1956 Archives - Ramblin' with Roger

#1 R&B Hits for 1956

These are the #1 R&B Hits for 1956. There are a total of 79 weeks represented, as there were charts for Juke Boxes, Best Sellers, and those played by Disc Jockeys.

Honky Tonk (Parts 1 & 2) – Bill Doggett (King), 13 weeks at #1; #2 pop for three weeks

The Great Pretender – The Platters, 11 weeks at #1 (also #1 pop)

Blueberry Hill – Fats Domino (Imperial), 11 weeks at #1; #2 pop for three weeks

I’m In Love Again – Fats Domino (Imperial) , 9 weeks at #1; #3 pop for two weeks. Written by Domino and Dave Bartholomew

Long Tall Sally – Little Richard and His Band (Specialty), 8 weeks at #1; #6 pop

Hound Dog/Don’t Be Cruel – Elvis Presley, 6 weeks at #1 )also #1 pop)

Why Do Fools Fall In Love – The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon (Gee), 5 weeks at #1; #6 pop. Lymon co-wrote the song and was 13 when he recorded it.

Fever – Little Willie John with Orchestra (King), 5 weeks at #1; #24 pop

Let The Good Times Roll – Shirley & Lee (Aladdin), 3 weeks at #1; #20 pop. Written by Leonard Lee.

Drown In My Own Tears – Ray Charles and his Band (Atlantic), 2 weeks at #1; did not chart pop

Rip It Up – Little Richard and his Band (Specialty), 2 weeks at #1; #17 pop. Co-written by Otis Blackwell.

My Prayer – The Platters, 2 weeks at #1 (also #1 pop)

At My Front Door – The El Dorados (Vee-Jay), 1 week at #1; #17 pop

Treasure Of Love – Clyde McPhatter (Atlantic), 1 week at #1; #16 pop. Founded the Drifters in 1953.

#1 pop hits of 1956

Aura Lee

These are the #1 pop hits of 1956. You might guess who dominated the charts; it was the guy who made his debut on the Ed Sullivan Show in September of that year.

Every song went at least gold. Note that, because of the multiple charts in that era, there were 83 weeks of #1 songs.

Don’t Be Cruel/ Hound Dog – Elvis Presley (RCA Victor), 11 weeks at #1, quadruple platinum. Written byOtis Blackwell and Leiber/Stoller, respectively.

Singing The Blues – Guy Mitchell with Ray Coniff and his orchestra (Columbia), 10 weeks at #1. I heard this song more often on the radio than any song on the list.

The Wayward Wind – Gogi Grant; orchestra under the direction of Buddy Bregman (Era), 8 weeks at #1

Heartbreak Hotel – Elvis Presley (RCA Victor), 8 weeks at #1, double platinum. His first RCA single. Song credited to Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, and Elvis Presley

Rock and Roll Waltz – Kay Starr, orchestra and chorus conducted by Hugo Winterhalter (RCA Victor), 6 weeks at #1

The Poor People Of Paris – Les Baxter and his Orchestra (Capitol), 6 weeks at #1. Instrumental. I know this song! But I didn’t recognize the title.

Memories Are Made of This – Dean Martin with The Easy Riders, orchestra conducted by Dick Stabile (Capitol), 6 weeks at #1

I know that tune from grade school!

Love Me Tender – Elvis Presley (RCA Victor), 5 weeks at #1, triple platinum. From the 20th Century Fox production of the same name, Elvis’ first film. Song attributed to Elvis Presley-Vera Matson, based on the old folk tune “Aura Lee”

My Prayer – The Platters (Mercury), 5 weeks at #1; initially made famous by both Glenn Miller and The Ink Spots.

Lisbon Antigua – Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra (Capitol), 4 weeks at #1. Instrumental, piano by Stan Wrightsman

I Almost Lot My Mind– Pat Boone, orchestra and chorus conducted by Billy Vaughn (Dot), 4 weeks at #1. “Reviving” a 1950 R&B hit by Ivory Joe Hunter.

The Green Door – Jim Lowe with the High Fives, piano and orchestra by Bob “Hutch” Davie (Dot), 3 weeks at #1. You’d think I’d have heard a song with this title, but I do not recall it.

Moonglow and The Theme From “Picnic” – Morris Stoloff and the Columbia Pictures Orchestra (Decca), 3 weeks at #1. Instrumental from the movie.

The Great Pretender – The Platters (Mercury), 2 weeks at #1. Per The 45 Prof: “Tony Williams purportedly had a head cold and stuffy nose when he recorded this unforgettable #1 pop & R&B hit.”

Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)- Perry Como, orchestra conducted by Mitchell Ayres, with The Ray Charles Singers (RCA Victor), 1 week at #1

I Want You I Need You I Love You – Elvis Presley (RCA Victor), 1 week at #1, platinum. Elvis’ second RCA Victor single (released between “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Hound Dog/Don’t Be Cruel”).

Belafonte album by Harry Belafonte

In That Great Gettin’ Up Mornin’

Here’s the answer to a trivia question you may have never thought of. “Belafonte is the second studio album by American recording artist Harry Belafonte, released by RCA Victor in late 1955. The album was the first number one on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, topping it for six weeks before being knocked from the top spot by Elvis Presley’s self-titled debut album, also issued by RCA Victor.”

Here’s a playlist, not in song order, and a Spotify roster, which IS in order, plus a bonus track of La Bamba.

“Waterboy” (Avery Robinson) – 3:42
“Troubles” (Harry Belafonte) – 3:38
“Suzanne” (Belafonte, Millard Thomas) – 3:19
“Matilda” (Norman Span) – 3:11
“Take My Mother Home” (Hall Johnson) – 6:00
“Noah” (Belafonte, William Attaway) – 4:53
“Scarlet Ribbons” (Jack Segal, Evelyn Danzig) – 3:13
“In That Great Gettin’ Up Mornin'” (Norman Luboff, Belafonte) – 3:15
“Unchained Melody” (Hy Zaret, Alex North) – 3:18
“Jump Down, Spin Around” (Luboff, Belafonte, Attaway) – 1:54
“Sylvie” (Huddie Ledbetter, Paul Campbell) – 5:21

First? Really?

This confused me. There were albums before 1956, weren’t there? From Joel Whitburn’s The Billboard Albums: Billboard magazine began publishing a top five popular albums chart in 1945. This chart was published on a sporadic basis until the week of March 24th, 1956, when the chart first appeared weekly on a consistent basis.”

My father was a big Belafonte fan when I was growing up, so I became one too for a time.