ISBN: 978-0-89820-222-9
From the earliest rumblings of rock ‘n’ roll on Billboard’s “Harlem Hit Parade” through the worldwide dominance of rap on the “Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs” chart, this artist-by-artist reference documents every song with extensive research. That’s a 75-year history spanning Billie Holiday’s “Trav’lin Light” through Drake’s “One Dance”!
23,500 Songs & 5,500 Artists across 75 Years!
It takes one big book to house a huge history that spans from Wynonie Harris, Kim Weston and The Five Keys to Alicia Keys, Kanye West and Clifford Harris (aka T.I.). This essential reference contains every artist and song that ever appeared on Billboard magazine’s R&B singles chart, from its first “Harlem Hit Parade” chart of October 24, 1942, right through the “Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs” chart of August 27, 2016. This rich chronicle is presented in a clean, concise format in the following sections: alphabetical by Artist, alphabetical Song Title cross reference, #1 Hits week by week, and a variety of Rankings of Top Artists, Top Songs and more.
FEATURES EXCLUSIVE to this 7th Edition:
- SONGWRITER(S) shown for every title! Our first R&B book to show you who wrote every song on the R&B charts
- 24-HIT CLUB Clover symbol indicates artists with at least 24 charted hits
- #1 RAP HITS R&B hits that hit #1 on “Hot Rap Songs” chart + total weeks at #1 are indicated
- FEATURED ARTISTS Appear below bio of artist bio with number of hits on which guest artist appears
- LARGER PAGE SIZE and upgraded layout and font make our facts and stats easier-to-read with new symbols that pop off the page.
- R&B HONOR ROLL OF HITS list of the most-honored R&B hits by critics and music industry professionals such as the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and other significant rankings.
- UPDATED BIOS with vital information – group members, birth dates/places, real names of rappers, and death dates for the many artists who passed since the 6th edition.
Larger in scope and size, Top R&B Singles 1942-2016 brings the history of charted R&B music to a new level!
From pastime to passion to profitable enterprise, the growth of Record Research has been the outgrowth of Joel Whitburn’s hobby. Joel began collecting records as a teenager in the 1950s. As his collection grew, he began to sort, categorize and file each record according to the highest position it reached on Billboard magazine's charts. He went on to publish this information — first on individual artists’ cards, then in book form in 1970 — and a business was born.
Over the nearly six decades since, Record Research has created data of the life of a recording on America's major music charts, publishing 189 reference books in print. Joel also collaborated with Warner/Rhino Records in creating a series of 150 CD albums, plus five CD albums with Curb Records.
The Joel Whitburn Music Archive remains unrivaled and includes every charted Hot 100 and pop single (back to 1936), every charted pop album (back to 1945), collections of nearly every charted Country, R&B, Bubbling Under The Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary records. The collection also boasts one of the world’s largest picture sleeve collections, many of which are displayed in the series of books (Top 40 Hits, Top 40 Albums, Top 40 Country Hits, Top 40 R&B Hits) he authored for Billboard’s book division.
The world's most authoritative historian on charted music passed away in 2022, still researching the charts until his final day. His Record Research legacy continues.
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