1942 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1942.

List of years in country music (table)
… 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 …
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Events

• August 1 – The American Federation of Musicians authorizes a ban on recording by bands following a dispute over musicians' royalties; many country and popular music singers opt to continue recording without musical backing. The strike – which came to be known as the Petrillo ban – lingers into 1943.
• October 3 – Acuff-Rose Music is formed. Fred Rose is the chief of creative activities, while Mildred Acuff takes care of business matters.

Top hits of the year

Single	Artist
"1942 Turkey in the Straw"	Carson Robison
"Cherokee Maiden"	Bob Wills
"Deep in the Heart of Texas"	Gene Autry
"Deep in the Heart of Texas"	Bing Crosby
"Don't Make Me Go to Bed and I'll Be Good"	Bob Atcher and Bonnie Blue Eyes
"Dusty Skies"	Bob Wills
"The End of the World"	Jimmie Davis
"Fireball Mail"	Roy Acuff
"First Year Blues"	Ernest Tubb
"Fort Worth Jail	Jimmy Wakely
"Goodbye Mama (I'm off to Yokohama)"	Teddy Powell
"The Honey Song"	Louise Massey and the Westerners
"I Ain't Honky Tonkin Anymore"	Ernest Tubb
"I Dreamed of an Old Love Affair"	Jimmie Davis
"I Hung My Head And Cried"	Elton Britt
"I Hang My Head and Cry"	Gene Autry
"I Know What It's Like To Be Lonely"	Ernest Tubb
"I'll Always Be Glad To Take You Back"	Ernest Tubb
"I'm a Prisoner Of War"	Johnny Bond
"Jingle Jangle Jingle"	Gene Autry
"Jingle Jangle Jingle"	Tex Ritter
"Live and Let Live"	Jimmie Davis
"Meet Me Down in Honky Tonk Town"	Al Dexter
"Modern Cannonball"	Denver Darling
"Mussolini's Letter to Hitler"	Carson Robison
"My Life's Been a Pleasure"	Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
"Pins and Needles"	Bob Atcher
"Please Don't Leave M]"	Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
"Rainbow on the Rio Colorado"	Gene Autry
"Remember Pearl Harbor"	Carson Robison
"She Gave Her Heart To A Soldier Boy"	Roy Rogers
"She's a Hum-Dum Dinger"	Buddy Jones
"Sorrow On My Mind"	Bob Atcher
"Ten Years"	Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
"There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere"	Elton Britt
"Tweedle-O-Twill"	Gene Autry
"We're Gonna Slap The Dirty Little Jap"	Carson Robison
"Wreck on the Highway"	Roy Acuff
"When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again"	Zeke Manners
"When the World Has Turned You Down"	Ernest Tubb
"You Brought Sorrow To My Heart"	Johnny Bond
"You Nearly Lose Your Mind"	Ernest Tubb

Births

• January 21 – Mac Davis, singer-songwriter who rose to prominence in the 1970s.
• March 15 – Wayland Holyfield, songwriter whose compositions were popular during the 1970s and 1980s.
• March 19 – Richard Dobson, singer-songwriter (died 2017).
• March 26 – Larry Butler, producer best known for his association with Kenny Rogers (died 2012).
• May 5 – Tammy Wynette, "The First Lady of Country Music" (died 1998).
• May 8 – Jack Blanchard, singer-songwriter who, with wife Misty Morgan, had a string of animal-themed hit recordings in the 1970s.
• May 15 – K. T. Oslin, singer who rose to fame during the 1980s, after she had reached her mid-40s.
• August 7 – B.J. Thomas, pop-styled vocalist of the 1970s and 1980s.
• September 6 – Mel McDaniel, honky tonk-styled singer of the 1980s (died 2011).
• October 27 – Lee Greenwood, singer-songwriter of the 1980s, best known for the patriotic anthem "God Bless the USA".
• November 8 – Donnie Fritts, 76, American session musician and songwriter (died 2019).

Further reading

• Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947–1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 (ISBN 0-8118-3572-3)
• Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (ISBN 0-06-273244-7)
• Whitburn, Joel. "Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954: The History of American Popular Music," Record Research Inc., Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 1986 (ISBN 0-89820-083-0).