| abstract | - This list spans from the issue dated January 8, 1944 to the present. Billboard magazine began tracking the popularity of country music songs at that time, and it is widely considered to be the standard music popularity chart in the United States. From 1944-1948, Billboard used just one chart to track songs' popularity - "Most Played Juke Box Folk Records." There was no standard chart length; a given week had anywhere from two to eight positions. A "Best Sellers" chart (first titled "Best Seling Retail Folk Records") was added with the May 15, 1948 issue, while a "Jockeys" (first known as "Country & Western Records Most Played by Folk Disk Jockeys") first appeared on December 10, 1949. From 1949-1957, there were three charts that measured the popularity of country music songs; the Jukebox chart was dropped after the June 17, 1957 chart, while the final Best Sellers and Jockeys charts ended with the October 13, 1958 issue. Starting October 20, 1958, there was one all-encompassing chart, combining both retail sales and radio airplay. First known as "Hot C&W Sides," the chart name changed to "Hot Country Singles" on November 3, 1962; "Hot Country Singles & Tracks" on January 20, 1990; and "Hot Country Songs" on April 30, 2005. The chart length varied through the years: 30 (1958-1964), 50 (1964-1966), 75 (1966-1973), 100 (1973-1990), 75 (1990-2000) and 60 (since January 6, 2001).
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