🎵 1950s Country & Americana + Fun & Novelty

Country Twang and Getting Everyone Involved in the Music

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Welcome to a new 1950s Wedding series:

1. First Dance & Timeless Love Songs

2. Rat Pack & Classic Crooners

3. Doo-Wop & Vocal Harmony

4. Rock & Roll Classics

5. Dance Floor Hits

6. Country & Americana (This issue)

7. Fun & Novelty (This issue)

This week, I’m diving into two categories that bring incredible character and infectious energy to any celebration. I’ve curated a selection that starts with the soulful storytelling of icons like Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline before shifting gears into the playful side of the decade.

From the clever lyrics of The Coasters to the classic, ice-breaking rhythms of the "Hokey Pokey," these tracks are all about making sure your guests are smiling and moving. Whether you’re looking for a timeless ballad with a bit of twang or a novelty hit to light up the reception, these picks are the perfect way to add some vintage personality to your big day.

Table of Contents

• Country & Americana - 10 songs

• Fun & Novelty - 18 songs

• Spotify Playlists

Country & Americana

Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love

1957 - “Bye Bye Love” had been rejected by 30 other artists. It became their first massive hit, reaching #2 on the Pop charts, #1 on the Country charts, and even #5 on the R&B charts.

Everly Brothers - Wake Up Little Susie

1957 - “Wake Up Little Susie” is one of the rare songs to hit #1 on all three Billboard charts at the same time: the Pop Chart, the Country Chart, and the R&B Chart. The lyrics imply that a boy and a girl were out until 4:00 AM, which was enough to get the song banned from several radio stations.

George Jones - White Lightning

1959 - “White Lightning” is technically Rockabilly. It was so catchy that it cracked the Billboard Hot 100 (#73). The track gave Jones his first Billboard Hot C&W #1 and established his persona.

Hank Williams - Hey Good Lookin’

1951 - The song reached #1 on the Country charts and stayed there for eight weeks. It proved that a country singer with a “twang” could produce a culture-crossing hit. Ray Charles, The Residents, and Jimmy Buffett have covered it.

Hank Williams - Jambalaya (On The Bayou)

1952 - The song spent 14 non-consecutive weeks at #1 on the Country charts, making it one of the most successful songs of his career. The lyrics contain Southern Cajun dishes: Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie, and Filé Gumbo.

Jimmie Rodgers - Kisses Sweeter Than Wine

1957 - The song tells a life story. 1: They meet, and he asks for a kiss. 2: He asks her to marry him. 3: They build a house and have “eight little kids. 4: They are old, looking back on a long life. It hit #7 on the Billboard pop charts.

Johnny Cash - Get Rhythm

1956 - “Get Rhythm” was originally released as the B-side to one of the most famous songs of all time, “I Walk the Line”. It is the perfect example of Rockabilly. The track reached #60 on the Billboard Pop chart. However, it hit #23 on the Country charts more than a decade after it was recorded.

Johnny Cash - I Walk The Line

1956 - The song was Cash’s first #1 hit. It established the “Man in Black” as the ultimate symbol of rugged, unwavering integrity. The lyrics were a promise to his first wife that he would stay faithful. It features five different key changes.

Patsy Cline - Walkin’ After Midnight

1957 - Cline performed this song on the show Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts and won! She and the song became an overnight sensation. It hit #2 on the Country charts and #12 on the Pop charts.

Tennessee Ernie Ford - Sixteen Tons

1955 - The song sold one million copies in just three weeks, becoming the fastest-selling single in Capitol Records’ history at that point. It spent seven weeks at #1 on the Country charts and eight weeks at #1 on the Pop charts.

Fun & Novelty

Bobby Darin - Splish Splash

1958 - The mother of legendary DJ Murray the K bet Bobby Darin that he couldn’t write a song that started with the line “Splish Splash, I was takin’ a bath”. It went on to reach #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the R&B chart.

David Seville - Witch Doctor

1958 - The song spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard Top 100. To create the voice of the Witch Doctor, Seville recorded his own voice at half-speed and then played it back at normal speed. This technique was used to create Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Doris Day - Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera)

1956 - The song was written for the Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece The Man Who Knew Too Much. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The track hit #2 on the Billboard charts.

Frankie Yankovic - Pennsylvania Polka

“Pennsylvania Polka” is the undisputed anthem of the “Polka King”, Frankie Yankovic. He won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Polka Recording. It was featured in the 1993 film Groundhog Day.

Harry Belafonte - Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)

1955 - Harry Belafonte’s album ‘Calypso’ was the first album in history to sell over a million copies. The song reached #5 on the Billboard charts. It was featured in the 1988 film Beetlejuice. “Day-O” is the call of the workers as the sun rises.

Harry Belafonte - Island In The Sun

1957 - The song was written for a 1957 film of the same name, in which Harry Belafonte starred. It reached #30 on Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores.

Laurie London - He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands

1957 - London’s version was so successful that it hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. To this day, London remains the only British male singer to have a #1 hit in the United States while still a teenager before the “British Invasion” of the 1960s.

LaVern Baker - Tweedlee Dee

1954 - Many R&B records struggled to reach a white audience due to segregated radio. “Tweedlee Dee” changed the game. It hit #4 on the R&B charts and successfully leaped over to the Pop Top 20 (#14). She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

Little Willie John - Fever

1956 - John’s version has a slightly more “bluesy” and urgent feel than the later, more polished pop versions like the Peggy Lee cover. The song topped the Billboard R&B Best Sellers and peaked at #24 on the Billboard pop chart.

Mickey & Sylvia - Love Is Strange

1956 - Mickey & Sylvia brought a unique, calypso-influenced guitar groove to Rock and Roll. The song’s infectious guitar riff was actually written by the legendary Bo Diddley. It was a #1 R&B hit. In 1987, it was featured in Dirty Dancing.

Ray Anthony - Hokey Pokey

1953 - Ray Anthony’s version of the “Hokey Pokey” took a novelty campfire song and turned it into a big-band ballroom staple. It is the song that transformed “dancing” into “instructions” and is the grandfather of the “Line Dance”.

The Chordettes - Lollipop

1958 - The most famous instrument in this song isn’t a guitar or a piano. It’s the sound of a finger popping a cheek. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Chordettes were one of the longest-running female groups of the era. They started in 1946 and stayed together until 1961.

The Chordettes - Mr. Sandman

1954 - The song became the first #1 hit by a female vocal group in the rock-and-roll era. The lyrics are essentially a humorous wish list for the perfect man.

The Clovers - Love Potion No. 9

1959 - “Love Potion No. 9” was the group’s big comeback after R&B to Rock and Roll. It hit #23 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Searches released a cover in 1964 that went to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Coasters - Charlie Brown

1959 - “Charlie Brown” was a massive crossover hit, reaching #2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B charts. It is the perfect song to get people laughing and moving.

The Coasters - Searchin’

1957 - The song spent 12 weeks at #1 on the R&B charts. The lyrics describe a determined guy trying to find his girl, who claims he’ll out-detect the best in the business: Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, Sam Spade, and Boston Blackie.

The Coasters - Yakety Yak

1958 - The song reached #1 on both the Pop and R&B charts. King Curtis’s tenor saxophone solo is famous for its “stuttering” or “laughing” quality, known as the “yakety sax” style. The “Yakety Sax” style later became the theme music for The Benny Hill Show.

Thurston Harris - Little Bitty Pretty One

1957 - The song is famous for its infectious, wordless opening (humming). It reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was featured in the 1996 movie Matilda.

Is there a song that you think should be added? Let me know!

Thanks for reading,

Matthew Campbell

Wedding MusicLetter

Spotify Playlists