America's Best Loved Country Songs: An Encyclopedia of More Than 3,000 Classics Through the 1980s

Covering more than 3,200 classic country music songs, this book embraces the country genre from its earliest roots to the end of 1989. It includes all of the recorded number-one hits from the early 1920s along with notable gospel songs which have become a part of the country music repertory, major fiddle tunes used throughout country music history, and major instrumentals, among others. Each song is documented with essential publishing, licensing, and recording information, including chart placements and notable awards earned. Many entries are annotated either with remarks from the songwriters or historical notes by the author.