R&B 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 rhythm and blues hits for 1946

“jump music”

(Virtually the same intro as last week!)

These are the #1 rhythm and blues hits of 1946. Unlike the pop charts, which had 20 songs covering 96 weeks, there is only a handful here. That’s the function of the fact that in 1946, there was only one chart showing the most popular R&B songs.

When it was established in 1942, the chart was called the Harlem Hit Parade. In February 1945, it changed to Most Played Juke Box Race Records. It wasn’t until 1948 that Billboard tracked best-selling records, and not until 1955 that they followed the disc jockey’s most-played records. So, in the late 50s, you may see a lot more records, unless jukebox, sales, and radio play agree.

That is, until 13 October 1958, when they consolidated all the charts into what became Hot R&B Sides.

Choo Choo Ch’Boogie – Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five (Decca), 18 weeks at #1. “Far and away the most popular rhythm ‘n blues recording artist of the decade.”

Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop – Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra (Decca), 16 weeks at #1, co-written by Hampton. I always loved how the last chorus is off the beat. Half a dozen of his albums are in my collection.

Buzz Me -Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five, 9 weeks at #1. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influencer in 1987. His page notes, “The supreme ruler of Forties R&B. Louis Jordan topped the R&B charts for a total of one hundred thirteen weeks, an unheard of accomplishment.” I have one Jordan compilation CD.

Justifiable homicide?

Stone Cold Dead In The Market (He Had It Coming) -Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan and His Tympani Five, 5 weeks at #1

The Gypsy – Ink Spots (Decca), 3 weeks at #1. The only song on the list that crossed over to the pop charts that year

Ain’t That Just Like A Woman (They’ll Do It Every Time)-Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five, 2 weeks at #1. I love the guitar intro, which sounds REALLY familiar.

Don’t Worry About That Mule – Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five, 1 week at #1. An NPR bio from 2008.

Hot R&B #1 Singles for 1995

sampling Marvin Gaye

Here are the Hot R&B #1 Singles for 1995 from the Billboard charts.

One More Chance/Stay With Me – The Notorious B.I.G., nine weeks at #1 RB, #2 for three weeks pop. Christopher George Latore Wallace, a/k/a Biggie Smalls. The hit is from his 1994 debut album, Ready To Die. Brittanica notes that he “was among the most influential artists of 1990s gangsta rap.” He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. “On March 9, 1997, Wallace was leaving a party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles when he was killed in a drive-by shooting. The shooter and the motive remained unknown.”

Exhale (Shoop Shoop) – Whitney Houston, eight weeks at #1 RB, also #1 pop. Died in 2012.

This Is How We Do It – Montell Jordan, seven weeks at # RB, also #1 pop

Fantasy – Mariah Carey, six weeks at #1 RB, also #1 pop

MJ

You Are Not Alone – Michael Jackson, four weeks at #1 RB, also #1 pop. Died in 2009. About a decade after that, I posted a piece in response to the question, “Are we under any obligation to erase performers or songs we once liked because it later turns out that they were either allegedly or actually terrible humans or allegedly or actually did terrible things?” I’m still ambivalent about it.

Baby – Brandy, four weeks at #1 RB, #4 RB, platinum

Candy Rain – Soul for Real, three weeks at #1 RB, #2 for four weeks RB, gold

I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need To Get By – Method Man featuring Mary J Blige, three weeks at #1 RB, #3 pop. The latter song was a 1968 hit by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, #1 RB for five weeks, #7 pop.

Don’t Take It Personal (just one of dem days) – Monica, two weeks at #1 RB, #2 for three weeks pop, platinum. Samples Back Seat (Of My Jeep) by LL Cool J

These are the number ones for only one week, RB.

Boombastic– Shaggy, #3 for two weeks pop, platinum. Samples Baby Let Me Kiss You by King Floyd. A remix also samples Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On.

Who Can I Run To? – Xscape, #8 pop, gold

You Remind Me Of Something – R. Kelly, #4 pop, platinum

1965 Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles

the back of Jet magazine

Here are the 1965 Hot Rhythm and Blues singles, mostly from Billboard. From November 30, 1963, through January 23, 1965, Billboard eschewed the R&B single, assuming it was not significantly different from the pop charts. The sources I’ve been checking used the Cash Box Top 50 in R&B locations for that period.

The Billboard category changed to Top Selling Rhythm and Blues singles on June 5, 1965.

I have a book called Across The Charts: The 1960s from Record Research, written by the late Joel Whitburn. Let’s see the crossover of these songs.

I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) – Four Tops, nine weeks at #1; two weeks at #1 pop

Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag (Part 1) – James Brown and the Famous Flames, eight weeks at #1; #8 pop. When I was a kid, James Brown dominated the charts in the back of Jet magazine, which my family got every week for several years. Many of these songs I had never heard on the pop radio stations in Binghamton, NY, at all.

My Girl – The Temptations, six weeks at #1; #1 for one week pop

I Got You (I Feel Good) – James Brown and The Famous Flames, six weeks at #1; #3 for three weeks pop

Rescue Me – Fontella Bass, four weeks at #1; #4 pop

Shotgun – Jr Walker and the All Stars, four weeks at #1; #4 pop

Got To Get You Off My Mind – Solomon Burke, three weeks at #1; #22 pop

We’re Gonna Make It – Little Milton, three weeks at #1; #25 pop

I Want To (Do Everything For You) – Joe Tex, three weeks at #1; #23 pop

Hold What You’ve Got – Joe Tex, two weeks at #1 per Cash Box; #5 pop

Single week at #1

Back In My Arms Again – The Supremes; #1 pop for one week

I’ll Be Doggone – Marvin Gaye; #8 pop

In The Midnight Hour – Wilson Pickett; #21 pop

Ain’t That Peculiar – Marvin Gaye; #8 pop

The Jerk – The Larks, as reported by Cash Box, #7 pop

#1 R&B Hits of 1955

The late, great Johnny Ace

Like all the Billboard charts that year, there are three different categories of charts that comprise the #1 R&B hits of 1955: most played jukeboxes, best sellers in stores, and, starting on January 22nd, most played by jockeys, meaning disc jockeys. Thus, 68 weeks of tracks are represented.

Interestingly, four songs and five tracks are the same as on the pop charts, but they’re all done by different artists than what appears on the pop charts. This is at least one explanation for why there were separate pop and R&B/soul charts.

Ain’t That A Shame (Domino-Bartholomew)- Fats Domino (Imperial), 11 weeks at #1. It did get to #10 on the pop charts, but Pat Boone’s (inferior) version topped the pop charts. BTW, Chubby Checker’s pseudonym was modeled after Domino’s.

Maybelline (Berry) – Chuck Berry (Chess), 11 weeks at #1

Pledging My Love (Washington-Robey) Johnny Ace, orchestra conducted by Johnny Otis (Duke), 10 weeks at #1. Young Johnny Ace had died from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound on Christmas day 1954.

Only You and You Alone (Buck Ram) – The Platters(Mercury), seven weeks at #1

My Babe (Willie Dixon) – Little Walter and his Jukes (Checker), five weeks at #1

The Wallflower (James-Otis-Ballard) – Etta James with Richard Berry and The Peaches (Modern Records), four weeks at #1. The Wallflower” is pretty much “Roll with Me, Henry” and the less risqué “Dance with Me, Henry” that Georgia Gibbs sang to top the pop charts.

Hands Off (Bowman-McShann) – Jay McShann’s orchestra with Priscilla Bowman (Vee-Jay), three weeks at #1

One of two

Unchained Melody (North-Zaret) – Roy Hamilton (Epic), three weeks at #1, and got to #6 on the pop charts; Lex Baxter had the pop #1

All By Myself (Domino-Bartholemew) -Fats Domino (Imperial), three weeks at #1

Sincerely (Fuqua-Freed) – The Moonglows, two weeks at #1, and got to #20 on the pop charts; the McGuire Sisters hit #1 pop.

Bo Diddley (Ellas Bates McDaniel) – Bo Diddley (Checker), two weeks at #1. Diddly was Bates McDaniel.

All of these hit #1 for a single week:

I’ve Got A Woman (Ray Charles) – Ray Charles and his band (Atlantic)

Unchained Melody (North-Zaret) Al Hibbler, orchestra conducted by Jack Pleis(Decca)- got to #3 on the pop charts

Adorable (Buck Ram)- The Drifters (Atlantic). Ram was also the manager and guiding force of The Platters.

A Fool For You (Ray Charles) -Ray Charles and his band (Atlantic)

Poor Me (A. Domino-P. King) – Fats Domino (Imperial)