1953 in country music

Events

• January 1 — Hank Williams, due to play a New Year's Day show in Canton, Ohio, dies sometime after midnight in the rear seat of his Cadillac, somewhere between Knoxville, Tennessee, and Oak Hill, West Virginia. He was 29. Stories conflict on what happened in the final hours of his life, but what is not disputed is that his death gave rise to the legend. In the 60-plus years following his death, Williams' songs would be covered countless times, singers and songwriters would directly cite him as an influence, and his son – Hank Williams, Jr. - then 3, would become a star in his own right. The last song released in his lifetime was "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive."

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

United States

• 1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard.
• 2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
• A^ First Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
• B^' Only Billboard'' No. 1 hit for that artist.

Births

• April 9 — Hal Ketchum, popular country artist of the early 1990s.
• June 1 — Ronnie Dunn, one half of Brooks & Dunn.
• July 9 - David Ball - Singer-Songwriter prominent in the mid 1990's & early 2000's,
• July 14 - Mike Henderson, singer-songwriter and guitarist known for his work with Chris Stapleton and the SteelDrivers
• October 8 - Ricky Lee Phelps - Former lead singer of The Kentucky Headhunters,
• November 4 – Van Stephenson, singer-songwriter and member of the 1990s group BlackHawk

Deaths

• January 1 — Hank Williams, 29, country music singing-songwriting giant and pioneer.