Billboard published a weekly chart in 1977 ranking the top-performing singles in the United States in soul music and related African American-oriented genres; the chart has undergone various name changes over the decades to reflect the evolution of black music and since 2005 has been published as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. [1] In 1977, it was published under the title Hot Soul Singles, [2] and 21 different singles reached number one.
Contents
In the issue of Billboard dated January 1, the group Rose Royce was at number one with "Car Wash", the song's second week in the top spot. [3] It was displaced the following week by "Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love)" by the O'Jays. The year's longest-running number one was "Serpentine Fire" by Earth, Wind & Fire, which reached the peak position in the issue of Billboard dated November 19 and stayed there for the remainder of the year, a total of seven consecutive weeks in the top spot. This also meant that the band had the highest total number of weeks at number one during the year, just ahead of two acts with six weeks in the top spot: the Floaters and Stevie Wonder. The latter was the only act to achieve more than one number one during 1977, spending five weeks in the top spot with "I Wish" and one with "Sir Duke".
The Floaters, whose single "Float On" was recognized by Billboard as the year's best-charting soul single, were among a number of acts that topped the soul singles chart in 1977 for the first time in their respective careers. [4] Thelma Houston, the Emotions and Slave also reached the top spot for the first time during the year, as did William Bell, who had recorded his debut single in 1961 and first appeared on the chart in 1966 but had taken more than a decade to gain his first number one. [5] [6] None of the five acts who topped the chart for the first time during 1977 would go on to achieve any further number ones and the Floaters would not chart at all after 1978, despite "Float On" being a million-seller. [7] [8] Six of the year's soul number ones also topped the Hot 100 pop singles chart: [9] both of Stevie Wonder's chart-toppers along with "Car Wash" by Rose Royce, "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Thelma Houston, "Got to Give It Up (Part 1)" by Marvin Gaye and "Best of My Love" by the Emotions. [10] Other songs, however, did not achieve significant crossover success: "The Pride (Part 1)" by the Isley Brothers peaked at number 63 on the Hot 100. [11]
