It’s Country Music Month! Explore 80+ Years of Hits with Record Research’s ‘History of Top Country Singles 1944–2025’

MENOMONEE FALLS, WI, UNITED STATES, October 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — October is Country Music Month, so it’s the perfect time to tune up your knowledge of eight decades of hits with Record Research’s new book, “Joel Whitburn’s History of Top Country Singles 1944-2025.” Record Research Inc, the authoritative source on over 125 years of music industry chart performance, provides the most accurate account available of the full history of popular Country music. This includes an artist-by-artist listing of every song that has ever appeared on the Country singles charts, from the debut of the Most-Played Juke Box Folk Records chart in 1944 to the last Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts of 2025. The book includes a comprehensive title index, multiple song and artist rankings, and a chronological listing of every #1 Country hit.

What people are saying about Record Research’s “Joel Whitburn’s History of Top Country Singles 1944-2025”:

• “The most significant new feature in the edition is a songwriter section — the first of its kind in the series. It identifies the 40 all-time top country songwriters by chart performance and lists each writer’s complete catalog of Top 40 hits, formatted identically to the book’s artist entries, with debut date, peak position, weeks charted, label and recording artist shown for each entry.” – Country Insider

• “Two modern songwriters — Ashley Gorley… and Shane McAnally… — ranked No. 1 and No. 2 on Record Research’s first-ever study of the Top Country Songwriters 1944-2025… Gorley and McAnally benefit from longevity and volume — both have consistently seen their names in parentheses on the country charts for more than 15 years — but also from their era. The study weights Billboard’s Country Airplay charts more heavily than the multimetric Hot Country Songs, but the latter chart still has allowed more titles to burst into public consciousness for short windows through its inclusion of streaming data.” – Billboard Country Update

• “We at MC are nerds when it comes to these lists, packed with facts, figures and microscopic information. We’d wager plenty of our readers are too.” – Music Connection

This encyclopedic reference work includes:

1) Comprehensive Song information including:
• Complete Chart Data
• Date Charted (Debut)
• Highest Position (Peak)
• Weeks Charted
• Sales Certification*
• Songwriter(s)
• B-side*
• Highest Position on Pop charts*
• Picture Sleeve*
• Record Label (& Number*)
*where applicable

2) NEW Songwriter Section – In honor of Country’s legendary Top 40 DJ Bob Kingsley, we now show the 40 Top Songwriters of Country music. A short bio and listing of their awards leads off their chronological listing of their Top 40 hits, with complete chart data and the recording artist(s) who charted with the song.

3) Complete chart research for both Country Airplay & Hot Country Songs charts from 2012-2026. If a song made both charts, then the Country Airplay data (debut date, peak position & weeks charted) is listed with a notation of the peak position achieved on the Hot Country Songs chart. Those songs exclusive to the Hot Country Songs chart are listed with full data and a special star symbol for easy identification.

4) Song Title Section – Lists alphabetically all songs from the Artist Section with artist, peak position, and year of peak

5) Artist Rankings Section
• Top 300 All Time
• Top 50 of Each Decade
• Top Artist Achievements
• Bio & listing of all charted songs

6) Song Rankings Section
• Top 100 Hits of All Time
• Top 25 Hits of Each Decade

7) CMA & ACM Single & Song of the Year Chronologically

8) Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees Chronologically

9) #1 Hits Week by Week, 1944 through 2025

“Joel Whitburn’s History of Top Country Singles 1944-2025” is available now direct from Record Research, as well as major retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble (published June 2026, hardcover, 640 pages, $99.95 + shipping and handling). Upcoming titles include three new editions of the “Across the Charts” series for the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s (all available for pre-order now at https://recordresearch.com/shop). Other available titles include the “Pop Annual 1950-2023,” “Rock Tracks 1981-2020,” “Across The Charts: The 1960s,” “Billboard Best Sellers & Hot 100 Charts: The 1950s,” and more.

Laurie Jakobsen
Jaybird Communications
+1 917-697-2274

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