Billboard Top R&B Records of 1952 is made up of two year-end charts compiled by Billboard magazine ranking the year's top rhythm and blues records based on record sales and juke box plays. [1]
| Retail year-end [1] | Juke box year-end [1] | Title | Artist(s) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" | Lloyd Price | Specialty |
| 2 | 2 | "Have Mercy Baby" | Billy Ward and his Dominoes | Federal |
| 3 | 3 | "Five, Ten, Fifteen Hours" | Ruth Brown | Atlantic |
| 4 | 10 | "Goin' Home" | Fats Domino | Federal |
| 5 | 5 | "Night Train" | Jimmy Forest | United |
| 6 | 7 | "My Song" | Johnny Ace | Duke |
| 7 | 12 | "One Mint Julep" | The Clovers | Atlantic |
| 8 | 16 | "Ting-A-Ling" | The Clovers | Atlantic |
| 9 | 9 | "3 O'Clock Blues" | B.B. King | RPM |
| 10 | 1 | "Juke" | Little Walter | Checker |
| 11 | 13 | "No More Doggin'" | Rosco Gordon | RPM |
| 12 | 7 | "You Know I Love You" | B.B. King | RPM |
| 13 | 14 | "Mary Jo" | The Four Blazes | Atlantic |
| 14 | 18 | "Booted" | Rosco Gordon | Chess & RPM |
| 15 | 6 | "Five Long Years" | Eddie Boyd | Job |
| 16 | 28 | "Heavenly Father" | Edna McGriff | Jubilee |
| 17 | NR | "Call Operator 210" | Floyd Dixon | Aladdin |
| 18 | NR | "Flamingo" | Earl Bostic | King |
| 19 | 17 | "Cry" | Johnnie Ray | Okeh |
| 20 | 15 | "Moody's Mood for Love" | King Pleasure | Prestige |
| 21 | NR | "Middle of the Night" | The Clovers | Atlantic |
| 22 | 29 | "Best Wishes" | Roy Milton | Specialty |
| 23 | NR | "I'll Drown in My Tears" | Sonny Thompson | King |
| 24 | NR | "Wheel of Fortune" | Sunny Gale | Derby |
| 25 | 25 | "Daddy, Daddy" | Ruth Brown | Atlantic |
| 26 | NR | "So Tired" | Roy Milton | Specialty |
| 27 | NR | "Easy, Easy, Baby" | Varetta Dillard | Savoy |
| 28 | 22 | "I'm Gonna Play the Honky Tonks" | Marie Adams | Peacock |
| 29 | NR | "That's What You're Doing to Me" | The Dominoes | Federal |
| 30 | 30 | "Fool, Fool, Fool" | The Clovers | Atlantic |
| NR | 11 | "Got You on My Mind" | Big John Greer | RCA Victor |
| NR | 19 | "Sweet Sixteen" | Big Joe Turner | Atlantic |
| NR | 20 | "So Tired" | Roy Milton | Specialty |
| NR | 21 | "Oooh, Oooh, Oooh" | Lloyd Price | Specialty |
| NR | 22 | "Rock Me All Night Long" | The Ravens | Mercury |
| NR | 24 | "Weepin' and Cryin'" | Griffin Brothers | Dot |
| NR | 26 | "Hey, Miss Fannie" | The Clovers | Atlantic |
| NR | 27 | "Port of Rico" | Illinois Jacquet | Mercury |