In 1957, Billboard magazine published three charts specifically covering the top-performing songs in the United States in rhythm and blues (R&B) and related African-American-oriented music genres. The R&B Best Sellers in Stores chart ranked records based on their "current national selling importance at the retail level", based on a survey of record retailers "with a high volume of sales in rhythm and blues records". The Most Played R&B by Jockeys chart ranked songs based on the "number of plays on disk jockey radio shows" according to a weekly survey of "top disk jockey shows in all key markets". The Most Played R&B in Juke Boxes chart was based on "plays in juke boxes thruout [ sic ] the country" derived from a survey of "operators using a high proportion of rhythm and blues records"; this chart was discontinued after the issue of Billboard dated June 17. The three charts are considered part of the lineage of the magazine's multimetric R&B chart launched in 1958, [1] which since 2005 has been published under the title Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs. [2]
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Between January and April, singer and pianist Fats Domino dominated all three charts. He occupied the top spot on the Best Sellers listing for 17 consecutive weeks with "Blueberry Hill", "Blue Monday" and "I'm Walkin'"; all three songs also reached number one on the Jockeys and Juke Box charts. Domino was the most successful black rock & roll artist of the 1950s and achieved a string of pop and R&B successes until the mid-1960s. [3] He was one of several of 1957's chart-topping acts to be included in the inaugural class of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, along with Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the Everly Brothers. [4] Presley was the only artist other than Domino with multiple R&B chart-toppers during the year, with three of his singles topping one or more charts.
The final number one on the juke box chart, in the issue of Billboard dated June 17, was "Searchin'" by the Coasters, which was listed jointly with its flip side, "Young Blood". The single had the year's longest unbroken run atop any of the listings, spending 13 consecutive weeks in the top spot on the Best Sellers chart. The Coasters were also among the early inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [5] Cooke's "You Send Me" was the last number one of 1957 on both the Best Sellers and Jockeys charts; the track reached the top of both listings in the issue dated November 25 and stayed there for the remainder of the year. Several acts achieved the only R&B number one of their career in 1957, including LaVern Baker, Mickey & Sylvia, and Larry Williams. [6] The Bobbettes spent four non-consecutive weeks atop the Jockeys chart with "Mr. Lee", their first chart entry, but would never place another song on any of Billboard's R&B listings, [7] although they did enter the low reaches of the pop charts in 1960 and 1961 before their chart career ended entirely. [8] [9]
