This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 1948.

Events

* April 3 — Radio station KWKH of

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airs the Louisiana Hayride for the first time. * May 15 — ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' begins a sales-based Best Selling Folk Retail Records chart, the magazine's second chart to track the popularity of country songs. The new chart complements the existing Most Played Juke Box Folk Records chart, and begins a practice of multiple charts (and possible simultaneous No. 1 songs) that will continue for the next 10 years. * July 24 —

Roy Acuff Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown ...

announces his intention to run for

governor of Tennessee The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The governor is the only official in Tennessee state government who is directly elected by the voters of the entire state. The current governor is Bill Lee, a ...

. Running as the Republican candidate, he will lose to Democratic candidate Gordon Browning in the November election.

No dates

* Eddy Arnold dominates the ''

'' charts, scoring five No. 1 songs (six, if one counts Arnold's "

I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) "I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)" is a 1947 song by Eddy Arnold. The song was Eddy Arnold's third number one on the ''Billboard'' Juke Box Folk Records chart. "I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms ...

", which had been No. 1 since November 1947). Only Jimmy Wakely's "

One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart) "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)" is a 1948 song by singing cowboy Eddie Dean (singer), Eddie Dean, his wife Lorene "Dearest" Dean, and Hollywood songwriter Hal Blair. The song was first recorded by Jimmy Wakely and was his third release ...

" breaks Arnold's streak. Four other songs by Arnold also make the country charts.

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

''(As certified by

'' magazine)

Top Hillbilly (Country) Recordings 1948

1948 was the year Eddy Arnold and Country music crossed over to the Billboard magazine mainstream popular charts. Nine of the top ten Country records entered the popular charts, with " Bouquet of Roses" spending 28 weeks, in addition to a record 54 weeks on the Country charts. The 1948 year-end Country rankings include 'Most-Played Juke Box Folk Records' and 'Best Selling Retail Folk Records' (starting May 15, 1948). With few exceptions, records included entered the charts between November 1947 and December 1948, and received points for their full chart runs. Each week, a score of 15 points is assigned for the no. 1 record, 9 points for no. 2, 8 points for no. 3, and so on, and the total of all weeks from both charts determined the final rank. Number of weeks at number one or total weeks on the chart do not include duplicates; if a record was #1 on both charts on July 15, that counts as one week, not two. Additional information from other sources is reported, but not used for ranking. This includes dates from the "

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

" website, cross-over information from R&B and Pop charts, 'Cashbox', and other sources as noted.

Births

* January 28 —

Hasse Andersson Hans Olle Lennart Andersson (born 28 January 1948) is a Swedish country singer and songwriter, whose albums had chart success in Sweden during the 1980s. He took part in Melodifestivalen 2015 in a bid to represent Sweden in Eurovision Song Conte ...

, Swedish country musician. * February 8 — Dan Seals, singer-songwriter who successfully turned from pop music to country during the 1980s ( died 2009). * March 23 — David Olney, American singer-songwriter ( died 2020).David Olney Dies: Proflic Musician, Composer, Cinematographer Was 71, Passed On Stage
/ref> * April 21 — Paul Davis, pop-styled singer-songwriter who had several hits during the 1980s ( died 2008). * May 2 — Larry Gatlin, singer-songwriter who enjoyed mainstream success in the 1970s and 1980s. * May 4 —

Tim DuBois James Timothy DuBois (born May 4, 1948 is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Nashville-based songwriter and recording industry executive who has headed both Arista Records (Nashville Division) and Universal South Records. As a songwrit ...

, music executive. * May 18 — Joe Bonsall, member of the country-gospel group

The Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet originating in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in Southern gospel during the 1950s. Their name was change ...

(he's the first tenor). * June 3 —

Fred LaBour Frederick Owen LaBour (born June 3, 1948 in Grand Rapids, Michigan), better known by his stage name Too Slim, is a Grammy award-winning American musician, best known for his work with the Western swing musical and comedy group Riders in the Sky ...

, also known as Too Slim, member of Riders in the Sky. * June 8 —

Mats Rådberg Mats Rådberg (8 June 1948 – 27 June 2020) was a Swedish country music, country singer, guitarist, composer and architect scoring several chart successes in Sweden during the 1970s/80s. He is well known for working together with the country ba ...

, Swedish country musician. ( died 2020). * September 26 — Olivia Newton-John, Australian-born pop vocalist who enjoyed major crossover success in country during the mid-1970s. * October 2 — Chris LeDoux, world champion bareback rider who sang about the rodeo circuit and cowboy life ( died 2005). * November 6 — Glenn Frey, one of the founding members of country-rock band

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

( died 2016). * December 7 —

Gary Morris Gary Gwyn Morris (born December 7, 1948) is an American singer and stage actor who charted a string of hits on the country music charts throughout the 1980s. Morris is known for the 1983 ballad "The Wind Beneath My Wings", although his credits ...

, country-pop singer of the 1980s. * December 25 — Barbara Mandrell, country-pop singer and multi-instrumentalist of the 1970s and 1980s; host of own television series. * December 27 - Les Taylor, member of the 1980s group

Exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

Deaths

* January 15 —

Jack Guthrie Leon Jerry "Jack" Guthrie (November 13, 1915 – January 15, 1948) was a songwriter and performer whose rewritten version of the Woody Guthrie song "Oklahoma Hills" was a hit in 1945.Whitburn, ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits'', p. ...

, 32, folk-styled country singer best known for "

Oklahoma Hills "Oklahoma Hills" is a song written by Woody Guthrie. In 2001 it was named the official Folk Song of the state of Oklahoma. Chorus :''Way down yonder in the Indian nation'' :''I rode my pony on the reservation'' :''In the Oklahoma Hills where I wa ...

" ( tuberculosis). * September 15 — Vernon Dalhart, 55, pioneering influence of the 1920s.