternative-outlaw country singer-songwriter (died 2016).
* November 27 – Eddie Rabbitt, singer-songwriter who crossed over to pop in the early 1980s with hits such as "I Love a Rainy Night" and "Drivin' My Life Away" (died 1998).
* November 29 – Jody Miller, female vocalist best known for "Queen of the House" (answer song to Roger Miller's "King of the Road") (died 2022).

## Deaths

* November 7 – Henry Whitter, 49, early country musician.