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This release continues the series of multi-CD sets which comprises selected collections of the biggest US country hits of each year during the 1950s and early ‘60s, and this one looks at the earlier era of the decade in 1951.It was an unusual year, in that many fewer records than normal made it into the charts, with some records spending multiple weeks (even months) in the chart and at No. 1, so despite the fact that this 78-track collection features most of the records that appeared in Billboard’s Best Selling Retail Folk (Country & Western) Records, Most Played Juke Box Folk (Country & Western) Records and Country & Western Records Most Played by Folk Disc Jockeys charts, the records all fit onto a 3-CD set. (The collection omits several records which are unavailable for copyright reasons). There were plenty of established names from the 1940s still enjoying success, like Red Foley, Ernest Tubb, Eddy Arnold and Gene Autry, but new artists from the honky-tonk scene were making their impact around this time, with Hank Snow, Lefty Frizzell, Tennessee Ernie Ford and Carl Smith all having several hits. Patti Page is the only solo female artist featured, although Mary Ford, Margaret Whiting and Anita Carter are there in duets, and as is often the case with these collections there are also one or two collectable obscurities. It’s a fascinating and entertaining musical snapshot of the country scene as the music industry was embarking on a new decade, and with an in-depth 12,000+ word booklet with background notes on every record as well as full discographical and chart information, it gives a solid overview of the most popular country music of the year.
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