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Billboard Hot 100 & Best Sellers in Stores number-one singles by decade |
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Before August 1958 |
After August 1958 |
Billboard number-one singles charts preceding the Billboard Hot 100 were updated weekly by Billboard magazine and the leading indicator of popular music for the American music industry since 1940 and until the Billboard Hot 100 chart was established in 1958.
Before the Billboard Hot 100 chart was established in August 1958, Billboard used to publish several weekly charts. Throughout most of the 1950s, the magazine published the following charts to measure a song's popularity:
Contents |
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Reached number one | Artist(s) | Single | Record label | Weeks at number one | Ref |
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1950 | |||||
January 7, 1950 | Gene Autry | "Rudolph, The Red-nosed Reindeer" | Columbia | 1 | [1] |
January 14, 1950 | The Andrews Sisters | "I Can Dream, Can't I" | Decca | 4 | [2] |
February 11, 1950 | The Ames Brothers | "Rag Mop" | Coral | 1 | [3] |
February 18, 1950 | Red Foley | "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" | Decca | 4 | [4] |
March 18, 1950 | Teresa Brewer | "Music! Music! Music!" | London | 4 | [5] |
April 15, 1950 | Eileen Barton | "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" | National (local); Mercury (nationwide) | 2 | [6] |
April 29, 1950 | Anton Karas | "The Third Man Theme" | London | 11 | [7] |
July 15, 1950 | Nat King Cole | "Mona Lisa" | Capitol | 5 | [8] |
August 19, 1950 | Gordon Jenkins and The Weavers | "Goodnight Irene"♪ (1950) | Decca | 13 | [9] |
November 18, 1950 | Sammy Kaye | "Harbor Lights" | Columbia | 2 | [10] |
December 2, 1950 | Phil Harris | "The Thing" | RCA Victor | 4 | [11] |
December 30, 1950 | Patti Page | "The Tennessee Waltz" | Mercury | 9 | [12] |
1951 | |||||
March 3, 1951 | Perry Como | "If" | RCA Victor | 6 | [13] |
March 10, 1951 | Mario Lanza | "Be My Love" | RCA Victor (Red Seal) | 1 | [14] |
April 21, 1951 | Les Paul and Mary Ford | "How High The Moon" | Capitol | 9 | [15] |
June 23, 1951 | Nat King Cole | "Too Young"♪ (1951) | Capitol | 5 | [16] |
July 28, 1951 | Rosemary Clooney | "Come On-a My House" | Columbia | 6 | [17] |
September 8, 1951 | Tony Bennett | "Because Of You" | Columbia | 8 | [18] |
November 3, 1951 | Tony Bennett | "Cold, Cold Heart" | Columbia | 6 | [19] |
December 15, 1951 | Eddy Howard | "Sin (It's No Sin)" | Mercury | 2 | [20] |
December 29, 1951 | Johnnie Ray and The Four Lads | "Cry" | Okeh (Columbia) | 11 | [21] |
1952 | |||||
March 15, 1952 | Kay Starr | "Wheel Of Fortune" | Capitol | 9 | [22] |
May 17, 1952 | Leroy Anderson | "Blue Tango"♪ (1952) | Decca | 5 | [23] |
June 21, 1952 | Al Martino | "Here In My Heart" | Capitol | 2 | [24] |
July 5, 1952 | Percy Faith | "Delicado" | Columbia | 1 | [25] |
July 12, 1952 | Vera Lynn | "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" | London | 9 | [26] |
September 13, 1952 | Jo Stafford | "You Belong To Me" | Columbia | 5 | [27] |
October 18, 1952 | Patti Page | "I Went To Your Wedding" | Mercury | 5 | [28] |
November 22, 1952 | Johnny Standley | "It's In The Book (parts 1 & 2)" | Capitol | 1 | [29] |
November 29, 1952 | Joni James | "Why Don't You Believe Me" | MGM | 4 | [30] |
December 27, 1952 | Jimmy Boyd | "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" | Columbia | 2 | [31] |
1953 | |||||
January 10, 1953 | Perry Como | "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" | RCA Victor | 5 | [32] |
February 14, 1953 | Teresa Brewer | "Till I Waltz Again With You" | Coral | 5 | [33] |
March 21, 1953 | Patti Page | "The Doggie In The Window" | Mercury | 8 | [34] |
May 16, 1953 | Percy Faith | "The Song From Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart)"♪ (1953) | Columbia | 10 | [35] |
July 25, 1953 | Eddie Fisher | "I'm Walking Behind You" | RCA Victor | 2 | [36] |
August 8, 1953 | Les Paul and Mary Ford | "Vaya Con Dios (May God Be With You)" | Capitol | 11 | [37] |
October 10, 1953 | Stan Freberg | "St. George And The Dragonet" | Capitol | 4 | [38] |
November 21, 1953 | Tony Bennett | "Rags To Riches" | Columbia | 6 | [39] |
1954 | |||||
January 2, 1954 | Eddie Fisher | "Oh! My Pa-pa (O Mein Papa)" | RCA Victor | 8 | [40] |
February 27, 1954 | Doris Day | "Secret Love" | Columbia | 3 | [41] |
March 13, 1954 | Jo Stafford | "Make Love To Me!" | Columbia | 3 | [42] |
April 10, 1954 | Perry Como | "Wanted" | RCA Victor | 8 | [43] |
June 5, 1954 | Kitty Kallen | "Little Things Mean A Lot"♪ (1954) | Decca | 9 | |
August 7, 1954 | The Crew Cuts | "Sh-Boom" | Mercury | 7 | |
September 25, 1954 | Rosemary Clooney | "Hey There" | Columbia | 6 | |
November 6, 1954 | Rosemary Clooney | "This Ole House" | Columbia | 1 | |
November 13, 1954 | Eddie Fisher | "I Need You Now" | RCA Victor | 3 | |
December 4, 1954 | The Chordettes | "Mr. Sandman" | Cadence | 7 | |
1955 | |||||
January 22, 1955 | Joan Weber | "Let Me Go, Lover!" | Columbia | 2 | |
February 5, 1955 | The Fontane Sisters | "Hearts Of Stone" | Dot | 1 | |
February 12, 1955 | The McGuire Sisters | "Sincerely" | Coral | 6 | |
March 26, 1955 | Bill Hayes | "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett" | Cadence | 5 | |
April 30, 1955 | Pérez Prado | "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White"♪ (1955) | RCA Victor | 10 | |
July 9, 1955 | Bill Haley & His Comets | "Rock Around The Clock" | Decca | 8 | |
September 3, 1955 | Mitch Miller | "The Yellow Rose of Texas" | Columbia | 6 | |
October 15, 1955 | The Four Aces | "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing" | Decca | 2 | |
October 29, 1955 | Roger Williams | "Autumn Leaves" | Kapp | 4 | |
November 26, 1955 | Tennessee Ernie Ford | "Sixteen Tons" | Capitol | 7 | |
1956 | |||||
January 14, 1956 | Dean Martin | "Memories Are Made Of This" | Capitol | 5 | |
February 18, 1956 | Kay Starr | "Rock And Roll Waltz" | RCA Victor | 1 | |
February 25, 1956 | Nelson Riddle | "Lisbon Antigua" | Capitol | 4 | |
March 24, 1956 | Les Baxter | "Poor People Of Paris" | Capitol | 4 | |
April 21, 1956 | Elvis Presley | "Heartbreak Hotel"♪ (1956) | RCA Victor | 8 | |
June 16, 1956 | Gogi Grant | "The Wayward Wind" | Era | 6 | |
July 28, 1956 | Elvis Presley | "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" | RCA Victor | 1 | |
August 4, 1956 | The Platters | "My Prayer" | Mercury | 2 | |
August 18, 1956 | Elvis Presley | "Don't Be Cruel" / "Hound Dog" | RCA Victor | 11 | |
November 3, 1956 | Elvis Presley | "Love Me Tender" | RCA Victor | 5 | |
December 8, 1956 | Guy Mitchell | "Singing The Blues" | Columbia | 9 | |
1957 | |||||
February 9, 1957 | Elvis Presley | "Too Much" | RCA Victor | 3 | |
March 2, 1957 | Tab Hunter | "Young Love" | Dot | 4 | |
March 30, 1957 | Buddy Knox | "Party Doll" | Roulette | 1 | |
April 6, 1957 | Perry Como | "Round And Round" | RCA Victor | 1 | |
April 13, 1957 | Elvis Presley | "All Shook Up"♪ (1957) | RCA Victor | 8 | |
June 8, 1957 | Pat Boone | "Love Letters In The Sand" | Dot | 5 | |
July 13, 1957 | Elvis Presley | "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" | RCA Victor | 7 | |
August 31, 1957 | Debbie Reynolds | "Tammy" | Coral | 3 | |
September 14, 1957 | Paul Anka | "Diana" | ABC-Paramount | 1 | |
September 28, 1957 | The Crickets | "That'll Be The Day" | Brunswick | 1 | |
October 5, 1957 | Jimmie Rodgers | "Honeycomb" | Roulette | 2 | |
October 19, 1957 | The Everly Brothers | "Wake Up Little Susie" | Cadence | 1 | |
October 26, 1957 | Elvis Presley | "Jailhouse Rock" | RCA Victor | 7 | |
December 7, 1957 | Sam Cooke | "You Send Me" | Keen | 2 | |
December 28, 1957 | Pat Boone | "April Love" | Dot | 2 | |
1958 | |||||
January 11, 1958 | Danny & the Juniors | "At The Hop" | ABC-Paramount | 5 | |
February 15, 1958 | Elvis Presley | "Don't" | RCA Victor | 5 | |
March 22, 1958 | The Champs | "Tequila" | Challenge | 5 | |
April 26, 1958 | The Platters | "Twilight Time" | Mercury | 1 | |
May 3, 1958 | David Seville | "Witch Doctor" | Liberty | 2 | |
May 17, 1958 | The Everly Brothers | "All I Have To Do Is Dream" | Cadence | 4 | |
June 14, 1958 | Sheb Wooley | "The Purple People Eater" | MGM | 6 | |
July 26, 1958 | Elvis Presley | "Hard Headed Woman" | RCA Victor | 2 |
The following artists achieved three or more number-one hits during the 1950–1958. A number of artists had number-one singles on their own as well as part of a collaboration.
Artist | Number-one hits |
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Elvis Presley | 10 |
Perry Como | 4 |
Patti Page | 3 |
Rosemary Clooney | 3 |
Eddie Fisher | 3 |
Tony Bennett | 3 |
The following artists were featured in top of the chart for the highest total number of weeks during the 1950–1958.
Artist | Weeks at number-one |
---|---|
Elvis Presley | 57 |
Patti Page | 22 |
Tony Bennett | 20 |
Perry Como | 20 |
Les Paul and Mary Ford | 20 |
Rosemary Clooney | 13 |
Eddie Fisher | 13 |
The following songs were featured in top of the chart for the highest total number of weeks during the 1950–1958.
13 | "Goodnight Irene" | Gordon Jenkins and The Weavers |
11 | "Don't Be Cruel" / "Hound Dog" | Elvis Presley |
11 | "Vaya Con Dios" | Les Paul and Mary Ford |
11 | "Cry" | Johnnie Ray and The Four Lads |
11 | "The Third Man Theme" | Anton Karas |
Clara Ann Fowler, better known by her stage name Patti Page, was an American singer. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female artist of the 1950s, selling over 100 million records during a six-decade-long career. She was often introduced as "the Singin' Rage, Miss Patti Page". New York WNEW disc-jockey William B. Williams introduced her as "A Page in my life called Patti".
Percy Faith was a Canadian–American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of instrumental ballads and Christmas standards. He is often credited with popularizing the "easy listening" or "mood music" format. He became a staple of American popular music in the 1950s and continued well into the 1960s. Although his professional orchestra-leading career began at the height of the swing era, he refined and rethought orchestration techniques, including use of large string sections, to soften and fill out the brass-dominated popular music of the 1940s.
"Earth Angel", occasionally referred to as "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)", is a song by American doo-wop group the Penguins. Produced by Dootsie Williams, it was released as their debut single in October 1954 on Dootone Records. The Penguins had formed the year prior and recorded the song as a demo in a garage in South Central Los Angeles. The song's origins lie in multiple different sources, among them songs by Jesse Belvin, Patti Page, and the Hollywood Flames. Its authorship was the subject of a bitter legal dispute with Williams in the years following its release.
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in Billboard magazine. Billboard biz, the online extension of the Billboard charts, provides additional weekly charts, as well as year-end charts. The two most important charts are the Billboard Hot 100 for songs and Billboard 200 for albums, and other charts may be dedicated to a specific genre such as R&B, country, or rock, or they may cover all genres. The charts can be ranked according to sales, streams, or airplay, and for main song charts such as the Hot 100 song chart, all three data are used to compile the charts. For the Billboard 200 album chart, streams and track sales are included in addition to album sales.
"This Ole House" is an American popular song written by Stuart Hamblen, and published in 1954. Rosemary Clooney's version reached the top of the popular music charts in both the US and the UK in 1954. The song again topped the UK chart in 1981 in a recording by Shakin' Stevens.
"Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite" is a popular song that was a hit during the mid-1950s. It was written by Calvin Carter and James "Pookie" Hudson in 1951, and was first recorded by The Spaniels in 1953. It has also been released by some artists as "Goodnight, Well It's Time to Go".
"Too Young" is a popular song, with music written by Sidney Lippman and lyrics by Sylvia Dee. A recording of the song was released by Nat King Cole in 1951, which reached No. 1 in the United States and became the best-selling song of the year. The song was an early attempt by music labels to appeal to the younger demographics and its success later led to a boom in music that catered to the young. Another successful version was released by Donny Osmond in 1972.
Linked here are Billboard magazine's number-one rhythm and blues hits. The Billboard R&B chart is today known as the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"Patricia" is a popular song with music by Pérez Prado and lyrics by Bob Marcucci, published in 1958. The song is best known in an instrumental version by Prado's orchestra that became the last record to ascend to No.1 on the Billboard Jockeys and Top 100 charts, both of which gave way the next week to the then newly-introduced Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was also No. 1 on the R&B Best Sellers for two weeks. Prado's 1958 recording became a gold record. Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1958.
Billboard Year-End charts are cumulative rankings of entries in Billboard magazine charts in the United States in any given chart year. Several hundred Year-End charts are now published by Billboard, the most important of which are the single or album charts based on Hot 100 and Billboard 200 respectively.
"Diana" is a song written and first performed by Paul Anka, who recorded it in May 1957 at Don Costa’s studio in New York City. Anka stated in his autobiography that the song was inspired by a girl named Diana Ayoub, whom he had met at his church and community events, and had developed a crush on.
Unforgettable – A Musical Tribute to Nat King Cole is a soundtrack album released in the UK in 1983 by the CBS Records division of Columbia in conjunction with the broadcast of American pop singer Johnny Mathis's BBC television concert special of the same name that featured Cole's daughter Natalie. The front of the original album jacket credits the concert performers as "Johnny Mathis and Natalie Cole", whereas the CD booklet reads, "Johnny Mathis with special guest Natalie Cole".
Jack K. Pleis was an American jazz pianist, arranger, conductor, composer and producer. He recorded on London and Decca Records in the 1950s, and Columbia Records in the 1960s. During the course of his career, Pleis worked with many artists, including Louis Armstrong, Harry Belafonte, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Benny Goodman, Earl Grant, Brenda Lee, and Joe Williams. Between 1950 and 1976, more than 150 songs were arranged by Pleis. His surname is pronounced "Pleece".
Antoine "Fats" Domino Jr. was an American pianist and singer-songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, more than 65 million records were sold by Domino. He had eleven Top 10 hits between 1955 and 1960.
Champ Clark Butler was an American popular music singer who had several Billboard singles chart hits in the 1950s, and recorded primarily for Columbia Records. The label's head of A & R, Mitch Miller, writing about Butler's singing in 1953, described him as "one of the most versatile lads in the business." Butler had six gold records, with his singles "Them There Eyes", "Down Yonder", "Oh, Looka There, Ain't She Pretty", "Be Anything ", "Fit as a Fiddle" and "I Apologize". He also featured in a nightly CBS television show, Musical Nightcap, for over two years.