On This Day in 1950, This Red Foley Song Became Country Music’s First-Ever Crossover Pop Hit and Was Later Covered by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra

Nowadays, a country song finding success on the pop charts isn’t a radical notion. Back in the ’50s, however, the genre lines were much more rigid. On this day (Feb. 14) in 1950, country singer Red Foley managed the previously unthinkable when his signature song “Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy” crossed over to the pop charts.

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Red Foley Was Already a Household Name

Born June 17, 1910, in Blue Lick, Kentucky, Clyde Julian “Red” Foley is widely considered the first country music performer to record in Nashville. In January 1945, Foley recorded “Tennessee Saturday Night”, “Blues in My Heart”, and “Tennessee Border” at WSM-AM’s Studio B.

The native Kentuckian first caught audiences’ attention in 1930 on the show National Barn Dance. Landing a lifetime contract with Decca Records in 1941, he scored a No. 1 hit with 1944’s “Smoke on the Water.” Two years later, Foley began performing and acting as master of ceremonies on The Prince Albert Show, NBC’s segment of the Grand Ole Opry.

In 1949, Foley headed into Nashville’s Castle studio with legendary producer Owen Bradley and guitarist Grady Martin to record “Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy,” written by Harry Stone and Jack Stapp. Released in January 1950, Foley’s version spent 15 weeks on the Billboard chart, peaking at No. 1. It also hit the top of the country music charts, spending a whopping three months there.

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Other Artists Have Covered the Song

Red Foley’s version of “Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy” is listed by some sources as the first country music record to ever sell 1 million copies. However, “Mr. Country Music” wasn’t the song’s only artist.

Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra also recorded their own versions of “Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy.” Crosby’s rendition peaked at No. 4. Meanwhile, Sinatra spent just week on the chart with his cover, holding steady at No. 24.

[RELATED: Pat Boone Revisits Country Hit “Chattanoogie Shoeshine Boy”]

Foley’s subsequent hits included 1951’s “(There’ll Be) Peace in the Valley,” among the first gospel records to sell more than 1 million copies. Three years later, “One By One”—his duet with Kitty Wells—spent 41 weeks on the country charts, peaking at No. 1.

Red Foley died of respiratory failure on Sept. 19, 1968, at just 58 years old. Hours earlier, he had performed “Peace in the Valley” for the final time.

Featured image by Archive Photos/Getty Images