List of Hot Soul Singles number ones of 1979

Last updated

"Bad Girls" was the first number one for Donna Summer (pictured in later life). Nobel Peace Price Concert 2009 Donna Summer1 cropped.jpg
"Bad Girls" was the first number one for Donna Summer (pictured in later life).

Billboard published a weekly chart in 1979 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 has been published as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs since 2005. [1] In 1979, it was published under the title Hot Soul Singles, [2] and 20 different singles reached number one.

Contents

In September, Michael Jackson gained his first soul chart-topper as a solo artist with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". [3] The singer had previously achieved several soul number ones with his brothers as the Jackson 5 [4] and had charted sporadically in his own right since 1971, but did not reach the top spot as a soloist until 1979. [3] Jackson would go on to become one of the most successful musicians of all time, selling hundreds of millions of records, and be regarded as one of the greatest ever entertainers. [5] [6] Donna Summer also topped the soul listing for the first time in July with "Bad Girls". [7] Known as the "Queen of Disco", [8] she had previously achieved five chart-toppers on the Disco Action chart. [9] In December, "I Wanna Be Your Lover" gave Prince his first number one, [10] the first major success of a career which would take him to superstar status and see him regarded as one of the most innovative and influential musicians of his generation. [11] Eight other acts reached number one for the first time in their respective careers in 1979: Cheryl Lynn, Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers, Instant Funk, Sister Sledge, GQ, Peaches & Herb, Anita Ward, and McFadden & Whitehead. [12] Ward's single "Ring My Bell" was an international success, topping the all-genre Hot 100 chart and also reaching number one in the United Kingdom, but she would not be able to replicate its success and is regarded as a one-hit wonder. [13] [14]

Sister Sledge was the only act to have multiple soul number ones during the year, topping the chart with "He's the Greatest Dancer" in March and "We Are Family" in June, but these would prove to be the only chart-toppers for the sibling act. [15] The year's longest-running number one was "Good Times" by Chic, which spent six consecutive weeks in the top spot and was ranked by Billboard as the year's top soul song. The year's final chart-topper was "Do You Love What You Feel" by Rufus and Chaka (Chaka Khan), which reached the top spot in the issue dated December 15 and stayed there for the remainder of the year. Khan had achieved her first solo number one the previous year but continued to record sporadically with the band alongside her ongoing solo career. [16]

Chart history

Prince had his first soul number one in 1979. He went on to be regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. Prince Brussels 1986.jpg
Prince had his first soul number one in 1979. He went on to be regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation.
Michael Jackson, one of the most successful and celebrated artists of all time, had his first solo chart-topper in 1979. Michael Jackson in 1988.jpg
Michael Jackson, one of the most successful and celebrated artists of all time, had his first solo chart-topper in 1979.
Anita Ward (pictured in later life) topped the chart with "Ring My Bell" but she failed to achieve further success and is generally regarded as a one-hit wonder. Anita Ward (cropped).jpg
Anita Ward (pictured in later life) topped the chart with "Ring My Bell" but she failed to achieve further success and is generally regarded as a one-hit wonder.
Key
Indicates number 1 on Billboard's year-end soul chart [17]
Chart history
Issue dateTitleArtist(s)Ref.
January 6"Got to Be Real" Cheryl Lynn [18]
January 13"September" Earth, Wind & Fire [19]
January 20"Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)" Parliament [20]
January 27 [21]
February 3 [22]
February 10 [23]
February 17"Bustin' Loose (Part 1)" Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers [24]
February 24 [25]
March 3 [26]
March 10 [27]
March 17"I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)" Instant Funk [28]
March 24 [29]
March 31"He's the Greatest Dancer" Sister Sledge [30]
April 7"I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)" Instant Funk [31]
April 14"Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)" GQ [32]
April 21 [33]
April 28"Reunited" Peaches & Herb [34]
May 5 [35]
May 12 [36]
May 19 [37]
May 26"I Wanna Be With You (Part 1)" The Isley Brothers [38]
June 2"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" McFadden & Whitehead [39]
June 9"We Are Family" Sister Sledge [40]
June 16"Ring My Bell" Anita Ward [41]
June 23 [42]
June 30 [43]
July 7 [44]
July 14 [45]
July 21"Bad Girls" Donna Summer [46]
July 28"Good Times" Chic [47]
August 4 [48]
August 11 [49]
August 18 [50]
August 25 [51]
September 1 [52]
September 8"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" Michael Jackson [53]
September 15 [54]
September 22 [55]
September 29 [56]
October 6 [57]
October 13" (Not Just) Knee Deep (Part 1) " Funkadelic [58]
October 20 [59]
October 27 [60]
November 3"Ladies' Night" Kool & the Gang [61]
November 10 [62]
November 17 [63]
November 24"Still" Commodores [64]
December 1"I Wanna Be Your Lover" Prince [65]
December 8 [66]
December 15"Do You Love What You Feel" Rufus and Chaka [67]
December 22 [68]
December 29 [69]

See also

References

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  2. Whitburn 1996, p. xii.
  3. 1 2 Whitburn 1988, p. 212.
  4. Whitburn 1988, p. 215.
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  16. Whitburn 2004, pp. 321, 505.
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  40. "R & B Chart for June 9, 1979". Billboard . Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  41. "R & B Chart for June 16, 1979". Billboard . Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  42. "R & B Chart for June 23, 1979". Billboard . Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
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  48. "R & B Chart for August 4, 1979". Billboard . Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  49. "R & B Chart for August 11, 1979". Billboard . Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  50. "R & B Chart for August 18, 1979". Billboard . Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
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  61. "R & B Chart for November 3, 1979". Billboard . Archived from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
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  69. "R & B Chart for December 29, 1979". Billboard . Archived from the original on October 13, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.

Works cited