Lists of Billboard number-one rhythm and blues hits

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Listed here are Billboard magazine's number-one rhythm and blues hits from 1942–1959. The Billboard R&B chart is today known as the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Note: From May 22, 1948 to October 13, 1958, multiple charts (usually jukebox, DJ, and sales charts) were used, which explains the overlap in the dates of the charts. Because of the existence of multiple charts, some dates had more than one number-one song during the week.

Chart names

  • Harlem Hit Parade — 1942 to February 10, 1945.
  • Juke Box Race Records — February 17, 1945 to June 17, 1957.
  • Billboard's "Best Sellers" — May 22, 1948 to October 13, 1958.
  • Rhythm & Blues — June 25, 1949 to November 30, 1963.
  • Billboard's "Jockeys" — January 22, 1955 to October 13, 1958.
  • Hot R&B —; October 20, 1958 to November 30, 1963. Reinstated January 30, 1965 and continued under that name until the week ending August 16, 1969.
  • Soul Singles — August 23, 1969 to July 7, 1973.
  • Hot Soul Singles — July 14, 1973 to June 19, 1982.
  • Hot Black Singles — June 26, 1982 to October 1990.
  • Hot R&B Singles — October 1990 to 1998.
  • Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs — 1998 to present.

An asterisk after a song title means that the song lost and then regained the number-one spot.

1940s

1942

1943

1944

1945

1946

  • January 12: "Buzz Me" — Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five (9 weeks) - DECCA 18734
  • March 16: "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop" — Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra (16 weeks)* - DECCA 18754
  • March 23: "Don’t Worry 'bout That Mule" — Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five (1 week) - DECCA 18734
  • June 29: "The Gypsy" — The Ink Spots (3 weeks)* - DECCA 18817
  • July 10: "Stone Cold Dead in the Market (He Had It Coming)" — Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five (5 weeks) - DECCA 23546
  • August 24: "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" — Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five (18 weeks)* - DECCA 23610
  • November 23: "Ain’t That Just Like a Woman (They’ll Do It Every Time)" — Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five (2 weeks)* - DECCA 23669

1947

1948

1949

1950s

1950

1951

  • January 6: "Bad, Bad Whiskey" — Amos Milburn (3 weeks)* - ALADDIN 3068
  • March 3: "Black Night" — Charles Brown (14 weeks) - ALADDIN 3076
  • June 9: "Rocket 88" —; Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats (5 weeks) - CHESS 1458
  • June 9: "Chica Boo" — Lloyd Glenn (2 weeks) - SWING TIME 254
  • June 30: "Sixty Minute Man" — The Dominoes (14 weeks)* - FEDERAL 12022
  • September 1: "Don’t You Know I Love You" — The Clovers (2 weeks) - ATLANTIC 934
  • September 22: "The Glory of Love" —; The Five Keys (4 weeks)* - ALADDIN 3099
  • November 3: "'T' 99 Blues" — Jimmie Nelson and the Peter Rabbit Trio (1 week) - RPM 325
  • November 10: "Fool, Fool, Fool" — The Clovers (6 weeks)* - ATLANTIC 944
  • November 10: "I Got Loaded" — "Peppermint" Harris (2 weeks)* - ALADDIN 3097
  • November 17: "I'm in the Mood" — John Lee Hooker (4 weeks)* - MODERN 835
  • December 8: "Because of You" — Tab Smith and His Orchestra (2 weeks) - UNITED 104
  • December 29: "Flamingo" — Earl Bostic and His Orchestra (4 weeks)* - KING 4475

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

For continuation, 1960 to present, start search here.

Gap in the chart

From November 30, 1963 to January 23, 1965 there was no Billboard R&B singles chart. Some publications have used Cash Box magazine's stats in their place. No specific reason has ever been given as to why Billboard ceased releasing R&B charts, but the prevailing wisdom is that the chart methodology used was being questioned, since more and more Caucasian acts were reaching number-one on the R&B chart. According to researcher Joel Whitburn, "there was so much crossover of titles between the R&B and pop singles (Hot 100) charts that Billboard considered the charts to be too similar. This does not mean that R&B artists stopped turning out hits. After all, it was during this 14-month period that Motown established itself as an R&B institution."[1]

References

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