On This Day in 1964, Jim Reeves Was on a Seven-Week Run Atop the Country Chart More Than a Month After His Death

On this day (September 3) in 1964, Jim Reeves was at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with “I Guess I’m Crazy.” Penned by Werly Fairburn, the song spent seven consecutive weeks at No. 1. It was the first of six posthumous chart-topping singles for the Nashville Sound pioneer.

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Reeves and his manager, business partner, and pianist, Dean Manuel, died in a plane crash near Brentwood, Tennessee, on July 31, 1964, according to the New York Times. Reeves was flying a single-engine plane from Arkansas to Nashville when he encountered a violent thunderstorm. Miscalculations in the face of the weather brought the aircraft down in a wooded area near Brentwood.

“I Guess I’m Crazy” was released as the sole single from The Best of Jim Reeves Vol. II in June 1964. After a brief climb, it topped the Hot Country Songs chart dated August 29, taking the No. 1 position from Roger Miller’s “Dang Me.” It earned the distinction of being the first of Reeves’ singles to top the chart after his passing. It was also the only posthumous No. 1 to be released while he was still alive.

Jim Reeves Scored Multiple Posthumous Chart Toppers

Jim Reeves’ recordings continued to top the country charts for years after his death. The coming years saw two LPs of his songs–Distant Drums and Up Through the Years–reach No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart. Additionally, five more singles would top the country chart after “I Guess I’m Crazy.”

Released in February 1965 as the third single from Distant Drums, “This Is It” was the second of Reeve’s posthumous No. 1 singles. It occupied the top of the country chart for three weeks. Later that year, the fourth single from Distant Drums, “Is It Really Over,” topped the Hot Country Songs chart for three weeks. The album’s title track was next, commanding the top spot for four consecutive weeks and bringing Reeves his first No. 1 in the United Kingdom.

Reeves originally recorded “The Blue Side of Lonesome” for his 1962 album The Country Side of Jim Reeves. In 1966, it was released as a single from the album of the same name and went to No. 1 for a week. The Blue Side of Lonesome also produced Reeves’ final No. 1, “I Won’t Come in While He’s There.” It was one of the last songs he recorded before he died and features the legendary pianist Pig Robbins.

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