Red Foley

Between 1944-59, Foley charted 41 solo country entries of which 38 were Top 10 hits. There were six more country number 1s, including his 1950, million-selling Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy, which also topped the pop charts. Several others achieved cross-over pop chart success. During this time he also had many major hit duets with various artists including Evelyn Knight, his daughter Betty Foley, Ernest Tubb, (Goodnight Irene) and six with Kitty Wells, including country number 1, One By One, which remained charted for 41 weeks. His performances of gospel numbers were so popular that recordings of Steal Away (1950) (recorded by Hank Williams as The Funeral), Just A Closer Walk With Thee (1950) and Peace In The Valley (1951) all became million-sellers. He also recorded with the Andrews Sisters and in the late '50s, even cut some rock 'n' roll recordings such as Crazy Little Guitar Man.

Introducing...Lefty Frizzell

Lefty Frizzell debuted on the Grand Ole Opry; 1950

The third great name in Honky Tonk has to be Lefty Frizzell. Named after his south paw boxing skills, Lefty learned his trade in the dives of Waco and Dallas and had his first hit in 1950: The huge seller, "If You've Got The Money, I've Got The Time". An intrinsic part of Country's mythology, the image of the wayward man drowning his sorrows or just out to have a good time with a stranger lives on in the work of modern heroes like George Strait and Merle Haggard.

Named after his south paw boxing skills, Lefty learned his trade in the dives of Waco and Dallas and had his first hit in 1950: The huge seller, "If You've Got The Money, I've Got The Time"

Music City U.S.A.

"Nashville was rapidly becoming one of the nation's major music centers. Business was so brisk that when WSM announcer David Cobb casually referred to Nashville as 'Music City U.S.A.' during a 1950 broadcast, the term stuck.

In 1950 Carl Smith moved to Nashville, where he joined WSM and the Grand Ole Opry and signed with Columbia Records

1950 - went to Dallas and made demos for Jim Beck, a studio engineer

1950 - signed first record contract with Columbia in June

1950 - first recording session for Columbia on July 25

1950 - first record released, "If You've Got the Money Honey, I've Got the Time" and "I Love You a Thousand Ways" (within 2 months of release the record sold 500,000 copies); both songs went to #1

1950 - first Opry appearance in a one-shot guest spot on Dec. 20

On the Charts

1. I'm Movin' On
 - Hank Snow
 2. Why Don't You Love Me
 - Hank Williams
3. I'll Sail My Ship Alone
 - Moon Mullican
4. Cuddle Buggin' Baby
 - Eddy Arnold
5. Goodnight Irene
 - Ernest Tubb & Red Foley
6. Throw Your Love Away
 - Ernest Tubb
7. Mississippi
 - Red Foley
8. Enclosed, One Broken Heart
 - Eddy Arnold
9, Long Gone Lonesome Blues
 - Hank Williams
10. Just a Closer Walk With Thee
 - Red Foley and the Jordanaires
 

Never Doubt the Importance of a Name

By 1950, country music disc jockeys named the musical style bluegrass after Bill Monroe's band, the Blue Grass Boys. Few musical genres have ever been as closely identified with a single individual, as is bluegrass with Bill Monroe.

Hank Williams

In addition to having a string of hit singles in 1950 -- including the number ones "Long Gone Lonesome Blues," "Why Don't You Love Me," and "Moanin' the Blues," as well as the Top Tens "I Just Don't Like This Kind of Livin'," "My Son Calls Another Man Daddy," "They'll Never Take Her Love from Me," "Why Should We Try," and "Nobody's Lonesome for Me." That same year, Williams began recording a series of spiritual records under the name Luke the Drifter.