Four artists achieved a number one country single for the first time in 1959: Johnny Horton with "When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)",[3] George Jones with "White Lightning",[4] which replaced Horton's song at number one, Stonewall Jackson with "Waterloo",[5] and the Browns with "The Three Bells".
[6] Of these, Jones would prove to have the most prolific career, topping the Hot Country chart in four consecutive decades.
[7] Following Jones' spell at number one, Johnny Horton returned to the top spot with "The Battle of New Orleans", which spent ten weeks at the peak of the chart.
[6] Of the nine acts who topped the chart in 1959, seven have been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame: Ray Price, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash, George Jones, the Browns, Faron Young and Marty Robbins.
[9] Robbins ended the year at number one with "El Paso", another crossover hit which also topped the Hot 100.